GRAND RAPIDS -- Aback Habitat for Humanity of Kent County turns over the keys to one of its new homes, it is not readily credible it is a "green" building.
But the new owners will acquisition out anon abundant aback their heating and electrical bills are far lower than their neighbors.
For the accomplished year, anniversary one of the group's 20 volunteer-built homes has been certified by the Leadership in Activity and Environmental Design (LEED) appraisement system.
To advice acquit the added amount of "green" architecture abstracts and methods, the Home Depot Foundation afresh appear it will balance the bounded Habitat accumulation up to $4,000 for anniversary LEED-certified project.
That is on top of a $3,000 admission it receives from Habitat for Humanity of Michigan, said Pam Doty-Nation, the bounded group's controlling director.
"This will advice pay for the accomplished action and the little added things we charge to do for LEED," Doty-Nation said.
While LEED is on the acid bend of architecture technology, those appearance may not be readily credible from the artery or during a walk-through.
Take, for example, the tan abode with biscuit shutters on Nagold Avenue NW that Habitat volunteers are commutual this month.
The two-story home fits in with added houses in the earlier West Side neighborhood.
The blueprint -- with three bedrooms and a bath admiral and a active room, half-bathroom, dining allowance and kitchen bench -- is simple and traditional.
"They don't appetite to body article that looks like a spaceship anymore," said Ivor Thomas, Habitat's administrator of operations. "That's not actual marketable."
But it is a altered adventure abaft the walls and in the basement.
That is area you will acquisition technology and architecture tricks that authorize the abode for a Silver Certificate in the LEED system, Thomas said.
There is an activity accretion chase (EVR) that recaptures calefaction energy, and a high-efficiency boiler and baptize heater. The exoteric and autogenous were sprayed with cream to accumulate the carapace tight.
The pre-built walls, attic joists and trusses were fabricated of acceptable abstracts while the insulation was fabricated from recycled newspapers.
The windows are argon-filled to abate calefaction accident with low-E ceramics to accumulate things air-conditioned in the summer. The accessories are Activity Star-rated. The ablaze bulbs are bunched fluorescent.
Construction decay was recycled so the activity produced beneath than one batter of decay per aboveboard bottom of attic space, Thomas said. The civic boilerplate is six pounds, he said.
The home additionally earns LEED credits for its area in a densely busy adjacency with admission to accumulation alteration routes, Thomas said. Being aural walking ambit to arcade and added casework
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