Local energy efficient home built to meet Earth-friendly guideline

Not all "green" structures are created equal.

So how does an environmentally-conscious homeowner choose a builder?

"Any builder can call himself 'green,' " said Bill Styczynski, architect and president of Styczynski Walker and Associates, a design and build firm in Willowbrook.

"But what does that really mean? Is he following best practices and conforming to reputable guidelines? Can he measure energy efficiency and demonstrate cost savings? Does he recycle construction waste?"

In order to answer these questions and others, the National Association of Home Builders has developed a certification program to evaluate homes to determine exactly how environmentally friendly they are. Homes that have the least impact on the environment, based on extensive testing, receive a gold certification.

"Currently, there are only a known handful of homes throughout Chicagoland that have achieved or will be achieving gold-certified status," Styczynski said.

One of the homes that is expected to receive that certification this month is a 2,550-square-foot home Styczynski's firm designed and custom built for private owners in Elmhurst.

"Building green doesn't mean simply adding a few compact fluorescent light bulbs and low-flow toilets," Styczynski said.

Green certification under the NAHB program requires a holistic approach to designing and building homes and while energy efficiency is important, so is managing resources, indoor air quality, water efficiency and lot design, he said.

For instance, the fact that Styczynski's firm built the Elmhurst house on a lot which previously held an old, less serviceable home is a plus. The infrastructure (water hookups, electrical service, streets, schools and even sidewalks) was already in place. New ones did not need to be built.

Next, the owners decided to build a home that was suitable to the size of their family, with no wasted space, so that they would use fewer natural resources, Styczynski said.

But the home's most unusual component is its open loop geothermal system, which takes advantage of the earth's constant temperature of 54 degrees to heat and cool the home. It uses water that is pumped up from a 180-foot-deep well in the front yard and then discharged back into a similarly deep injection well in the back yard. The wells must be 60 to 100 feet apart.

The conditioned air is distributed throughout the house via oversized ductwork using a variable speed blower. The system is also used to heat water for the hot water system.

These systems can be more than three times as efficient as traditional fossil fuel furnaces, according to the EPA, so homeowners can earn a tax credit equal to 30 percent of the cost with no cap when they install such systems, Styczynski said.

"This is a very simple technique that has been used in Europe for years but has only recently come to the United States," said Tony Bozhilov of Geothermal House Inc. of Chicago, the heating and air conditioning subcontractor.

"It is a highly efficient system if there is a small differential between the ground temperature and the temperature that you want in the house," Bozhilov said. It becomes slightly less efficient when the outside temperatures drop near or below zero.

He cautioned, however, that the size of the ductwork is critical. A geothermal system won't save a homeowner any money at all if the accompanying ductwork is not sized correctly.

"This system circulates a high volume of air at a slower speed so that the air doesn't feel cold when it blows in on you," Bozhilov said.

Styczynski estimates that the heating cost for a 5,000-square-foot house using this system is only $845 per year. He had no estimate for the cooling cost.

Elsewhere in the home, renewable resources like stranded caramelized bamboo floors and lyptus countertops were used in place of slow-growth woods like oak, and only low formaldehyde plywood was used for doors, cabinets and other products. Low VOC (volatile organic compounds) products were also used for all interior paints, sealants and adhesives to prevent toxic fumes from affecting workers and residents.

But to disperse any remaining fumes that might accumulate in the tightly sealed home, a fresh air exchanger with a HEPA filter, carbon filter and ultraviolet light was added to the ventilation system and a radon mitigation vent was installed under the basement floor and vented through the roof.

Cellulose insulation made from recycled products was used throughout the home and was augmented with foam insulation at common points for air leakage along the rim boards at the top of the foundation, between the first and second floors and around windows and doors, according to Lantz Radkow of D&H Energy Management Co. of Huntley, the insulation subcontractor.

Insulation was also used to cover all of the studs instead of just between the studs, Radkow said. That was done to reduce the chance of mold developing between the walls.

And a special sealant was used on the seams of the home's ductwork to prevent the loss of heated or cooled air into the attic or other spaces.

Of course, water-efficient toilets, faucets and showerheads were used throughout the home, as were Energy Star-rated appliances, ceiling fans and exhaust fans.

In addition, a system to cut the amount of water being constantly heated was also installed in the home. Motion detectors in the upstairs bathrooms trigger a hot water circulation pump when someone enters the bathroom, providing hot water on demand while reducing water and energy consumption.

And more than 50 percent of the construction debris generated on the site was recycled, Styczynski said.

"Green building is necessary because every home constructed today will have an impact on our environment for the next 50 to 100 years," he continued. "We cannot create homes like they are a disposable commodity. We must build energy-efficient and sustainable residences. And green building is not just for new homes, but should be considered to renovations and additions, too."