Energy Efficiency
ENERGY EFFICIENCIES ARE PART OF SMART GROWTH
Building Construction – Energy Efficiency Defined
The standard way to define Energy Efficiency is to calculate the BTUs a building uses for heating, electricity and appliances. The Green Street buildings will be held to a high standard of energy efficiency.
A variety of options, for building, appliances and beyond, can be used to meet this standard: Amount of insulation in the roof and walls, house tightness (restrictions on air leakage), energy recovery ventilation, window choices, fuel choices and appliance efficiencies, purchase of offsetting renewable energy to achieve “net zero” efficiency.
Green Street will focus on what can be achieved with thoughtful design and construction, plus fuel choices of natural gas and solar electric.
It is assumed that the buildings will include the following:
1. Insulation: R Values of R20 for the basement, R 38 for the walls, and R60 for the roof. Bast & Rood will recommend cellulose as the best insulation option.
2. Windows will be triple glazed.
3. House tightness – 0.3 air changes per hour.
4. 80 cfm Energy Recovery Ventilation.
Calculate Building Energy Efficiency Cost Savings
The above standard of Energy Efficiency, versus current standard of building efficiencies, should save you $654 to $746 per year depending on the heat source. For a typical 30 year mortgage time period the savings would be $19,620 to $22,380. If heating prices climb, the savings will climb also.
Natural Gas: In addition, all houses will use natural gas as the primary heating fuel. Green Street has signed an agreement with Vermont Natural Gas which does allow the home buyer to add a number of additional energy sources: solar hot water, photovoltaics, a wood stove, a wood boiler, air source heat pumps. Green Street homes may not use for heat electricity or oil.
Solar Electric Panels: Green Street will install solar electric panels on tracker installations in the field along Charlotte Road, to generate solar power which will be fed directly into the Green Mountain Power grid. This power will generate an annual offset to the neighborhood’s electric bills, to be shared equally.