LEADING BUILDERS Recognizing leadership in home building
Miller placed rigid foam insulation and
a new three-coat stucco finish over the original adobe walls but kept the historic
masonry parapet visible to retain the home’s southwestern character.”
thermal mass storage and conduction properties that could be controlled with the external insulation. The house was wrapped with rigid foil-faced 1½” polyisocyanurate board that was applied directly to the outside surface of the adobe. This rigid foam sheathing was extended down the wall to insulate the edge of the slab. The board was covered with a three-coat stucco finish to seal the wall and restore the adobe appearance. The brick parapet was left exposed as an architectural detail. For the flat roof assembly, the original
roofing was removed but not the framing or plywood sheathing. The team secured 2” of polyisocyanurate rigid insulation to the sheathing. The 3-ply built-up roof— painted reflective white—was placed on top of this insulation. The aluminum sliding windows were replaced with argon-filled Milgard dual-pane windows, and the sliding glass doors were replaced
“These old homes are just sucking up energy. … I sincerely believe we should all be working to make the planet healthier. Fixing up our existing housing stock is one of the biggest places we can make a difference.” —John Wesley Miller
with Milgard French doors containing SunCoat low-emissivity glass.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY RESIDENTIAL RETROFIT RESOURCES
DOE seeks to offer comprehensive, whole-
house technical information to the industry and consumers to encourage energy-efficient remodeling and retrofit practices in our nation’s existing homes. Visit the Residential Buildings web site at
http://www1.eere.energy. gov/buildings/
index.html to access a variety of useful resources, including Home Performance with Energy Star program information, case studies of successful retrofits in all climate zones, energy code and tax incentive information, guidelines for air sealing, solar and photovoltaic systems, and more.
Mechanical System Upgrades A Copperheart solar hot water heater was mounted on the roof and a Seisco tankless water heater was added to ensure hot water on demand. Also mounted on the roof was
SAVINGS Heating and cooling costs Tucson Electric Power
Federal tax credit State tax credit Utility rebate
and cooling. Ninety percent of the time, the smaller compressor, which uses 25% less energy is all that is needed; the larger compressor kicks in during extreme temperatures. All incandescent light fixtures were replaced with fluorescent light fixtures and lights. Carpet was replaced with ceramic tiles, which also have thermal mass properties.
HOW MUCH
30% less than neighbors; 75% less than pre-retrofit
5-year guaranteed heating and cooling bills ($1.26/day)
$2,000 per solar system $1,000 per solar system
$4,800 for PV; $1,300 for solar hot water
a wind-resistant, 1.6 kW PV system for converting sunlight to free electricity. A Trane dual-compressor heat pump (19/17.6 SEER) was installed for heating
50 GreenBuilder July > August 2010
The Bottom Line Although Miller acknowledges personal motivations for remodeling the Hawthorne house, he sees a much bigger motivation: “These old homes are just sucking up energy. … I sincerely believe
we should all be working to make the planet healthier. Fixing up our existing housing stock is one of the biggest places we can make a difference.” GB
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