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LEADING BUILDERS Recognizing leadership in home building


KEY FEATURES


> HERS: -3 > Walls: 2x6 16” o. c. > Attic insulation: R-45 spray foam > Wall insulation: R-34, 7” spray foam + 1” exterior XPS


> Roofing Material: Shingles from recycled nylon carpet


> Foundation: Basement, R-30 insulated concrete forms


> Ducts: In conditioned space, for ventilation only > HVAC: radiant floor heating > Windows: Alpen HeatMirror glazing and Fibertec frames. U-0.18 west and east, 0.12 north


> Water heating: Roof-mounted solar flat-plate collectors feed a 6,000-gallon tank


> Ventilation: ERV with geothermal pre-heat/pre- cool fresh air intake.


EcoFutures Building routinely bests the DOE’s Builders Challenge program with homes boasting negative HERS scores.


> Green features: formaldehyde-free cabinets and carpet, AFM Safecoat paints, salvaged hardwood flooring


> Lighting: 99% compact florescent lights > Solar: 8.9 kW Sharp Photovoltaic array, solar thermal water heating


Familiar With Firsts


EcoFutures Building shows exceptional commitment to advancing energy efficiency in housing. By Stacy Hunt


Ecofutures Building is familiar with firsts. In 2005, Ecofutures built the first home in Boulder, Colo., that produced more energy than it uses. In 2008 when the U.S. Department of Energy issued its Builders Challenge, Ecofutures became the first builder to qualify with a score literally off the scale, a -3 on the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) index. In March 2009, Doub completed a second high-performance home that qualified for the Builders Challenge with another -3 HERS score. Over 3,100 people have toured Ecofutures’ first Builders Challenge house, where


company president Eric Doub lives with his family. The 4,600-square-foot, five-bedroom home has been equipped with extensive energy monitoring equipment. (Data can be viewed at www.ecofuturesbuilding.com/systemsmonitoring.) Ecofutures installs energy monitoring systems in all its new and renovated homes. The wall assembly includes 2x6 16” on-center framing filled completely with 7” of


Icynene spray-foam insulation and 1” rigid exterior EPS insulation. Insulated concrete forms create basement walls with an R-30 rating. The attic is insulated to R-45 with Icynene foam sprayed on the underside of the roof decking, which insulates and air seals the attic while preventing thermal bridging between the conditioned space and the outdoors. The windows have U-values of U-0.18 on the west- and east-facing windows and 0.12


on the north. The building envelope has tested at a very tight 0.09 natural air changes per hour.


The house has radiant floor heating, which is rarely used. “Once you get into a snug 42 GreenBuilder October 2010


BUILDER PROFILE


> Builder: Ecofutures Building > Founded: 1993 > Employees: 12 > Development: Four certified Builders Challenge homes (two with -3 HERS ratings)


home, where fresh air is being delivered but not in a drafty way, you feel warm,” says Doub.


His second net-zero energy home


uses low-velocity forced air heated by hydronic coils containing solar-heated hot water. The home has roof-mounted photovoltaic arrays totaling 8.9 kW to produce electricity and 12 roof-mounted solar thermal collectors for water heating. “I want comfort, health, durability,


and value for my clients,” says Doub. “The net-zero energy measures cost 7% to 8% of the total home price. Our clients pay more in mortgage but less in energy so it’s cost neutral or even cash flow positive to live in a zero energy home at today’s energy prices.” GB


www.greenbuildermag.com


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