Building green: energy efficiency takes root at habitat for humanity

E: The Environmental Magazine, Jan-Feb, 2005 by Bill Thorness

Can low-income home builders afford the luxury of going green? That question is being vigorously tested at some Habitat for Humanity affiliates.

The most common green building approach used in Habitat homes--many of which are three-bedroom, one-bath dwellings built for under $50,000--is to meet Energy Star ratings. That's the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standard that specs a 20 to 30 percent savings in energy costs, achieved by installing efficient appliances and lighting, super-insulating the home and tightly sealing the building envelope. Affiliates also seek ways to boost indoor air quality by reducing or eliminating products that offgas volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Call this a "light green" construction approach.

"We want energy efficiency to be our standard model, not an upgrade," says Nevil Eastwood, director of construction and environmental resources at Habitat for Humanity International in Americus, Georgia.

Each of the 1,700 U.S. Habitat affiliates controls its own building practices, and some want to go further. "I want to give the impression that yes, we're very open to that, and there are a few affiliates doing that," Eastwood says. "But we're building homes for people who are earning about 30 percent of the median income for the area, so that doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room."

To get to medium green," says Kevin Sullivan, advocacy director for Habitat's New York City affiliate in Brooklyn, the group considers practices that are good for the community, such as water efficiency and resource conservation. A "dark green" approach, he says, makes choices good for the planet, like site selection and alternative energy.

Decisions mainly hinge on cost, as Habitat homes are built with a combination of fundraising, donated materials and volunteer labor. Products also must pass building codes and be readily available. Durability and maintenance are factors too.

"Affordability and energy saving measures fit perfectly with Habitat goals," says Darryl Yankee, director of resource development at Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County, in Oxnard, California. "We sell homes to families for the cost of construction, so anything we put in there that's an additional up-front cost to the family needs to pay off in a reasonable amount of time."

For most affiliates, that means getting the best possible performance from a heating system. "You can almost directly correlate energy costs and whether families are able to pay their mortgages," Sullivan says.

Using low-emissivity-rated windows, a sealed-combustion boiler, extra air sealing and better insulation, the Butte, Montana affiliate is building "super-insulated high-performance houses" with annual heating costs of $250, half what is spent for a typical Butte home.

Homes built by Almost Heaven Habitat for Humanity in Franklin, West Virginia might cost $5,000 more to make energy efficient, adding $20 to the monthly mortgage payment, says Executive Director Michelle Connor. "If we can cut that family's utility bill from $60 to $20, we're saving that family $40 a month," she says. "We have to fundraise more, but it's a net savings to the family, so that's an easy sell."

Higher-cost green building products are not yet widely in use, unless donations or subsidies make them affordable. In California, subsidies and rebates can pay for up to 75 percent of solar energy costs, bringing the additional cost down to about $2,000 per home. "That's something we can justify," Yankee says. "They'll make that back in a couple of years of energy savings."

After trying homes made of soil blocks and straw bales, Almost Heaven turned back to more mainstream materials. The group now uses insulated concrete floors that include hot-water radiant heating. The installation is cost effective because of trained volunteer labor. Walls are built with "structural insulated panel" systems, rigid foam sandwiched between oriented-strand-board plywood that provides continuous insulation and fewer thermal breaks. "We've completely abandoned traditional stick construction and fiberglass insulation in the quest for energy efficiency," Connor says. In the snowy Allegheny Mountains, "Our families can heat their homes for $20 a month."

Such an integrated, whole-house design is promoted by the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council, which sets standards that some affiliates seek to meet. The Habitat New York City affiliate's holistic view goes even further, with a mission that includes this statement: "We believe green building is about health, wealth and justice."

Reducing the level of airborne toxics fights "epidemic asthma rates" seen in low-income urban neighborhoods, which Sullivan says "is a matter of environmental justice for inner-city residents." A home "turns into wealth for the family," he explains. "It will be the engine that provides a college education for their kids and stable retirement for the owners. A more healthy and more durable home simply accelerates that process of wealth creation."