Title: Habitat for Humanity Goes Green with Alternate Energy
Date: 07/25/2008
Habitat for Humanity, long known for its charitable work building homes with donated labor and materials, has joined the environmental movement with construction of its first certifiably "green" house in the state.
The energy-efficient, saltbox-style home in Plymouth will be certified by the US Green Building Councils Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, program, according to Habitat for Humanity spokeswoman Katie Evans.
The house has been nicknamed the "solar saltbox," according Stephen P. Dyer, cochairman of the construction committee.
The photovoltaic cells will "on a really good day, generate in excess of 100 percent of energy," said Dyer. "On a bad day, they will generate about 30 to 50 percent."
Either way, the new homeowner - Jacqueline Scarpino, who has three school-age children - can look forward to "paying one-tenth of what she is currently paying for energy," said Dyer.
Habitat has built several LEED-certified homes in California, Florida, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, New York, and Pennsylvania. "There are many other projects that are in the early stages and are not listed as of yet," said Evans, in an e-mail.
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Plymouth broke ground on the Braley Road project last Labor Day weekend. Crews of volunteers, from college students to women in their 60s, have been working on the house every Saturday since.
The foundation was built using insulating concrete forms, and the roof was completed by the winter. The walls and roof are made of prefabricated structural insulated panels known as SIP panels that provide extra insulation and are expected to result in energy savings of up to 14 percent. The house also has heated floors and water-efficient plumbing fixtures.
"I haveve built a lot of houses, and it is rare to put those in," said Doug Ballum, the construction site supervisor. "I always say, This house could be heated with a candle. "
The volunteers finished painting and installing laminate flooring on the first floor in June, and this month Steve Pitney, CEO of Plymouth-based Alternate Energy Inc., installed 18 photovoltaic panels on the roof.
The project has been a learning experience for everyone involved, said Dyer, whose day job is working as a principal land surveyor for Cubellis Inc., a Boston design firm.
Dyer and other construction professionals who have worked on the Braley Road house have gotten acquainted with new subcontractors who specialize in green building practices. They have also learned about the advantages and disadvantages of different types of construction materials and so-called green features that conserve energy.
"We had to learn how each of these technologies work," said Dyer. "I can tell you this, I know a lot more about radiant floor heating systems than I ever had before."
In April, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at 138 Grove St. in Kingston. That home is a "Women Build" project, involving female volunteers mostly. Habitat for Humanity of Greater Plymouth is still seeking volunteers for that project, as well as a female licensed construction supervisor to oversee the work. For more information, call 508-866-4188 or visit hfhplymouth.org.
The dedication ceremony for the home at 11 Braley Road in Plymouth will be held Aug. 17 at 2 p.m., and the public is invited to attend.
