Community Energy Systems Newsletter Archive

By SANDY MCCOLLUM, STAFF WRITER State Journal-Register Friday, September 28, 2007

Harvey Koplo and Annette Chinuge of Chatham discovered that they had extra money after their last child graduated from college. They decided to use that money for their dream home, one that wouldn't consume a lot of the earth's resources. Thus began an adventure and learning process, a green home that uses solar energy, collects water and doesn't waste much fossil fuel.

The couple bought a home on Spaulding Road with the intention of remodeling. When it became apparent that the improvements would be too expensive, they decided to start fresh. Down came the old home, replaced with a thoroughly-researched and planned home designed to leave just a small footprint in the environment. Harvey, owner of Avrom System Technology Services, used the Internet to investigate every aspect of the home, from foundation to heating, lighting and materials, and used state-of-the-art techniques for green-building construction. Harvey designed the outside; Annette designed the inside. Together they used eco-friendly design techniques and electrical power generating photovoltaic solar cells and, whenever possible, they used recycled or renewable resources.

"Before we get into all the messy details of the HOUSE, the more important things about Harvey and Annette's house you can not see no matter how hard you look. First, they realized that the previous house on the property could not be made efficient as they wanted so they tore it down. Environmentalist might squawk, but trying to make things work in a "space in which they won't" has been one of the banes of energy conservation. In fact the Energy Industry has produced such failures on purpose so that people would believe that energy conservation does not work. The Industry called that process inoculation therapy.

The other thing that they did was they left all of the old Trees in place. I don't know what developers have against trees but they always tear them down. That they left the trees up is maybe the most stellar part of the project for me." -- Doug

GREEN HOME SPECS

Structure
• Foundation — insulated outside with 2" extruded polystyrene - minimum 2' or more depth
• OSB I-beam floor joists used instead of lumber
• Framed with 2x6 instead of 2x4 studs to accommodate thicker insulation layer
• Tyvak wind barrier — provides airtight envelope
• 1" blueboard insulation outside front wall between brick and 2x6 stud walls
• 1 1/2" headboard insulation outside remaining walls between Dryvit outer shell and 2x6 stud walls
• Insulated with recycled newspaper
• R-32 insulation in walls (building code is R-11)
• R-60 insulation in ceiling (building code is R-30) — risers on trusses allow for extra insulation
• Casement windows — seal better than double hung windows, "Low E" glass

Heating and Cooling / Passive Solar Design
• Solar gain — large windows, house oriented southeast, south, southwest
• Thermal mass wall — heat/cold storage
• Deciduous trees — natural shading for summer cooling, drop leaves for winter solar heating
• Two-foot roof overhang — overhang for summer shade, lets sun in during winter months
• Attic fan in attached garage — sucks heat out without sacrificing ceiling insulation
• Return duct located in highest point in house — recaptures hot air
• High efficiency (up to 200 per¬cent) heat pump heating/cooling systems
• "Zoned" heating and cooling
• Programmable thermostat
• Ceiling fans throughout house
• Air exchanger unit — refresh air without heat/cold/moisture loss

Building Materials — recycled and sustainable
• Lyptus wood on main floor — fast-growing sustainable hard¬wood
• Porch decking "wood" — made of recycled plastic bags and soda bottles
• Office carpet — made of recy¬cled plastic fiber
• Computer shop — floor made of recycled tires
• Master bath counter — made of recycled cardboard (ShetkaS-tone)

Water
• Recirculation pump on hot water lines — provides instant hot water
• Downspouts — run water into special roof washers which filter water and run into cistern
• Cistern water for household use — recycles rain water
• Low-flow showers and low-volume toilets
• Solar hot water heater — installed on roof
• 80-gallon solar hot water storage tank - preheats water for energy-efficient 55-gallon hot water heater

Lighting and Electric
• "Energy star" rated appliances used throughout: dishwasher, washer, refrigerator, convection ovens, heat pumps, water heater and solar storage tank
• Three solar tubes used for natural light during daylight hours
• Dimmable compact fluorescent bulbs (75 percent less electricity than incandescent)
• Two kilowatt photovoltaic panels installed on roof — tied to grid — generates electricity for house.

Community Energy Systems (CES), a Springfield nonprofit organization dedicated to new methods of energy generation and conservation, is seeking a donated building for a green rehabilitation project. The renovated building will be used as office space for CES, and as a demonstration model for several new and innovative energy technologies.

"The concept of a green rehab is pretty straight forward.", said Doug Nicodemus, President of the organization. "All of the materials taken out of the building would not go to a landfill, and everything that goes into the building would be recycled, or at the very least, recyclable".

Once the renovation is complete, Nicodemus intends to use the latest in green technology throughout the building.

Current plans call for the building to be an environmental education and awareness center. "We are hoping that our partner, Sustainable Springfield, Inc., and other groups like the Sierra Club, Friends of Sangamon Valley, and Clean Energy Springfield will use the structure for offices and meeting rooms.

Dave Fuchs, Vice President and Political Liaison for CES, sees it as an energy beacon. "We want to put in place amorphous photovoltaic panels, light tunnels, and geothermal heat pumps. My personal favorites are the smaller wind turbines that have recently come to market."

According to Fuchs, new turbines come in all shapes and sizes, including a vertical turbine that can go directly on rooftops, and fixed blade traditional turbines that mount on 50 to 90 foot poles. "I like the vertical blade turbines because the manufacturers claim that they are bird proof. That is something we would like to test".

"CES is looking for a light commercial or residential building in or around Springfield ", said Shane Bumgarner, Secretary for the organization. Bumgarner pointed out that CES thinks a residential building in an older neighborhood would be ideal.

The donated structure would give the group an excellent opportunity to demonstrate current green rehabilitation strategies, and focus community attention on energy conservation, and environmental impact. Bumgarner noted, "When you drive around town and see construction dumpsters and realize all of that is going to the dump, you begin to understand it is a huge waste of energy and resources."

"We have already addressed the Enos Park Neighborhood Association, and hope to talk to the Vinegar Hill and the Near West A ssociations, as well," said Nicodemus.

CES believes its real hope may come from real estate agents. Sometimes, a property becomes an albatross for an owner, and donating it is the perfect solution. But, oftentimes, they don't realize the option exists. "Ideally, the building would have to be structurally sound." said Nicodemus. "We are not in a position to replace a roof, a foundation, or repair major structural damage, but, like Shane said, we're keeping all our options open".