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A
custom home
builder pulls
out all the
stops
to make
an environmentally
sound impact
By
Felicia Oliver,
Senior Editor
April
2, 2007
HousingZone
Custom
home builder
Robert
Lord Builders,
Inc., headquartered
in St.
Charles,
Il., is
utilizing
multiple
energy
saving
techniques
in the
construction
of this
15,000
square
foot home. |
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The
Midwest is not known
for its cutting edge
green home building,
but one local custom
home builder is trying
hard to change that.
Robert
Lord Builders is
working on an ambitious
spec home with lofty
green goals to balance
its large footprint
and lavish appointments.
Located at Red Oaks,
a single-family home
community in the
Chicago suburb of
St. Charles, Illinois.,
and expected to complete
this summer, the
home could be among
the most environmentally
friendly new homes
in the area.
The
nearly 15,000 square-foot home
will use three fairly
innovative energy
saving systems – geothermal,
closed-cell insulated
foaming and a highly
insulating house
wrap.
The
earth’s temperature
is a fairly constant
55 degrees at a certain
depth. Lord plans
to use a series of
ground source geothermal
heat pumps to
effectively heat
and cool the home
with water or an
environmentally friendly
antifreeze liquid
circulating through
a closed-loop pipe
buried in the ground.
The conditioned air
will then be distributed
throughout the house
via forced air blowers
and traditional ductwork.
“This
house would have
had a 19-ton load,” says
Robert Lord, owner
of the company. “On
a commercial level,
it would take five
furnaces and five
air conditioners
to heat this space
and cool it in the
summer. For residential,
it would be a lot
more than that. But
we don’t have
furnaces or air conditioners.
Nothing.”
Lord
says some studies
of geothermal systems haven’t always
turned out well but
says that’s
because people trench
them at five to seven
feet, which is too
shallow to consistently
reach the 55 degree
temperature.
“We
drill [deep] into
the ground, just
like a water well,” Lord
says. “We’re
going to have a total
of seven wells. …This
is going to be an
extreme level.”
Lord
says a geothermal
system will save
homeowners up to
70 percent in heating
costs and up to 50
percent in cooling
costs compared to
a conventional system.
With a conventional
air source heat pump,
the airflow is seldom
warmer than 80 degrees.
But because water
transfers a greater
volume of heat than
air, the ground source
heat pump is able
to deliver about
110 degrees.
The
home also uses closed-cell
foam insulation—a
spray-applied polyurethane
foam that surrounds
the home’s
building shell with
a single layer of
airtight insulation.
Lord says this not
only offers efficient
insulation material
at a higher R-value
than traditional
fiberglass products
(typically up to
R-24 versus R-13),
it prevents mold
growth, restricts
moisture transmission
and increases a home’s
structural strength.
“Close-cell
foam is exactly what
you have in your
refrigerator and
freezer,” Lord
says. “The
efficiency in this
product can save
as much as 75 percent
energy over cellulose,
cryoplex, you name
it. I don’t
know of anyone else
in the Midwest that’s
doing closed cell.”
Lord
says they are also
the first company
in the world to use
Tyvek DuPont’s
ThermaWrap to regulate
the radiant energy
of wall systems for
increased comfort
and reduced energy
costs.
The
home will be “low
E from the top of
the ridge down to
the foundation,” Lord
says. “Anything
that touches it bounces
back. Your hot stays
in your cold stays
out.”
The
home also uses Tyvek
AtticWrap, a breathable
membrane that helps
create an airtight
seal to reduce air
leakage and energy
loss through the
roof.
Lord,
who builds ten homes
a year, estimates
that these three
green elements alone
add around $30,000
to the cost of the
home, which will
also be furnished
with Energy Star
appliances and products.
“Essentially,
these energy-efficient
systems and products
we installed, while
more expensive initially,
pay for themselves
after just a few
years,” says
Lord.
“Nobody’s
ever done a study
[of a home] with
all these elements,” he
adds. “Everybody’s
done the certified
home, the Energy
Star [home]. It’s
insulated but it’s
not closed-cell foam.
It’s not geothermal.
It’s not this
house wrap. They
may have one or two
pieces, but not all
of them.”
Time
will reveal the impact
of the home, but
there’s no
doubt this degree
of green in a high
profile, luxury home
in a quiet suburb
of Chicago will create
some noise. Stay
tuned. |
