Ecofutures Newsletter: April 2010

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Announcing Ecofutures’ Home Performance Upgrades subsidiary, EcoSmart Homes
South Boulder Deep Energy Retrofit featured in Solar Today
Can I build a home for $100 per square foot?
Bryan Bowen Architects leading the way in sustainable architecture
Sign up for next free tour of Solar Harvest: May 13th @ Noon

Announcing Ecofutures’ Home Performance Upgrades subsidiary, EcoSmart Homes

“When it comes to saving money and growing our economy, energy efficiency isn’t just low hanging fruit; it’s fruit lying on the ground. The most prosperous, competitive economies of the 21st century will be those that use energy efficiently. It’s time for America to lead the way.” – U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu

Ecofutures has been a pioneer in residential energy efficiency and getting to zero net energy for over 15 years. Times are very exciting in the world of home performance upgrades, with momentous support coming from federal, state, and local governments and consumers alike. Thus, CEO Eric Doub and a core team of 7 have been busily readying Ecofutures’ spinoff, EcoSmart Homes (ESH), to open its doors to the public this summer.

“FutureFit Your Home” is their motto, and ESH will strive to be your one-stop-shop for state of the art audits, whole-systems energy, health, and comfort improvements, as well as energy monitoring and performance verification. Ecofutures will continue to implement near-zero Deep Energy Retrofits, while EcoSmart Homes will focus on Home Performance Upgrades in the $10,000 to $50,000 range. ESH looks forward to helping you achieve better comfort, health, and energy savings in your home. Email us at Info@EcoSmartHomes.com if you’d like to get on the wait list to be one of the first to experience our superior audits and home performance upgrades. And keep your ears open for our “doors open” announcement over the next couple of months!

In the video below, home performance contractors, including staff from our own EcoSmart Homes, talk about how they are turning more energy audits into retrofits using state-of-the-art software as their tool for success:

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South Boulder Deep Energy Retrofit featured in Solar Today

Ecofutures’ near-zero-net-energy retrofit of a 1970 Boulder ranch home was featured in the Jan/Feb issue of Solar Today. Read the full article to discover what a Deep Energy Retrofit is all about—from boosting efficiency through appliance and building envelope improvements, adding renewable energy systems to produce electricity and provide domestic hot water & heat, and improving indoor air quality by ensuring good ventilation and using sustainable materials with low to no volatile organic compounds.

Perhaps you’ll begin to consider the benefits of Deep Energy Retrofitting your home. If so, here’s the Ecofutures guide on how to get to zero in your home:

1. Get a “Whole House” Energy Audit: Our motto is, “Always Audit First.” An audit will measure your energy consumption and identify specific ways you can reduce demand and increase efficiency. In addition to a basic audit, you should also ask for a safety test of your combustion appliances (i.e. furnace) to ensure operating efficiency and safety. Ecofutures audits do, so just give us a call to get yours set up!

2. Implement Basic Audit Recommendations: Most homes will see significant utility bill savings with inexpensive measures such as air sealing, insulation, the installation of compact fluorescents and low-flow showerheads, and planting shade trees. Ecofutures can help you integrate any energy efficiency improvements you may want or need.

3. Integrate Major Energy Improvements: Ecofutures has pioneered housing that allows you to enjoy modern amenities and be as close to net carbon neutral as you choose. So if you’ve been considering a major renovation, consider going a step further and doing a Deep Energy Retrofit (DER) with us. A DER integrates energy with function and aesthetic improvements, and will result in a profound reduction in energy consumption. You may even be able to produce your own energy!

4. Monitor Energy Use: Your energy use will fluctuate through the seasons, and as kids grow, homes age, and technological innovations evolve. Monitoring these fluctuations will ensure your investment pays off for years to come. Ecofutures provides performance monitoring and verification solutions as a standard, so you can track and respond to your energy usage if you choose. We do this to make sure our customers’ homes work as designed. We don’t leave it to chance, like so many contractors do.

With our integrated whole-systems design approach—collaboration between you, your architect, and Ecofutures—you’re sure to meet your goals and budget even before the first hammer is swung. A DER includes measures such as relocating windows to capture more sunlight and super-insulating the foundation, roof, and exterior walls. Advanced energy and comfort systems (i.e. geothermal, photovoltaics, etc.) will also be integrated wherever the budget allows. A DER is a sound investment. Not only will your efforts result in immediate savings from greatly reduced utility bills, but the value of your new high-performance home is likely to go up.

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Can I build a zero energy home for $100 per square foot?

A new home built for $100 per square foot (PSF) is a difficult task these days, but that’s not to say it’s not doable! We’ve outlined a few design/build models that can help you achieve this goal, including a model we’ve recently adopted in partnership with Solar Village Homes. We now provide on-site assembly services for SVH’s off-site built homes, a service that complements our high-end custom projects and makes zero net energy affordable to a much larger group of home and land owners.

Modular/Pre-Fabricated/Off-Site Built Homes | $150-$200 per square foot

Modular homes today are a far cry from the trailer homes of old. While the process is the same – they are factory-built so costs are cut by streamlining the process down to an assembly line – they can be designed to be indistinguishable from a stick-built home. In addition to highly-advanced techniques to maximize energy efficiency in the finished product, these homes often have a much lighter environmental impact because waste is reduced in the building process. And, because they are literally delivered to the job site in some finished state, there is very little construction waste, or the need to disturb soils extensively. One of the best features of an off-site built home is the time needed to “build” the home on-site – it’s cut nearly in half!

if you’re considering such a home, we recommend Boulder-based Solar Village Homes. Their off-site built homes start at about $150 PSF and are beautifully-designed and well-priced. Plus, your home would be manufactured locally, keeping materials, labor, and transportation all in Colorado! Check out the pre-designed models here, but keep in mind that they can take any design and have it produced in the factory to your exact specifications.

The popular magazine, Modular Today, is a great resource for this kind of building and can also give you a list of other manufacturers, pricing, and design ideas, too.

NREL’s Habitat for Humanity Home Model | $95 per square foot

In 2005 the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) successfully completed its first zero net energy Habitat for Humanity home in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. The home continues to perform competitively to our high-end custom zero net energy homes! At $95 per square foot (PSF) for 1,200 SF (including a solar electric system!), it is a great example of what can be accomplished when budget is the primary driver.

NREL published a technical case study on the home that includes a detailed cost analysis. The case study contains many of the keys to low cost/high-efficiency building (how to weigh out the trade-offs for the best thermal, comfort and energy systems benefit). More information can be found on the NREL website.

Low-Income Housing Models | $100 per square foot

There are architects out there that specialize in low-income housing building design that, by law, has to hover around the $100 per square foot range. Try looking at some low-income housing developments to get ideas on how to cut costs without cutting luxury, and check out the architects who designed them. They may be willing to sell you a set of prints to build your own home. One example of a neighborhood like this is the Holiday Neighborhood in Boulder, Colorado. There are also groups such as Thistle Communities that work to connect working families, seniors and people with disabilities with quality, permanently affordable rental and ownership homes.

If you’re serious about trying to build your home for around $100 per square foot, we highly recommend that you read the book entitled “The perfect $100,000 house” by Karrie Jacobs. The book is a chronicle of Jacobs’ 14,000 mile mile cross-country trip in search for the perfect $100,000 house. It’s an adventure trying to find creative ways to cut costs to build your very own dream zero energy home, but the book proves that it can be done.

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Bryan Bowen Architects leading the way in sustainable architecture

LEED-certified projects. Ultra low-energy buildings. Net zero energy homes.

These phrases describe the cutting-edge work of Boulder-based Bryan Bowen Architects (BBA), a collaborative that targets social and environmental sustainability in all of its designs, and most recently partnered with us on a zero net energy home in Fraser, Colorado.

BBA’s expertise in custom residences, custom commercial buildings, cohousing, multi-family, and affordable housing is supported by its passion for energy and resource conservation. Founded by Bryan Bowen, a practicing architect since 1995, BBA is dedicated to the design of neighborhoods and sexy eco-buildings, all with the vision of making baby steps toward a sustainable, permaculture planet.

“Our work is strong in community spirit,” says Bowen, a member of Wild Sage Cohousing in north Boulder. “We bring humility and altruism to our projects – and combine that with strong professional expertise. Our goal is to create successful, lively, significant public places as well as affordable, high-efficiency homes that foster long-term community social health.”

BBA’s mission-driven approach to doing business is fully in line with Ecofutures, and our most recent collaboration with them on the super-eco home in Fraser is shining proof of that. This stunning year-round residence applies a host of passive and active building technologies with real-time monitoring devices to ensure an inviting and inspiring home. The 5,232-square-foot home is grid-tied and all electric but uses no fossil fuels. In addition to a very efficiently arranged living space, the home includes a shop outbuilding, big two-car garage, guest home, home exercise space, and sunspaces. BBA has also collaborated with Ecofutures on several projects that are to date not yet built: two other zero energy houses as well as a food- and energy-producing greenhouse addition to an existing ranch home in Longmont, Colorado. Other BBA projects include Namaste Solar’s new facility on North Broadway, EcoCycle’s Recycle Row, Silver Sage Cohousing, Hyland Village Community Center and Pool, and Naropa University’s breezeway.

In designing these projects, BBA focuses whenever possible on retrofit and rehabilitation, with the goal of preserving the best attributes of an existing community while lowering the energy use of older structures. BBA achieves sustainability and affordability through wise planning and integrated design, making very low-impact, low-maintenance buildings available at all budget levels.

“Good design means integrated design, and a team at the forefront of high-performing homes has to consist of players who are resilient, creative, mission-driven, and fun to work with,” says Ecofutures founder and CEO Eric Doub. “Bryan Bowen and his team are all of these. We look forward to co-creating precedent-setting designs for future projects.” Learn more about Bryan Bowen Architects at bryanbowenarchitects.com.

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Sign up for next FREE tour: Thursday, May 13th @ noon

We offer free quarterly tours of Solar Harvest, our flagship zero net energy home and residence to Ecofutures Founder/CEO Eric Doub. The home has received numerous awards and is the first home of its kind in Colorado.

Our next tour is scheduled for Thursday, May 13th from Noon to 1:00 PM and will be led by Eric. Spots are limited for this popular free tour so consider signing up by filling out the sign-up form on our website now. There are also other dates you can sign up for now ( August 18th and October 19th, 2010) if our upcoming date doesn’t work for you.