Justin McClure admits hed be bending the truth if he said net zero energy homes are close to becoming a mainstream concept. But the LEED-Platinum Standard home his company worked on, the first of its kind in Central PA, is a pretty good example of what it will take to get the idea done.
The homes location in Harrisburgs Mount Pleasant Homes development in the diverse and historic South Allison Hill neighborhood is important, symbolic of the revitalization of the downtrodden area. The home McClures Daflure worked on is the first of a 25-home development and is expected to have low to net zero energy costs by the end of the year. Tri County Housing Development Corporation spearheaded the plan, supported by city and state government, and Daflures ability to make the home net-zero energy–plus state and federal incentives that reduced costs–was key to its success.
For the average American family investing in renewable energies, were there with payback in less than five years, says McClure. To get it where you have no utility cost and not relying on outside fossil fuels, is still a pretty special thing.
With heating and cooling costs eating up the majority of a homes energy costs (up to 65 percent), the geothermal system was a major part of Daflures effort (and represents about 10 percent of its business). Other contractors like insulators and window installers designed their systems to allow little to no infiltration so the HVAC system would run as little as possible. From a design standpoint, retractable awnings were installed to control solar gain, and a PV solar array was added to the roof.
The 1,675-square foot, three-bedroom homes system is set to achieve net zero energy by maintaining a 73-degree internal environment down to 11 degrees Fahrenheit and a 17-degree Fahrenheit split in the summer. Daflure, which employs 28 and serves the Greater Harrisburg area and beyond, was chosen largely for its 31-year track record and its experience in solar and geothermal.
We want to be responsible about it but at the end of the day its built enough of a buzz that other projects are getting off the ground, says McClure. One out of 10 new home builds might have had geothermal in it a few years ago. Now six or seven out of 10 will have one of three renewable energies in the homes were involved in.
Source: Justin McClure, Daflure
Writer: Joe Petrucci