August 20, 2008 8:38 AM
Habitat for Humanity Homes are also energy efficient
On Monday morning, I spent some time at the Habitat for Humanity homes being built along East 18th Place and Altura Street, a few blocks north of East Colfax Avenue in Aurora.
It was hard not be be impressed by the spirit and the hard work of the volunteers building four homes in seven days.
One of the things that really impressed me, too, were the energy saving features in the homes. I've seen $700,000 townhomes that don't have some of the green features of these homes, which are being sold to needy families for $115,000 each.
"These are not LEED-rated homes," Heather Lafferty, executive direcotr of Habitat Humanity Metro Denver told me.
Still, they will have tankless water heaters, thanks to a manufacturer that is donating them to Habitat.
In case you're not familiar with tankless water heaters, they're sort of a Mr. Coffee maker for hot water. You get the hot water on demand, and you basically never run out of hot water. They're so small they can be placed in a closet.
The best thing about them is that you don't have a tanki filled with 50 gallons of water that is being heated 24 hours, seven days a week, so you will have hot water the two or three times in a typical day that you need it.
I've read that the U.S. is the only developed country, where they are not standards. A friend who has family in England told me that not only are they common there, but they are extremely inexpenisve. That is still not the case in the U.S. John Keith, the head of Harvard Communities (who coincidentally is building one of the Habitat homes), once told me that the introduction of tankless water heaters began in Japan, but not to save energy but to save space. Keith has seen tankless water heaters in Japan placed under the floor.
The other green feature that struck me, is that each homewill have solar panels.
"We are able to afford it because of the Xcel rebate program and the ability to install with volunteer labor," Lafferty told me. "In the end there will be no additional cost to Habitat, and significant savings for the families.
Also, perhaps the most important thing, the homes will all be tightly constructed, Tom Hall, president of Renaissance Homes, told me at the site. If a home is drafty, it not only loses a lot of energy, but will be more expensive to heat and cool. And Habitat is concerned that its clients not only have an affordable home, but continue to be able to own and operate it going forward. And as everyone knows, in these days of rising fuel costs, a lot of money can go out the window, literally and figuratitvely, if the home isn't energy efficient.
Also, after my story was in the paper on Tuesday, one reader questioned whether it is a good idea to be building new homes, given the record number of foreclosures on the market.
"I understand your reader's concern," Lafferty told me. "We are currently investigating ways for Habitat to acquire foreclosed properties, rehab them and sell them to families. The challenge is that at the moment, it is still more expensive to buy existing homes for rehab than it is to buy dirt and build new, high quality homes."
But that may change, she said.
"With the recent housing legislation that passed, there may be new resources available which would make a rehab program more cost effective," Lafferty said. "We plan to participate in that program if feasible. We are certainly trying to find every opportunity to build more decent, affordable homes for hard-working, low income families."
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