Page 22 - Green Builder September-October 2018 Issue
P. 22
Sustainability showcase. Amaris Homes’
Afton Model in Afton, Minn., utilizes Annual Building Science Report 2019 EFFICIENCY MATTERS
numerous energy-saving exterior
elements, such as insulated sheathing,
and interior products such as an ice-and-
water shield under the roof.
COURTESY OF AMARIS HOMES
Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program
and, since making that promise in , the custom home builder
A Net-Zero had already certied homes through the program.
Amaris Homes met all DOE program criteria (see page ) and
included a .-kW solar system on the model’s roof. The home
had calculated energy savings of $, /year compared to a home
Initiative built to the state code (the IECC) and achieved a Home Energy
Rating System (HERS) score of . Even without the PV, the home
would score a HERS , far below the to HERS score of
typical new homes.
Amaris Homes goes right to work The energy savings show: Despite a hard winter, the home’s
saving energy and cutting waste with February bill revealed a credit of $ .. Homeowners can
also use the surplus to power an electric car with the charging station
its Afton, Minn., project. in the garage.
BY GREEN BUILDER STAFF WHAT’S ON THE OUTSIDE COUNTS
The high-performance home started with a highly e¡cient shell.
EW BUILDERS ARE BOLD ENOUGH to offer even a The concrete foundation slab was wrapped in rigid foam with R-
one-year guarantee on their homes. Raymond Pruban of under the slab and R- hugging the slab edges.
Amaris Homes oered a -year guarantee on his model The exterior walls are constructed with -by-£ studs set inches
home in Afton, Minn., promising that it would be a net- on center and aligned with the -inch on-center ¤oor and roof
F zero-energy performer, producing as much energy as its trusses. On the exterior, the walls are sheathed with ¥⁄§¨-inch OSB, then
occupants used each year, for a decade. covered with a -inch layer (R-.) of rigid foam, which dramatically
What inspired such condence? Pruban had made a commitment reduces thermal bridging, or the transfer of heat through the studs.
to certify all of his homes to the strict performance criteria of the U.S. The wall cavities were lled with R- of high-density spray foam,
20 GREEN BUILDER September/October 2018 www.greenbuildermedia.com
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