Page 34 - Green Builder September-October 2018 Issue

A veterans’ affair. The Beacon House in
Huntington Station, N.Y., is a highly
sustainable home built by veterans for Annual Building Science Report 2019 EFFICIENCY MATTERS
veterans, featuring energy-saving
weatherization, renewably sourced power
and smart appliances.

COURTESY OF UNITED WAY OF LONG ISLAND

a ‘,’ƒ“-square-foot, two-story home in Huntington Station, N.Y.
In „‹ƒ–, UW-LI committed to building all of its homes to
A United DOE’s ZERH program. It currently has eight homes under
construction. “High-performance homes are by design healthier
and more comfortable, and provide a better living experience,” says
UW-LI Senior Vice President of Housing and Green Initiatives Rick
E Wertheim.
In the long run, they’re also less expensive. Wertheim notes
that operational costs are becoming more of a driving force in the
agency’s decision-making process than upfront construction costs,
The United Veterans Beacon House especially in light of the high utility costs on Long Island. “Nonpro€t
is a green home and career-maker. housing agencies are very worried about escalating energy costs,”
says Wertheim. “It costs less for nonpro€ts to own a ZERH than a
just-to-code home.”
BY GREEN BUILDER STAFF
As a result, Wertheim has used the Beacon House project as a
“ VERYONE DESERVES TO LIVE in a healthy home.” model to showcase healthy home and zero-energy features for other
nonpro€t developers under United Way’s umbrella.
This has become the operating slogan for United Way
of Long Island Housing Development Corporation,
a nonpro€t organization that builds homes for local FOR VETERANS, BY VETERANS
E governments and several of the ƒ„ agencies funded One unique aspect of this home is that it is built by veterans for
under the United Way of Long Island (UW-LI) umbrella. To ful€ll veterans. The residents, who moved in June „‹ƒ’, are veterans
this “healthy housing for all” vision, United Way began constructing with various types of disabilities. The builders who constructed the
homes to meet the guidelines of the U.S. Department of Energy Zero home included veterans enrolled in UW-LI’s “VetsBuild” program, a
Energy Ready Home (ZEHR) program in „‹ƒŒ and has certi€ed six-week course to learn the principles of building science, energy
€ve homes so far, including the United Veterans Beacon House, retro€t and weatherization, as well as green- and high-performance

32 GREEN BUILDER September/October 2018 www.greenbuildermedia.com

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