View the building envelope episode from the ABC Web Series
Masco Contractor Services has a longstanding history as one of Southern
California’s leading insulation installers dating back 48 years. Known mostly for their
various insulation applications including fiberglass, spray foam and cellulose, Masco
Contractor services also provides additional products and home improvement services such as gutters, garage
doors, fireplaces, shelving and storage systems, shower enclosures, bathroom hardware and vanity mirrors.
www.mascocs.com
PetersenDean has installed top-quality products for residential and commercial
customers since 1984. Our trucks are just as likely to be seen outside any cities
biggest construction project, as they are to be seen in front of your neighbor’s home. PetersenDean’s
commitment to quality, safety and our customers has made us the roofing company of choice for the country’s
top homebuilders. www.petersendean.com
The Tapco Group is recognized as a premier provider of innovative interior and exterior
building products, specializing in the manufacturing of roofing, siding, shutters, tool systems,
egress systems and siding components. www.thetapcogroup.com
Atlas EPS specializes in the development and manufacture of HFC- and HCFC-free
Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) insulation for construction, packaging and OEM products. Atlas
EPS is a division of Atlas Roofing Corporation, a well-established manufacturer of roofing,
sheathing and insulation products. www.atlaseps.com
Birthed out of an idea to be
Affordable, Buildable, and
Certified, the ABC Green
Home collaborative effort
came to fruition October
10th, ushering out elected
officials, media, and key opinion leaders
of California’s home building industry to
the Orange County Great Park, in Irvine,
Calif. The dedication of green design found
within every component of this home
proved to add up to something very special,
thanks to the genuine effort from every
party involved.
Headed by both Southern California
Edison’s (SCE) John Morton, program
manager of California Advanced Homes, and
Green Home Builder magazine’s Publisher
Nick Slevin, the green home, a single-level
craftsman style boasting three-bedrooms
and two-bathrooms, equipped with nearly
everything to prove its eco-efficiency. While
both parties and their partners learned
much throughout the process of building
this home, it was really the security of the
building envelope that stood out as the
obvious winner of green gusto.
While careful attention was given to every
aspect of the home, the ABC Green Home
Project is literally airtight where it matters
most, the building envelope. Ana Lall,
commercial business development, Demilec
USA, Inc., explains it most succinctly by
saying that “All structures, including a
home, have air gaps and crevices that allow
air to infiltrate the building. Weather,
pressures, and conditions beyond your
control, exploit these openings allowing
air to infiltrate a home.” This is where the
problem lies, and why project managers
of the ABC Green Home chose to utilize
closed-cell spray foam in conjunction with
solid lumber construction. “According to
the Department of Energy, up to 40 percent
of energy loss is due to air infiltration.
When air from the outside replaces the
air in a home, it is called a ‘Natural Air
Change.’ Homes built years ago can have
more than three Natural Air Changes an
hour,” Lall continues. It’s easy to understand
why this might be problematic for energyefficiency.
According to Lall, “[Three
Natural Air Changes in one hour] means
that conditioned air inside a home could
leak out and be replaced by outside air up to
70 times a day, requiring occupants to heat
or cool outside air that continues to infiltrate
into a home.” However, Demilec’s closed-cell
spray foam, named because all of the tiny
foam cells are closed and packed together
–– protects against “Natural Air Changes”
while also providing insulation. Once
sprayed, the foam expands up to 120 times,
filling “every crack, gap, void, or crevice as
it creates an air barrier,” which in turn acts
as exemplary energy-efficient insulation,
energy efficiency, and controlled air quality.
The perfect pair to this insulation is an
obvious choice, in that it’s already the
standard builders have gone by: lumber.
“Lumber is truly one of the few renewable
and sustainable building materials in use
today,” noted Pete Meichtry, Ganahl Lumber,
continuing that “Lumber production
today is the most
environmentally
friendly when
compared to other
similarly purposed
products.” Both
ideas seem fairly
simple and relatively
obvious, but as Manny
Gonzalez AIA, LEED
AP and principal,
KTGY Group, Inc.,
best put it, “the best
features are the simple low-tech ones.”
This might be why Gonzalez and Morton
credit the walls as to being their favorite
features of the house. “Just by using 2x6’s
and 24-inch centers, we dramatically
increased the insulation value of the
exterior walls without using any additional
lumber product. Features like this are
where homebuilding should be heading,”
Gonzalez shared, with Morton adding that
“Once you put up the drywall it is very rare
that anything behind them is changed…
any mistakes made behind the walls are
there for the life of the home, making it
harder to overcome those misstep with
other systems in the house.” Unfortunately,
this best, and most effective, aspect of the
ABC Green Home is also one of the most
easily adulterated aspects. “The biggest
challenge was the need to ensure each trade
representative was properly trained and
fully understood the goals of the project,”
Morton explained. Education of why the
building envelope must uphold its integrity
was important to not only communicate to
the trades installing the insulation, but any
and all of the professionals working within
the walls. “There was a lot of coordination
required on this project and the challenge
was to make it work,” Morton continued.
However, the outlook for the trades’
willingness to learn, and teach others, proved
to be an optimistic light for the project, at least
when viewed through the lens of the ROP
program. “The biggest surprise to me was the
way the trades fully embraced the high school
training program we had. I was apprehensive
at first how the kids would be received on
the job site. To the trades credit, they fully
embraced the program and gave the kids a
once in a lifetime experience that I am sure
they will never forget,” concluded Morton.
Undoubtedly, there have been many
lessons learned throughout the ABC Green
Home project by contributors that won’t
so quickly be forgotten. Nicole Feenstra,
project manager of the ABC Green Home
and producer of the Webseries, learned more
than she expected from the experience as
a whole, specifically in what really goes
into it. “It was like birthing a baby,” she
said, half-jokingly. “I think seeing what
worked and what was a set back,
you feel for everyone that’s on the
process. When you talk to builders,
or manufacturers you have a real
understanding of what they’re
going through,” she continued,
emphasizing that what it
really came down to was simply knowing
the process. “What are the things you can
do to go green at the very basic level? That’s
why the building envelope and spray foam is
integral to the project.”
If the building envelope and insulation
ranked as one of the highest points of
interest for the partners inside the green
home, the mere endeavor of it all ranked
highest overall. Michael Knight, designer,
Urban Arena LLC, took interest in what
this project could mean for sustainable
landscape design, especially under a
Net-Zero home. “Rainwater is the main
natural resource that landscape design has
to work with and is, therefore, a primary
consideration when designing a Net-Zero
landscape. Having a cistern allows us
to capture stormwater and reuse it for
landscape irrigation,” he shared, adding
that “this type of
system is rare and
its implementation
at such a visible
project provides a
great opportunity
for the industry
and the public to
observe and learn
about its benefits
and feasibility.” The
public’s introduction to such design is the
first step for helping communities realize
the benefit of sustainable design, and also
arming Urban Arena with “a tangible
example to point to when discussing
affordable, buildable, and sustainable
design options,” said Knight.
Southern California Edison, too, used
the home as not only a testing board, but
also a continuing measurement of energy
resources. “Edison will take all the data
to figure out the true performance of the
features included in the house. These
results can help shape the direction of
how we help the builders to improve their
energy-efficiency,” explained Morton. ”The
data will also help validate or improve our
predictive modeling methods so that we
can better anticipate the true performance
a home can have while still in the planning
stage,” he continued. Edison was also given
the opportunity to test out the Demand
Response system; a tool homeowners can
use to partner with SCE in attempts to drive
down their energy bill. “Through the smart
meter on the house and the AMX system in
the house we work together with the home
to put the house into energy saver mode.
This helps Edison on those high power
consumption days as well as reducing the
home owner’s energy bills,” explained
Morton, reassuring that “as always, though,
the homeowner has the total control. If the
save power signal is sent to the home at a
time the homeowner needs to use the house
there is always the choice to override the
signal; nothing changes in the home.”
The project has proven educational to
both the partners and public, and will
continue down this path long after the
home has been donated to the Habitat
for Humanity thanks to these strong
partnerships, which according to Beth
Krom, chair, Orange County Great Park
Corporation, is exactly what she expected.
“The ABC Green Home fit perfectly into our
mission. We like to think of ourselves as
‘more than a park.’ Beyond our commitment
to environmental stewardship and
education, we believe in partnership,”
she shared. And partnership in support of
environmental stewardship and education
is exactly what arose.
So while the ABC Green Home comes to
an end, the home is open to the public for
self-guided tours Mondays, Wednesdays,
Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m.
to 4:40 p.m. Current participants look ahead
to ABC Green Home 2.0, anxious to learn
even more, and as Gonzalez from KTGY said
to get a second opportunity “is a chance to
underscore the success of the first home,
while showing that any scale of home can be
affordable, buildable and certifiable.”
Amber Materna is an editorial assistant at Green Home Builder. She may be
contacted at amaterna@penpubinc.com
MEET THE ABC GREEN HOME TEAM
About Green
Home Builder magazine Since 2006,
Green Home Builder has published quarterly magazines in print and online
by Newport Beach, Calif.-based Peninsula Publishing Inc., publishers of
business management magazines for homebuilding professionals since 1990. For
more information, visit www.greenhomebuildermag.com.
About
Southern California Edison:
Southern California Edison (SCE) is the product of more than a century of
providing reliable electric service to Central, Coastal and Southern
California. SCE helps customers stretch their energy dollars through
rebates, which they can receivethrough
SCE's award-winning energy efficiency programs. Customers can receive
incentives for helping to control power demand through "demand-response"
programs, which help to keep wholesale supplies and prices under control.
Edison International is the parent company of Southern California Edison.
www.sce.com
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About KTGY Group Inc.
Established
in
1991, KTGY Group Inc., Architecture and Planning,provides
comprehensive planning and award-winning architectural design services for
residential communities, retail, hospitality, mixed-use and related
specialty developments. KTGY delivers innovative solutions that reflectclear
understanding of development, marketing and financial performance and takes
particular pride in its highly motivated and principal led studios. Serving
clients worldwide, KTGY is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., with offices in
Oakland, Calif., Santa Monica, Calif., Denver and Tyson's Corner, Va.
www.ktgy.com
About La Jolla Pacific Ltd. For more than a decade, La Jolla
Pacific Ltd. has been an industry leader in construction risk management,
third party peer review, green building / sustainable consulting, quality
assurance, and forensic investigation services.
www.lajollapacificltd.com
About the NAHB
Green Building Standard
In 2007, the National Association of
Home Builders (NAHB) and the International Code Council (ICC) partnered to
establish a much-needed and nationally recognizable standard definition of
green building. The resulting ICC 700 National Green Building Standard is
the first and only residential green building rating system to undergo the
full consensus process and receive approval from the American National
Standards Institute (ANSI). The Standard defines green building for single-
and multifamily homes, residential remodeling projects and site development
projects while still allowing for the flexibility required for regionally
appropriate best green practices. www.nahbgreen.org
About the California Advanced Homes Program
California Advanced Homes Program Pacific Gas and Electric
Company, Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas Company and San
Diego Gas & Electric are working together to highlight best practices in
energy efficiency, green building and sustainability, and offers generous
financial incentives and 'bonus' kickers to help builders and architects
create environmentally friendly, energy-efficient communities for potential
new-home buyers. www.californiaadvancedhomes.com.
About ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
and the U.S. Department of Energy, helping us all save money and protect the
environment through energy efficient products and practices. More
information
about Energy Star qualified homes, visit www.energystar.gov.
About Gouvis Engineering Consulting Group Inc.
Gouvis Engineering Consulting Group Inc. provides structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) engineering design for a variety of product types, including retail centers, office buildings, mixed-use, civic, healthcare, churches, educational facilities, single / multi-family residential and more. Gouvis has enjoyed 50 years in the building industry, is licensed in 25 states and is among the largest growing engineering firms in California and the Western Region. www.gouvisgroup.com
About Integrated Process Design Associates Inc. (iPda)
iPda provides collaborative integration services to the real estate construction industry through the use of intelligent 3D data objects by using its own bsBIM modeling environment. This allows the major stakeholders the opportunity to work in a single real-time environment for the authoring, extracting and viewing / reviewing of only one source of project model data. This work-flow process allows the project team to reduce risk, reduce errors and reduce overall project time spent, thus increasing profits. www.ipda-global.com
About Ripple Creative Group Ripple is a
full-service multimedia design studio, offering innovative solutions for
visual communication and marketing needs. We design and develop creative
digital content including, custom interactive presentations, online media,
3D explorations, print media, branding and promotional video for the
building and real estate industry.
www.ripplecg.com
About Dynamic Concepts
Dynamic is a long-standing full service IT business provider of
Internet-enabled software languages, web products and design services. We
build and deploy the hardware architecture, develop the software framework
and creatively bring together websites, virtual tours and custom business
applications including iPad and mobile applications to the forefront of the
web. Dynamic delivers managed services, experience, value and exceptional
customer service. Let us help your company evolve while taking the
guesswork out of your IT solutions - www.dynamic.com
About Urban Arena LLC
Urban Arena is a multi-faceted design company specializing in landscape
architecture, planning, and architecture. For more than two decades, Urban
Arena has defined itself as an industry "go-to" design expert and maintained
a steadfast commitment to their clients' needs and expectations. Urban Arena
embraces a philosophy that "no idea is a bad idea." The company believes
achievement comes from diversity and encourages clients to get involved in
the design process. Project types include retail, office, residential and
sustainable design.
www.urbanarena.com
About Venture One Design Interiors Inc.
Venture One Design Interiors Inc. provides interior design and merchandising
services for residential and commercial clients, including private owners
and homebuilders. With 10 years experience prior to opening her own firm in
2000, Carrie Peltzer, president and creative director of Venture One Design
Interiors Inc., is known for her creative and innovative interiors and
customer service.
carriepeltzer@cs.com
About California Building Industry Association:
The California Building Industry Association is a statewide trade
association based in Sacramento representing more than 5,000 companies,
including homebuilders, trade contractors, architects, engineers,
designers, suppliers and other industry professionals.Earlier this
decade, the homebuilding industry contributed more than $60 billion a year
to the state's economy and generated 525,000 jobs, but the sharp downturn in
housing construction has since cost the state’s economy $27 billion and
300,000 jobs. That’s why the Association is today focused on efforts to
help jumpstart the industry, such as the recently enacted homebuyer tax
credit, and to oppose proposals to make building homes for California’s
growing population even more expensive and difficult.
www.cbia.org
About Building Industry Association of Southern California, Orange County Chapter:
The BIA/OC is a non-profit trade association representing more than 600 companies
employing over 100,000 people affiliated within the home building industry. BIA/OC
is one of five chapters and eleven councils that make up the BIA of Southern California.
BIA/OC is also affiliated with the California Building Industry Association (CBIA) and
the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). An active board of directors and 9
committees, made up of leaders from local builders, trade contractors and businesses
associated within the real estate industry, lead the BIA/OC in its mission to promote
proactive participation in the development of complex economic and community issues in
Orange County.
www.biaoc.com
About Paul A. Peck & Associates:
The mission of Paul A. Peck & Associates is to provide excellence in client service, quality
civil engineering and a wealth of industry knowledge, while leading the field in environment-friendly
design. With over 20 years of experience, the team of engineers, surveyors, designers and land
planners at Paul A. Peck & Associates have the skills to ensure that every aspect of your job is
covered. The commitment to excellence is evident on every project - large or small, residential,
commerical or industrial. It shows in the vast array of services we provide, the attention to detail
in our designs and the way we treat our clients. First rate training and opportunities for personal
and professional growth enable our staff to accomplish this while enjoying work and life.
www.papeck.com
About Albus-Keefe & Associates:
Albus-Keefe & Associates, Inc. is a geotechnical and environmental consulting firm with a diverse background
of expertise in the disciplines of soil engineering, materials testing, engineering geology and environmental
engineering. AKA initiated business operations in 1999 and is currently headquartered in Anaheim, California.
Our professional staff is comprised of registered geotechnical engineers, registered environmental scientists,
certified engineering geologists, civil engineers, geologists, soils technicians and special inspectors. Our
laboratory testing facilities are located in-house and are fully supported by our staff of laboratory technicians
and engineers. AKA offers expertise to deliver innovative and reasonable solutions to land development and
construction challenges faced by the public and private sectors.
www.albus-keefe.net
About North Orange County Regional Occupational Program:
North Orange County Regional Occupational Program offers career technical training as part of the public school
system in Southern California. North Orange County ROP teaches skills to about 23,000 students annually, 21,000
of whom are high school students. ROP holds classes at 23 high schools and three satellite locations. Classes are
taught in wide range of career pathways. Some classes articulate with local colleges to provide successful students
with advanced placement and/or college credit. Regional Occupational Programs were founded in 1967 by then-Governor,
Ronald Reagan, to provide work-ready employees for California businesses. ROP programs came to Orange County in 1971.
There are four ROPs in the county, and together, all four provide career technical education to more than 60,000
students annually.
www.nocrop.us
About J.L. Hare Associates:
J.L. Hare Associates are a one-of-a-kind company that serves developers, engineers, architects and builders by managing
the overall entitlement process and securing the variety of permits and approvals required for residential, commercial
and industrial projects. From complex commercial projects to custom homes, J.L. Hare Associates has been instrumental
in obtaining a variety of key project entitlements to keep projects on schedule; site plans; grading, building and
occupancy permits; and fire, health and water department approvals.
www.jlhare.com
About BCA Development:
BCA Development is made up of a group of talented professionals who have proven to be successful and impactful leaders
both within the homebuilding industry and within the communities that we do business. Whether it’s participation on the
Board of Directors for the National Association of Home Builders’ or contributions to the Boys and Girls Club of Fontana,
BCA Development is committed to the calls of leadership and participation within our industry and within the communities
that we do business.
www.bcadevelopment.com
About Habitat for Humanity:
The overwhelming need for housing in Los Angeles County has provided HFH GLA with a unique opportunity to change lives
in our neighborhoods. Los Angeles ranks as one of the least affordable housing areas in the U.S. and yet Habitat for
Humanity is one of the few – if not only – affordable home ownership programs that serves families and individuals earning
30-80 percent of the median family income. Cost burden and overcrowding are the most serious problems experienced by very
low-income area residents. Working with volunteers, families and individuals, corporations, congregations and donors we
are able to tackle this important housing issue throughout the Los Angeles area. We are dedicated to making homeownership
possible for low-income, hardworking families.
www.habitatla.org
