The energy leeder
Sarah Goodwin
Thursday, July 31st, 2008
Dan Bailey builds high quality with environmentally safe products.
He just finished, and sold, a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified home during the Parade of Homes in Canyon County. House No. 5, San Tan, is in the Cedar Crossing subdivision. There are only six such homes in Idaho.
He first met the Energy Star requirements. Then met the specific LEED criteria with absolute precision. The extra work upfront saves the homeowner for years.
Bailey, who is a member of the Custom Builders Association, has constructed homes for more than 17 years. He started his own business, Continental Homes Builders, in 1999 and has lived in the valley for 11 years.
It would cost about $289,000 to rebuild the 2,504 square-foot home, without the lot.
Convenience
• This house boasts a central vacuum system that is not only convenient, but reduces 100 percent of vacuum dust from entering the house, and improves the quality of indoor air.
• The central vacuum system comes equipped with auto zip hoses for easy storage within the walls.
• No awkward vacuum to carry around the home, room to room.
• Accessible to the entire home.
• Cost: About $1,800 for this specific home.
Green points
• The home earned LEED points for recycled and green products used in the house.
• Countertops in kitchen and bathroom made from broken beer bottles.
• Carpet is 60 percent recycled material.
• Carpet pad is 100 percent recycled.
• The hardwood flooring is bamboo, a natural and rapid growth resource.
• Leftover concrete stain was swept up and reused at another site.
Heating and cooling
• Estimated cost for the 2,504-square-foot home is $25 to $30 a month.
• Uses air circulation method along with fan system to push air throughout the house and under it.
• A filtration system cleans the outdoor air.
• The electric furnace converts to gas when necessary.
• The outdoor air is cleaned through the filtration system.
What it takes to be LEED-certified
• Homes are awarded points, based on pages and pages of requirements.
• The minimum number is 45; the “San Tan” hovers somewhere between 78 and 90 points, Bailey said.
• For instance, house placement on the lot earns LEED points. In this case, it is placed east to west, with no windows on the Northern or Southern sides of the home.
• All of the leftover materials and trash were weighed and points are given accordingly.
He just finished, and sold, a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified home during the Parade of Homes in Canyon County. House No. 5, San Tan, is in the Cedar Crossing subdivision. There are only six such homes in Idaho.
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He first met the Energy Star requirements. Then met the specific LEED criteria with absolute precision. The extra work upfront saves the homeowner for years.
Bailey, who is a member of the Custom Builders Association, has constructed homes for more than 17 years. He started his own business, Continental Homes Builders, in 1999 and has lived in the valley for 11 years.
It would cost about $289,000 to rebuild the 2,504 square-foot home, without the lot.
Convenience
• This house boasts a central vacuum system that is not only convenient, but reduces 100 percent of vacuum dust from entering the house, and improves the quality of indoor air.
• The central vacuum system comes equipped with auto zip hoses for easy storage within the walls.
• No awkward vacuum to carry around the home, room to room.
• Accessible to the entire home.
• Cost: About $1,800 for this specific home.
Green points
• The home earned LEED points for recycled and green products used in the house.
• Countertops in kitchen and bathroom made from broken beer bottles.
• Carpet is 60 percent recycled material.
• Carpet pad is 100 percent recycled.
• The hardwood flooring is bamboo, a natural and rapid growth resource.
• Leftover concrete stain was swept up and reused at another site.
Heating and cooling
• Estimated cost for the 2,504-square-foot home is $25 to $30 a month.
• Uses air circulation method along with fan system to push air throughout the house and under it.
• A filtration system cleans the outdoor air.
• The electric furnace converts to gas when necessary.
• The outdoor air is cleaned through the filtration system.
What it takes to be LEED-certified
• Homes are awarded points, based on pages and pages of requirements.
• The minimum number is 45; the “San Tan” hovers somewhere between 78 and 90 points, Bailey said.
• For instance, house placement on the lot earns LEED points. In this case, it is placed east to west, with no windows on the Northern or Southern sides of the home.
• All of the leftover materials and trash were weighed and points are given accordingly.