Bend Area Habitat for Humanity recognizes that the cost of housing doesn’t end with the mortgage payment. Each month home owners must pay for energy, water, and other operational costs. Currently we build to Northwest ENERGY STAR and Earth Advantage Gold standards. This means the homes we build are already some of the most energy efficient homes in Bend. The ReStore Build, slated to begin in October of 2009 in Habitat’s new Parkway Village development, will go a step further.  This special project will incorporate many salvaged materials that will make it possible to reach Earth Advantage Platinum for the first time.  To achieve this standard we include recycled building materials from our ReStore and focus on construction techniques that emphasize efficiency:

Raised heel roof trusses allow full R-49 insulation across the entire attic. Wall framing is spaced 24-inches on-center to reduce materials and labor costs while reducing the overall heat loss of the wall assembly. Half-inch Styrofoam sheathing, donated by Dow Chemical, adds additional wall insulation and protection from water vapor condensation in the wall cavity.

Home design with the sun in mind. With proper building orientation, floor plans and window placements, the home gathers some free heat from the sun.  In 2009, Habitat reached another efficiency milestone by achieving the High Performance Home rating from the Oregon Department of Energy. A generous discount from Sunlight Solar in Bend combined with tax credits from the Energy Trust of Oregon and Oregon Business Energy Tax Credit, allows all Habitat homes to meet a High Performance Home solar requirement with a 2-kiloWatt solar photovoltaic (electric) system at no cost to the home owner. 

Most remarkable for low-cost projects, we include in-floor hydronic heat. A gas-fired tankless water heater supplies both domestic hot water and space heating. Volunteers install hydronic tubing under standard OSB floor sheathing, while a local contractor installs the tankless water heater and controls. This system is bolstered by a solar hot water panel that preheats the system so the gas powered water heater does not have to work as hard. 

One of the least expensive and most effective ways to save energy is air sealing. This home will reach a standard of “air tightness” that is required by Oregon High Performance Homes standard.

Water conservation is accomplished with 1.3 gallons per flush toilets, low-flow fixtures and native landscaping.