Design & Construction Council News

Sunday, October 14, 1-5pm

Presented By:

• The Omaha/Lincoln reEnergize Program
• The Kiewit Building Group
• The USGBC Nebraska Flatwater Chapter
• The University of Nebraska at Omaha
• Metropolitan Community College
• The Green Omaha Coalition (GOC)

The fifth annual Green Home Tour features six local new and existing homes that showcase green living techniques. In addition to seeing green practices at work, tour goers can talk to on-site experts and pick up tips on how to green their own living environments.

Schedule:

The homes are available for tour at your convenience, between 1-5pm, Sunday, October 14. There are six homes on this year’s tour. Three are near Omaha’s midtown–three are near Elkhorn. If you are unable to tour them all, check out the information sheets below to see which homes are of most interest to you! Join this event on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/321571667940549/.

Admission:

Home Tour passes are $5 per person and can be purchased at any of the participating homes. Each pass grants access to all six homes. Purchase tickets online at http://greenhometour2012.eventbrite.com/.

The Homes:

Map:

Case Studies:

For homeowners wishing to apply greening and energy saving measures to their own homes, a collection of case studies has been started for the homes on this year’s tour. The ‘learn more’ link under each home above will link you directly to that home’s case study. For compiled case studies and explanation of the terms used, see below.

• Full case study PDF (all homes) … coming soon!
• Glossary of terms

Volunteers Needed:

Interested in volunteering? Please let us know by emailing Patrick Wheeler at pwheeler@unomaha.edu.

To Donate:

http://www.greenomahacoalition.org/membership

Sponsors:

The 2011 Green Home Tour and Expo is set to happen on October 15th! Mark your calendars and get ready for a day of green homes, green tours, green vendors, and green presentations, hosted by Creighton University!

The Omaha World Herald released an article about the Green Home Tour event yesterday, and Patrick Wheeler was featured on KIOS promoting the event too.

Check them out!

Green Home Tour will include events at UNO – Omaha.com

The 3rd Annual Green  Home Tour Takes  Place this  Saturday – KIOS

The Nebraska Energy Office is offering 2.5 percent Dollar and Energy Saving Loans through eligible Nebraska lenders for the construction of single family, detached ENERGY STAR® Five Star Plus homes. ENERGY STAR qualified homes meet or exceed the state’s energy code by 30 percent or more and are independently verified for energy efficiency set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

These homes save money on utility bills, provide comfortable living with better indoor air quality and help protect the environment. Potential borrowers have the option to choose a conventional construction loan or self finance the construction. Long-term permanent financing is also available.

The Energy Office’s written approval of the construction plans prior to the start of construction is required. Construction loans of up to $417,000 at 2.5percent interest for 12 months are available from any participating Dollar and Energy Saving Loan lender in the state. Reduced fixed interest rate mortgage loans for up to 30 years are available through Tecumseh Federal Bank.

“Homebuyers are increasingly more interested in green building practices and energy efficiency is the place to start,” said Neil Moseman, Director of the Energy Office. “ENERGY STAR qualified homes can include a variety of tried and true energy-efficient features that contribute to improved home quality, homeowner comfort and to lower energy demand.”

ENERGY STAR 5 Star Plus homes typically feature higher levels of properly installed insulation, high-performance windows, tight construction and ducts, efficient heating and cooling equipment and ENERGY STAR appliances, lighting and water heaters.

The first step to building an ENERGY STAR 5 Plus Star Home is to have a Certified Home Energy Rater complete a rating of the construction plans provided by the designer and builder to verify the most appropriate energy saving features have been included in the home.

More information on the Nebraska Energy Efficient Housing Loans is at http://www.neo.ne.gov/loan/index.html.

-Wendy Harrison

The 2009 Green Homes Tour, presented by the Green Omaha Coalition and the U.S. Green Building Council, Nebraska Flatwater Chapter, was held September 19 and was a smashing success. New to this More than 800 people visited the fair where local businesses had booths demonstrating and discussing sustainable renovations and upgrades to homes.

The tour showcased four west Omaha homes. Each house featured a different theme: indoor air quality and energy efficiency; materials and maintenance; family lifestyle and energy efficiency; and a new Energy Star home. All homes had extensive blower door testing performed. For the owners of the three existing homes, a plan of action was prepared several months before the event. Each homeowner then spent the ensuing months working on different types of projects ranging from air sealing, insulating and equipment upgrades resulting in significant efficiency improvements at each home. Tour attendees were able to see a broad spectrum of improvement projects, including basic do-it-yourself projects, more advanced home owner-performed projects and contractor-performed projects of all sizes and costs.

Visit www.greenomahacoalition.org for resources, such as shopping lists and YouTube video links of the energy audits for each of the homes. Plan to attend this great event next year and don’t hesitate to get involved!

Thank you to all of the dedicated volunteers and sponsors that made this event possible, including Midwest Photo Pro for the photography.

Event Sponsors

The main sponsors of the 2009 Green Homes Tour are the Green Omaha Coalition, the Nebraska Flatwater Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, Kiewit Building Group, RDG Planning and Design, Bemis Press and Village Pointe. Booth sponsors include Activate Omaha, Arcosanti Homes, Briggs Inc., Carlisle Insulation, CM Custom Lawn Care and Landscaping, Curbside Rewards, Earth Day Omaha, Energy Rescue, Energy Smart Company, Fluff Your Stuff Interior Redesign, Goodwill Industries, Habitat for Humanity – Restore, Hayneedle, Health and Energy Company, Hearthstone Homes, Home Energy Defense, Kelly’s Carpet Omaha, Kinghorn Gardens, Lifetime Home Services, Live Well Omaha, Metropolitan Utilities District, Nebraskans for Peace, Nebraska Furniture Mart, O’Daniel Honda, Omaha Family Magazine, Omaha Public Power District, Sierra Club, Natural Glow Soy Candles, Thermal Services, Todd Menard Homes and United Fixture Supply.

Comments

Share your feedback on the Green Home Tour. Did we exceed expectations? Do you have thoughts on how to make it better next year? Want to volunteer? Contact the Design and Construction Council at designconstruction@greenomahacoalition.org.

The 2009 Green Home Tour on Saturday September 19th aims to build on the amazing success of last year as we focus on showing the benefits of sustainable homes and living for the folks farther West in our great city. Centered around Village Pointe Mall’s weekly farmers market and a small green living expo groups will travel to up to four homes. The homes will include an empty nester’s town home, a home with several children along with other great places. Attendees will have an opportunity to see budget friendly make-overs, lifestyle opportunities and get great take away checklists to help begin the process in their own home’s. Our main goal is to demystify going green by providing examples and resources to help every family. Join us the morning of September 19th for an opportunity to see greening for real life!

Below is a link to the 2009 class schedule for OPPD’s Building Science Series classes:

http://www.oppd.com/AimGreen/EnergyInformationCenter/22_003518

OPPD_Energy_Courses_2009.pdf

A draft of the Green Features Homeowner Checklist is available below. It is intended for people selling their homes to highlight green features to potential buyers.

Green_Homeowner_Checklist_Final.pdf

Attend this one-day seminar conducted by EnergyLogic, and hosted by OPPD, and learn how to build an Energy Star home.

Energy_Logic_Conference_2009.pdf

The blueprint for the Zero Net Energy Test Home (ZNETH) may sound and look like it belongs on a page in Popular Science. This summer, the drawing jumped out of the page as students from The Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction, housed at The Peter Kiewit Institute (PKI), constructed this “green” learning environment.

The collaborative research project, initiated by the University of Nebraska’s PKI, USGBC Flatwater Chapter and the Green Omaha Coalition, is a test home to integrate energy innovations with onsite renewable power solutions that can be used to achieve a zero net energy home.

The house, located at 6454 Woolworth Ave., investigates effective approaches to achieve whole-house environmental and energy goals. It incorporates architectural and construction engineering methods for improving performance while minimizing increases in overall building cost. This research analyzes system performance and costs as they relate to whole building performance, including advanced envelope methods, mechanical/electrical systems, lighting systems and renewable energy systems.

“This project has created an excitement with students, faculty and PKI partners,” said PKI Executive Director Winnie Callahan. “It exemplifies the unique opportunities available to PKI students. The ability to build a green home, the first of its kind in Nebraska, while gaining experience through PKI alums, employed with existing partners, is incomparable.”

ZNETH’s objectives are to:

• Design and construct a test home to integrate environmental/energy innovations and onsite/renewable power solutions that can be used to achieve a zero net energy building.

• Receive a USGBC LEED® Platinum certification for the test home and utilize the house as a living laboratory for sustainable education.

• Integrate key environmental/energy systems innovations into existing homes and commercial buildings.

The unique look is a group effort. Architectural engineering students at PKI submitted designs for the ZNETH. The final plans were developed, pro bono, by architect Tim Hemsath, incorporating pieces of each student’s vision. Hemsath, a professor at UNL in the College of Architecture, is also the chair of the USGBC Flatwater Chapter. PKI student Steven Cross is the project manager and main labor force.