Energy efficiency is a hallmark of the 2010 Showcase Home, the specially featured property of the Greater Fort Smith Home Builders Association’s Fall Parade of Homes going on this month.
The Showcase Home, an annual highlight of the twice-yearly home show, this year is located at 5512 Callaway Lane in the Williamson Place subdivision off of U.S. 71 South at Old U.S. 71. It is one of 29 new homes in and around Fort Smith that will be open for viewing daily from noon to 6 p.m.
The Parade of Homes began Saturday and will continue through Oct. 24. The Showcase Home will be open through Oct. 31.
Built under the supervision of Denton Contractors and listed by Bradford & Udouj at $259,900, the 2,180-square-foot Showcase Home boasts a long list of high-end and high-tech amenities, plus several features that promise significant energy savings: a hybrid gas water heater, insulated vinyl windows, insulated garage door, cellulose wall insulation and high-density attic insulation with a thermal barrier.
Dave Hughes, executive director of the Home Builders Association, said the challenge for builders is to find the energy “sweet spot” that reconciles a home’s operating cost with its construction cost.
Energy-efficient homes can be expensive, and homebuyers want to enjoy a reasonable and relatively quick payback for their purchase.
“Customers need to do more homework to seek out loans that reward energy-efficient purchases based on a home’s operating cost,” Hughes said. “This allows the buyer to achieve a higher loan. … An energy-efficient home costs less to operate, so that leaves more money to devote to the purchase, and they can buy a more expensive house.”
Energy Rating
The Showcase Home received a 58 score under the Home Energy Rating System – significantly better than the score needed to earn an Energy Star rating, said Chapen Rucker, a home builder and a HERS-certified energy inspector.
A HERS score measures a house’s energy efficiency compared to a standard house built to code. On a 0-100 scale, the standard code-compliant house rates 100. To earn the Energy Star rating, a house must achieve an 85 or lower score.
“The lower the score, the better the score,” Rucker said. “A 70 means the house is 30 percent more efficient than a normal house built to code today.”
Rucker said he has built Energy Star homes. The 85 score is not difficult to achieve, and scores between 65 and 75 are “pretty attainable.” To carry an energy rating, a home must submit to third-party verification.
Before earning its 58, the Showcase Home had to go through a three-phase inspection process that began when Rucker viewed the construction plans early this year.
At that stage, the builder can specify what level of efficiency is sought, and the HERS consultant can advise on how to achieve that level.
The second inspection happens at the pre-drywall stage – after insulation but before sheetrock. The object of the game is to minimize or eliminate air leaks in the walls.
“The most important part is when I come in at the end and perform a whole house test,” Rucker said.
For the final “duct blaster” test, the inspector tapes off the grills and blows air through the ductwork. The Energy Star rating calls for less than 6 percent duct leakage.
Rucker said he donated his services for the energy inspection, but normally builders pay a fee based on the house’s size. A one-story house like the Showcase Home would run about $550, he said.
Hot Water
Supervising contractor Melissa Denton said the gas heating and electric air-conditioning system are better than 90 percent efficient, and the house has the first hybrid water heater in Fort Smith.
Eddie Fox, director of commercial customer development with AOG, said the hybrid water heater provides energy-saving and user-pleasing benefits by combining features of tankless and tank-type water heaters.
“The hybrid gas water heater costs about three times as much as a standard gas water heater, but the standard heater has only about 60 percent efficiency,” Fox said. “With the hybrid, you can get efficiency above 90 percent, so there’s about a 30 percent savings.”
The 90 percent efficiency measure means that for every $1 spent on drawing and heating water, the user gets 90 cents worth of water.
Fox said the hybrid water heater pleases customers by eliminating two problems experienced with tankless heaters – a delay in getting hot water, and a phenomenon the pros call “sandwiching,” as when two people take showers in quick succession, and the second person gets a slug of cold water before the hot water comes.
Denton said between 40 and 50 suppliers and subcontractors contributed to the Showcase Home by discounting or donating products and services. She obtained the construction permit April 8, and the house was completed early this month.
