When buying a home, people know they need money for a down payment. They also know that they will need enough income to cover the monthly mortgage. But many homebuyers don't consider the ongoing costs associated with owning a home, and for buyers on a budget, planning for expenses such as heating and cooling can make a huge difference in long-term financial stability.
Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County makes home ownership affordable for many people through low-cost loans and sweat-equity programs. Now, the nonprofit organization is exploring ways to help reduce heating and cooling costs for Habitat homes in Winston-Salem's Trent Hill neighborhood.
"Habitat is a cutting-edge organization," said Danny Gough of Energy Solutions. "They are doing things in these houses that million-dollar custom homes don't have."
Although all of the Habitat homes in Trent Hill are energy-efficient, Habitat also is building an extreme-green home in the neighborhood: the "Green Build 2012" house.
Some of the extras include a super-insulated slab like those found in Europe, walls with insulation that is three times thicker than conventional insulation and windows that are twice as efficient as those found in most homes. The house also features a solar water-heater system.
This week, the final steps were under way in the installation of the water-heating system. Although Gough said that all Habitat homes in Winston-Salem and Greensboro are "Systems Vision" homes with guaranteed heating and cooling costs, this solar water-heater system takes energy efficiency to the next level.
"During a meeting, we were talking about the fact that while we had heating and cooling down to $100 a year, heating the water would be about $400 a year," he said. "We decided to see what could be done, and then Velux partnered with us to install a solar water-heating system. With that addition, this house became the most energy-efficient green home that Habitat has ever built.
"You hardly need a heating system in this house," Gough said. "The heating and cooling expenses will only be $5 to $8 a month, excluding water heating, lights and appliances and service charges. The actual costs will vary depending on the homeowner's operation of the home, but in most cases the heating and cooling winds up about 75 percent of the prediction. However, if the heating and cooling exceeds the predicted estimate, the homeowner will receive a check for the difference. This guarantee is issued by Advanced Energy through the Systems Vision Program. Every Habitat home in Forsyth County is built to Systems Vision standards."
Gough said that he hopes this house will highlight the long-term value of using energy-efficient systems in homes of all sizes and price ranges.
"The biggest missing element in all of this technology going mainstream is education," he said. "Everyone thinks it is expensive, but if you look at it long-term, it makes sense.
"For example, if you pay $7,000 or $8,000 for the solar water-heater system, you get 65 percent of that back as a tax credit, so that reduces your net investment to the $3,000 range. That adds about $12 a month for a 30-year loan, but you'll save around $30 a month. Additionally, with FHA loans, buyers can add $10,000 for energy improvements without needing to be approved for the extra amount. It costs more not to do this stuff."
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