Let the monitoring and analysis begin! The Proud Green Home at Serenbe was officially unveiled at a ribbon-cutting on August 17.
The home, a design-build collaboration between LG Squared, Inc. and The Imery Group, is located in the sustainable community of Serenbe just south of Atlanta. The project features a variety of techniques, products, and design to create a sustainable home for the future.
“This home will provide an experience like no other. It is green, eco-friendly, energy-and water-efficient, durable, low-maintenance, and comfortable to provide a healthy living environment,” said Bob Fincher, CEO and publisher of Sustainable Community Media, which operates ProudGreenHome.com. “It functions as an integrated system with every component affecting the next, and everything flowing together to create the ultimate in sustainable living.”
Every aspect of the home’s energy use will be monitored and reported for one year after the homeowners move in, to measure the effectiveness of the integrated green building techniques. It will serve as a laboratory, educating consumers and professionals about what it takes to be a Proud Green Home.
The Proud Green Home features 40 solar panels made by LG that line the roof. It is cooled by an LG ducted variable-refrigerant flow (VRF) Multi V Mini mini-split system connected to a high-static duct system.
“LG mini-split systems provide contractors a differentiated offer with long-term benefits for a consumer,” Kevin C. McNamara, vice president, commercial air conditioning, LG Electronics USA Inc., told Contracting Business.
Luis Imery owner of The Imery Group, the home’s builder, added that the home’s orientation was carefully selected to optimize the east-facing lot and allow for the best in energy efficiency, and designed to perform at net zero on the RESNET HERS index, meaning that the home will produce as much energy as its residents use.
Imery is a LEED Green Associate, a certified HERS rater, a BPI Building Analyst Professional, an Energy Star Partner, an EarthCraft House Technical Advisor, a RESNET EnergySmart Contractor, a real estate broker and a civil engineer. The Imery Group, won the EarthCraft House Platinum Project of the Year Award in 2010, and the following year won the 2011 Green Project of the Year Award from the National Association of Home Builders. The Imery Group is currently involved with the green certification of more than 200 homes in the Southeastern United States.
Chris Laumer-Giddens of LG Squared, Inc., the Atlanta-based architect who designed the home, is an EarthCraft House Technical Advisor, HVAC designer, building science pro, LEED AP and HERS rater.
Laumer-Giddens said he believes that a home performs best as a single integrated system. “In the past, homes were broken into separate components. Now, the finishes, the window selection, the HVAC system, the way the home is positioned on the lot, the form, the function, and the aesthetics all play a crucial and integrated role,” he said.
Laumer-Giddens told Contracting Business the LG variable-refrigerant flow mini-split system was chosen because it provides a high degree of controllability and constant dehumidification. It is also possible to oversize the system for cooling without reducing energy efficiency because the system’s inverter technology efficiently delivers just the heating or cooling needed.
“You can size the system for the larger load: heating or cooling,” he said.
Certifications on the proud Green Home at Serenbe will include EarthCraft House Platinum, Energy Star Version 3, EPA Indoor Air Plus and EPA Water Sense.
In addition, the community of Serenbe itself is an EarthCraft Community. The home and its entire building process will be verified by an independent third-party before, during and after construction to assure the integrity of its highly efficient, green and sustainable performance.
For more information, visit http://bit.ly/1fh7PWT.