A Copper Alliance Member
Saving the Planet - One House at a Time
August 21, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Happiness
is never having to pay another energy bill – which
is the goal of an innovative home-building demonstration
project currently underway in the Atlanta suburbs.
Combining resource-efficient construction techniques, materials and products,
Zero-Energy Homes are designed to prove just how energy self-sufficient a home
can be. Roof-mounted solar panels provide most of the electricity as well as
hot
water. Copper tubing buried in the yard recirculates refrigerant liquid to
a geothermal heat pump, using the constant temperature of the earth to further
reduce home water- and space-heating requirements. Structural insulated panels
and common-sense architectural design add to the overall efficiency of the buildings.
The project is being developed by a consortium that includes the Department of
Energy’s Building America program, media mogul Ted Turner’s kid-friendly “Captain
Planet Foundation,” the American Lung Association, a long list of product
manufacturers and building industry associations, and local Georgia
builders.
A first, smaller house, dubbed the Zero-Energy Cottage, debuted
at the International Home Builders Show in February, then was dismantled and
trucked
to Washington, D.C., for display at the National Park Service’s first Sustainability
Fair in May. A second, larger and even more ambitious Zero-
Energy Home is
now nearing completion. According to the developers, the
purpose of the homes
is to show how environmental and energy-efficient “sustainable” practices
can be put to good use by builders today. Both homes are said to be up to 90
percent
more energy efficient than an average house.
One participating sponsor, the Copper Development Association (CDA), provided
all of the copper tubing for the hot and cold-water plumbing, for dual solar
water-heating and solar photovoltaic electric systems, and for geothermal direct-exchange
heat pumps that heat and
cool the homes. According to CDA spokesman Ken Geremia, the association was
asked to support the project because copper materials are inherently energy efficient
and environmentally smart. “Copper is the most recycled and recyclable building
material you can use,” says Geremia, “so sustainability demonstration
projects like this are a perfect fit for us. The fact that this particular project
is being done for such a good cause, on behalf of both the Building America program
and the Captain Planet Foundation, is a plus as far as CDA is concerned.”
In
tune with the project’s earth-friendly goals, the Zero-Energy Homes take full
advantage of copper’s excellent heat-transfer properties to offset typical home
energy costs. “Far and away, copper is the best option for all kinds of heat-exchange
systems, especially heat pumps,” he adds.
Copper is also used in all
the home’s electric wiring and in its sophisticated structured wiring communications
system, which will allow occupants to network home computers, distribute audio
and video throughout and install home-automation
features. The project’s developers expect to complete the second Zero-Energy
Home by the fall, when it
will open to the public. Both homes are to be auctioned, with all proceeds
to benefit the Captain Planet Foundation.
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