Hartford Habitat Builds One of the Greenest Homes in Hartford County

 

Staff writer - buildingctgreen.com

 

The M. Swift & Sons gold leaf factory, founded in 1887 and situated on Garden Street in Hartford’s Northeast neighborhood, was at one time the leading producer of gold leaf in the nation. In fact, the company supplied the leaf that covers the Connecticut’s Capitol dome in Hartford. The abandoned building is a symbol of a long ago era when manufacturing companies supported the local economy. The company supplied jobs and workers lived in surrounding housing. It was very sustainable. As the U.S. gold leaf industry declined, so did Swift and the neighborhood. Though that’s changing these days and the entire neighborhood has seen a transformation with affordable houses sprouting up everywhere. Known as Swift Village, Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity is building 33 houses in this neighborhood and a duplex soon to be ready for occupancy, might be one of the greenest homes in Connecticut.

 

The duplex on Risely Street is so different when compared to the Swift factory building which happens to be in clear view of the home’s front yard. Unlike the Swift building which does have some charm if you look closely, the Risley Street residence is a symbol of the new, modern green way of sustainable design and its responsibility to the environment and future generations.

 

Sponsored by Carrier Corporation and Nationwide with technical and educational support from Hartford based United Technologies, the two homeowner families will experience the benefits of modern day technology that will lower their overall costs considerably. The home incorporates many sustainable design features including the management of waste, the use of solar panels, energy efficient heating and cooling systems, lower water usage and more. The homeowners, who have to pay a mortgage on the property, will see their operating cost lowered significantly.

 

Not all builders and developers however will get the local corporate support that Habitat got on this project. But Habitat was able to stay within their budget while also leaving a good eco footprint. The goal for the main sponsors was to have the home become something that others could learn from. There is low hanging fruit that everyone can use in construction. Adam Ney, president of AuctorVerno, LLC a green business marketing services firm in Bloomfield, CT and a consultant on the Habitat Green Home Project comments, “If Habitat can find a way to green its supply chain and not crush their budget, I’m pretty sure that others can follow and find ways to develop construction strategies that are sustainable and work. Everyday, more and more eco-friendly building products are entering the marketplace at lower prices and making it impossible not to go green. The green marketplace is growing.”

 

Some green highlights of the home.

- A solar panel on the home’s roof will turn the sun’s energy into electricity, reducing the homeowners’ electric bills by 50 percent.

 

- All of the excess scrap wood, cardboard, drywall and other materials from the project have been sorted and recycled with services donated by Oakleaf Waste Management.

 

- Half of the materials used for framing are engineered lumber created from small trees and post-consumer recycled wood scrap. The cement for the foundation contains 30 percent recycled content from blast-furnace slag.

 

- All of the carpeting in the bedrooms are recycled and low-VOC. The other rooms, including the kitchen and living room, are surfaced with natural linoleum manufactured using recycled content.

 

- Low-VOC, R-19 insulation and Energy Star low-e windows and thermal window blinds will also help cut down air flow between the indoor and outdoor environment. Many of the major appliances are Energy Star certified; reducing the amount of electricity needed to run them. Fluorescent lighting will also cut down on electricity usage and lower electricity bills.

 

- The duplex boilers, donated by sponsor Carrier Corporation, are Energy Star rated Ultra Efficient High Performance 90. It's the most energy efficient residential boiler Carrier offers.

 

- Dual flush toilets that use between .6 and 1.5 gallons of water per flush will reduce the amount of water used in the toilets by 40 percent. Low flow showerheads have also been installed in the bathrooms.

 

- Rain barrels on the sides of the house will collect and store rain run-off from the gutters. This stored water can then be used to wash cars and water landscaping.

 

- The last part of the project will involve the homeowners receiving training on the use, operation and maintenance of their new green homes. The plan will outline the intent of the green building features and encourage additional green activities, such as recycling and use of healthy cleaning materials. The duplex is located within walking distance of major community and retail centers and bicycle storage is provided, all contributing to greener lifestyle choices for the homeowners.

The Habitat Green Home Project was recognized by AuctorVerno as a member of 2006 CTGreen9, a group of nine Connecticut green stories that occurred this past year. To read about Habitat and the other 2006 CTGreen9 stories, click here.

Buildingctgreen.com also posts a diary of the Habitat Green Home Project. To visit the diary, click here.