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      SUSTAINABLE, AFFORDABLE HOUSING—MOVING TOWARDS ZERO ENERGY

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          INTRODUCTION

          In 2010, Rural Development, Inc. (RDI) completed construction of Wisdom Way Solar Village (WWSV), a community of 20 homes (ten duplexes) in Greenfield, MA. RDI was committed to very low energy use and sustainable building practices from the outset as they assembled a committed design and construction team. The team worked together closely to optimize site planning, home design and envelope systems, IEQ strategies, sustainable materials, and HVAC and solar systems.

          Most of the homes were reserved for low- and moderate-income buyers, and most of the buyers were first-time homeowners. RDI coordinated outreach and training for buyers about the homes' design and advanced systems.

          The homes' design, orientation, and excellent building envelope allowed for very simple HVAC systems—saving RDI $4,000 or more per home when compared to their standard HVAC systems. All of these building systems—combined with active solar electric and thermal systems—resulted in average gas and electric bills of less than $350 per year (14% of the regional average, EIA). The homes also achieved LEED for Homes certification at the Platinum level.

          The author (an engineer with Steven Winter Associates, SWA) worked with RDI through the design and construction process and conducted evaluations of several building systems before and during occupancy.

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          Author and article information

          Journal
          jgrb
          Journal of Green Building
          College Publishing
          1552-6100
          1943-4618
          1943-4618
          Spring 2012
          : 7
          : 2
          : 31-43
          Author notes

          1Senior Mechanical Engineer, PE, Steven Winter Associates, Inc. raldrich@ 123456swinter.com .

          Article
          jgb.7.2.31
          10.3992/jgb.7.2.31
          8bc913dd-81c0-425b-9316-bd9c8eba823d
          © 2012 College Publishing

          Volumes 1-7 of JOGB are open access and do not require permission for use, though proper citation should be given. To view the licenses, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

          History
          Page count
          Pages: 13
          Categories
          INDUSTRY CORNER

          Urban design & Planning,Civil engineering,Environmental management, Policy & Planning,Architecture,Environmental engineering
          building envelope,HVAC,zero-net electric,affordable housing,solar electric,LEED for Homes,solar water heating

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