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| State-of-the-art: Glenn Shriman of Sun Savvy Homes explains how the house functions. (Thelma Grimes/photo.) |
Building, living in harmony with Mother Earth;
desert dwelling model of efficiency
Thelma Grimes/San Pedro Valley News-Sun
From the outside, the newly constructed house on the dirt road in St. David looks like just another structure, but it is really the San Pedro Valley's first truly green residence.
The new home is listed by Pam Dobos of Coldwell Banker for $219,000. It is located on Rabbit Trail Road in St. David.
Builder Glenn Shriman of Sun Savvy Homes said the house is an experiment in some ways. First, he wants to see if residents in the area would buy such a home and take advantage of all it has to offer. Second, it's about getting on board with protecting the environment.
"I want to do my part to save the planet," he said. "I want to find ways to be more energy efficient and reduce how much we rely on foreign fuel. The entire house is about producing energy efficiency. Saving energy and the environment was thought of for every single aspect in this house."
Dobos said it's exciting to have such a home in the area, because there are a lot of plans to make Benson a solar energy capitol. Dobos is referring to local resident Kevin Rasch's plans to develop an industrial site for solar energy product manufacturing near the Benson Municipal Airport.
Dobos said George Scott and the Southeast Arizona Economic Development Group is also pushing solar energy, hosting a variety of workshops over the last few months.
Shriman, who started construction on the house this spring, said this isn't the only home in the valley to promote energy efficiency, but it is the first to have all aspects of building a completely green home. From the 6,000-watt solar panels outside the back door to the solar thermal hot water and radiant heat systems, this three-bedroom, two-bathroom home, located on a four-acre parcel, definitely comes with an instruction manual.
One wall in the kitchen not only has the light switch, but also several remotes and control panels that run the home. This wall constantly displays the home's temperature, which on Friday was 76 degrees, the humidity, which was 26 percent, and the fans and air system.
Many of the home's biggest contributions to energy efficiency cannot be seen. One of the main points is the flooring. Shriman explained that there is a switch to tell the home whether it is winter or summer. That is important to the home because the temperature outside decides whether or not warm or cold water will run through the pipes inside the cement floor.
During the summer, cool water runs through the pipes, decreasing the need for air conditioning. In the winter, hot water runs through the pipes.
On the roof there is a separate solar panel to heat the water running into the house. By having solar thermal panels, the home gets free hot water.
Another unique aspect of the home is the ventilation system. To be energy efficient, but also environmentally sensitive, the home is designed to be chemical and toxin free. Shriman said it's great for people with allergies, noting that the home is airtight, and the only air getting in is filtered by a ventilation system.
As stated in the Sun Savvy flier, no home is ever going to be completely chemical free, but this home is constructed with ultra-low chemical emitting materials. Fresh air is cleaned by a hyper-allergenic filter system. The air-tight construction will reduce contaminants completely, Shriman said.
Another positive to the air-filter system, Shriman explained, is that each room can be programmed separately. For instance, in the bathroom, Shriman said if an odor needs to be eliminated, a push of a button on the room's remote control will send a message to the air-filter system to remove the air from that room, and put in new, clean air.
"This house is constantly circulating clean air," Shriman said. "It never stops."
Shriman said to design the home, he worked with an architect from Utah who has studied the energy-efficient technology in Europe. Shriman said they also used standards set by LEED, or the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design organization.
LEED has established a green building rating system that provides a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction.
Since its inception in 1998, LEED has grown to encompass more than 14,000 projects in the U.S. and 30 countries.
Under LEED standards, Shriman said it was important to look at every aspect of the house from the color of the walls to the outside rocks and patio tiling.
Inside the front room of the house as what is commonly referred in the green world as a light shelf. A light shelf is a way to bounce indirect light deeper into a building. They are typically used in commercial buildings, but homes can take advantage of these as well. They are installed on the inside or outside of glass windows, on the side of the building that faces the equator. The shelves can be polished metal or a reflective light color. They shade part of the glass below, which helps in cooling; and they direct light up to the ceiling where it bounces daylight inside the building without any direct glare.
Shriman said the windows to this shelf are also controlled by a remote control that can open and close them as needed.
To make sure the light shelf is efficient, Shriman explained that even the colors on the walls were chosen to assure energy efficiency.
Outside, LEED standards were followed in the tile chosen for the front patio. Shriman said there is natural spacing between the tiles because when it rains the spaces will trap the water and push it back into the system.
The home is currently waiting for platinum approval from LEED.
In all, Shriman was pleased with the home, and while it may need some finishing touches and cleaning, he is pleased that the final product does take a small step to help protect the environment.
The Open House is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 12 and Sunday, Sept. 13th from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information call the Coldwell Banker the DiPeso group at 586-2122.
desert dwelling model of efficiency
Thelma Grimes/San Pedro Valley News-Sun
From the outside, the newly constructed house on the dirt road in St. David looks like just another structure, but it is really the San Pedro Valley's first truly green residence.
The new home is listed by Pam Dobos of Coldwell Banker for $219,000. It is located on Rabbit Trail Road in St. David.
Builder Glenn Shriman of Sun Savvy Homes said the house is an experiment in some ways. First, he wants to see if residents in the area would buy such a home and take advantage of all it has to offer. Second, it's about getting on board with protecting the environment.
"I want to do my part to save the planet," he said. "I want to find ways to be more energy efficient and reduce how much we rely on foreign fuel. The entire house is about producing energy efficiency. Saving energy and the environment was thought of for every single aspect in this house."
Dobos said it's exciting to have such a home in the area, because there are a lot of plans to make Benson a solar energy capitol. Dobos is referring to local resident Kevin Rasch's plans to develop an industrial site for solar energy product manufacturing near the Benson Municipal Airport.
Dobos said George Scott and the Southeast Arizona Economic Development Group is also pushing solar energy, hosting a variety of workshops over the last few months.
Shriman, who started construction on the house this spring, said this isn't the only home in the valley to promote energy efficiency, but it is the first to have all aspects of building a completely green home. From the 6,000-watt solar panels outside the back door to the solar thermal hot water and radiant heat systems, this three-bedroom, two-bathroom home, located on a four-acre parcel, definitely comes with an instruction manual.
One wall in the kitchen not only has the light switch, but also several remotes and control panels that run the home. This wall constantly displays the home's temperature, which on Friday was 76 degrees, the humidity, which was 26 percent, and the fans and air system.
Many of the home's biggest contributions to energy efficiency cannot be seen. One of the main points is the flooring. Shriman explained that there is a switch to tell the home whether it is winter or summer. That is important to the home because the temperature outside decides whether or not warm or cold water will run through the pipes inside the cement floor.
During the summer, cool water runs through the pipes, decreasing the need for air conditioning. In the winter, hot water runs through the pipes.
On the roof there is a separate solar panel to heat the water running into the house. By having solar thermal panels, the home gets free hot water.
Another unique aspect of the home is the ventilation system. To be energy efficient, but also environmentally sensitive, the home is designed to be chemical and toxin free. Shriman said it's great for people with allergies, noting that the home is airtight, and the only air getting in is filtered by a ventilation system.
As stated in the Sun Savvy flier, no home is ever going to be completely chemical free, but this home is constructed with ultra-low chemical emitting materials. Fresh air is cleaned by a hyper-allergenic filter system. The air-tight construction will reduce contaminants completely, Shriman said.
Another positive to the air-filter system, Shriman explained, is that each room can be programmed separately. For instance, in the bathroom, Shriman said if an odor needs to be eliminated, a push of a button on the room's remote control will send a message to the air-filter system to remove the air from that room, and put in new, clean air.
"This house is constantly circulating clean air," Shriman said. "It never stops."
Shriman said to design the home, he worked with an architect from Utah who has studied the energy-efficient technology in Europe. Shriman said they also used standards set by LEED, or the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design organization.
LEED has established a green building rating system that provides a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction.
Since its inception in 1998, LEED has grown to encompass more than 14,000 projects in the U.S. and 30 countries.
Under LEED standards, Shriman said it was important to look at every aspect of the house from the color of the walls to the outside rocks and patio tiling.
Inside the front room of the house as what is commonly referred in the green world as a light shelf. A light shelf is a way to bounce indirect light deeper into a building. They are typically used in commercial buildings, but homes can take advantage of these as well. They are installed on the inside or outside of glass windows, on the side of the building that faces the equator. The shelves can be polished metal or a reflective light color. They shade part of the glass below, which helps in cooling; and they direct light up to the ceiling where it bounces daylight inside the building without any direct glare.
Shriman said the windows to this shelf are also controlled by a remote control that can open and close them as needed.
To make sure the light shelf is efficient, Shriman explained that even the colors on the walls were chosen to assure energy efficiency.
Outside, LEED standards were followed in the tile chosen for the front patio. Shriman said there is natural spacing between the tiles because when it rains the spaces will trap the water and push it back into the system.
The home is currently waiting for platinum approval from LEED.
In all, Shriman was pleased with the home, and while it may need some finishing touches and cleaning, he is pleased that the final product does take a small step to help protect the environment.
The Open House is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 12 and Sunday, Sept. 13th from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information call the Coldwell Banker the DiPeso group at 586-2122.
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