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Building a Better Environment

Daniel Keeslar, owner of Modern Historical Homes, was relaxing in Germany when he realized the U.S. had a very huge and expensive problem. He was on vacation from his contracting job in Iraq in 2005, and he decided to shadow a German superintendent for 10 days. While he was trying to pick up on all of his building methods, he realized they were light-years ahead of us—in everything. The defining moment came when Keeslar asked the builder how long they expected the house to last, and he confidently replied, “All of our structures are designed to last a minimum of 400 years.” Oh. That’s a bit longer than what we’re used to. In the U.S., we’re lucky to have a building last 100 years. This realization inspired Keeslar to strive for more long-lasting projects. After coming back from Iraq, Keeslar created Modern Historical Homes and dedicated his career to building beautiful, traditional homes that use modern technology to save the environment and save his clients money.

Keeslar is just one of many local builders in 417-land that has switched to energy efficient home building. Over the past few years, the realization that we need to take care of the environment has turned into a green movement, making home-
owners and builders take a second look at how they live.

Becoming Energy Efficient

Going green has become a significant part of the home building industry, with many builders concerned for the best interest of their clients. “I want to be the solution, not the contributor,” says Keeslar. “We have an obligation to take care of the world for ourselves and future generations, and we have to change the way we do business.”

Lloyd Babcock, builder and contractor for Lloyd Built Homes, has also turned his focus on building energy efficient homes for his clients.
“It’s just the right thing to do for the community as well as your clients,” Babcock says. “We’re doing the right thing vis-a-vis the environment, and at the end of the day, you can say you did something right.”

Both Keeslar and Babcock have signed a 100-percent commitment to Energy Star, one of many nationally recognized green building certification programs, to make sure that their properties are built with the environment in mind.

Many of us think of Energy Star as that little blue emblem on appliances, so it may surprise you that you can live in an Energy Star home. In fact, if your home is Energy Star certified, it’s gone through some of the most stringent inspection processes out there.

“There are a lot of builders that can say they build an energy-efficient house, but being Energy Star–qualified is a guarantee that you can put my money where my mouth is,” says Babcock.

For a home to be Energy Star certified, builders have to partner up with an Energy Star inspector before they even break ground; they submit their home plans to Energy Star with specific details, including what direction the house is facing and what appliances they’re using. Then the inspectors go through the plans and make suggestions, but the builders aren’t obligated to accept all of the improvements. Energy Star inspects the structure once it’s framed and insulated and does a major final inspection when the house is finished.

Energy Star inspectors focus on air quality, the safeness of the structure and airflow. After going through the entire process of inspections, Energy Star estimates the annual energy usage for the home, how much energy it takes to heat the house and how many kilowatts of electricity the house uses each year. Based on those figures, Energy Star gives the home a rating that lets you know how well it measures up to their standards.

Although Energy Star is one of the most popular and oldest green building programs, it isn’t the only one out there. Matt Morrow, executive officer of the Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield, says that the HBA usually prefers the National Green Building Standards, which focuses on things like using recycled materials in addition to energy efficiency.

“For different customers, different programs will be the best fit,” says Morrow. “If your primary interest is in utility savings, it’ll probably be Energy Star. If you’re looking at air quality, the American Lung Association has a program that monitors air quality in homes. The National Green Building Standards is an overlay for most programs, so if you follow those guidelines you should also be able to get Energy Star qualified. All the programs have different strengths and weaknesses.”

How Builders Make Homes Energy Efficient

When builders are constructing certified energy efficient homes, they have to pay attention to large and small details every step of the process from the structure to the light bulbs.

Keeslar says that though he builds in many different Energy Star approved styles and methods, his preference is to build in concrete and steel. He says: “According to the Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, concrete homes are the best, safest and most energy efficient homes you can build.”

Also, air leakage is a major factor for the energy efficiency of the home. The more air leakage, the more energy a home uses.

Keeslar utilizes energy recovery venerators to change out the air without robbing it of energy and builds non-vented crawl spaces and attics to regulate heat use. An attic in a typical house, he says, reaches almost 140 degrees, but when you have a non-vented attic, it’s only two degrees higher than the house temperature, saving loads on heating and cooling.

Babcock says that for homeowners living in already existing houses, it’s not too late to make their homes energy efficient. He recommends using foam insulation, which lets out less air than fiberglass insulation, and upgrading heating and cooling systems.

It All Pays Off

Green building doesn’t only help you save the environment; it also helps you save some major dough. Decreasing energy consumption with airflow, heating and cooling saves you money on your utility bills and pays you back in the long term.

Keeslar says that monthly gas and electric bills for a typical 3,500 square foot home range from $250 to $300, but for his Energy Star qualified homes, they run about $75.

But, as Keeslar puts it, nothing in life is completely free. Homes that require less energy cost more to build. He says that a typical 3,500 square foot house costs about $125 per square foot to build, but an Energy Star qualified house costs about $135 per square foot, a $10 per square foot difference, so $35,000 more for a 3,500 square foot home.

“Even though Energy Star homes cost more to build, nine times out of ten your out-of-pocket expense is lower at the end of the month with the amount you save on utilities,” he says. “A 30-year loan on a 3,500 square foot home realizes about $100,000 in savings at the end of the 30 years.”
Building green helps builders financially, too. Using Energy Star as a builder is completely free, and you get a $2,000 tax credit, which helps pay for costs to have the house rated and other project-related expenses. Also, Babcock says that building homes energy efficient has helped his business and has attracted clients that he may not have worked with otherwise.

Green Building in 417-land

So, when building green, how does 417-land measure up? Although we may not be as progressive with energy efficiency as other parts of the country, the movement is slowly growing locally.

The Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield has put a great deal of emphasis on green building. In response to the energy efficiency demand, the HBA has established a community of green builders and associates that helped them receive the Choose Environmental Excellence Business Award. Also, every Friday a podcast of an interview with someone from the green building industry is posted on their website (springfieldhba.com). They regularly update the site with green news and guidelines.

Although we’re making some headway, Keeslar thinks that we still have a long way to go in the Midwest.

“Mid-America seems to be behind,” he says. “We’re not ignorant but slow to accept change. Like with non-vented attic spaces, Florida has been the leader in researching and testing that for 20 years, and it’s just now coming to this part of the country.”

Babcock agrees that not many people in this area of the country have taken energy efficiency to heart.

“I got an e-mail from Energy Star that said there have been about a million homes built that have been Energy Star certified since 1995,” he says. “What’s sad is only about 100 of those million homes are in Missouri.”

It’s hard to argue against energy efficient home building with the financial savings and, most importantly, its environmental advantages. Though getting certified to be a green builder isn’t easy, there is a great demand for it. Morrow says that the challenging housing market is making builders look for any edge they can find. Builders are members of the community, too, so they have a passion for doing something good for their clients and future generations.

For more information on green building in 417-land and to find a local green builder, visit the HBA’s website at springfieldhba.com.

How You Can Do It

Already living in a home that wasn’t exactly built with the environment in mind? No worries. Daniel Keeslar and Lloyd Babcock say there are several ways to make your existing home more energy efficient, so you can lighten your carbon footprint and your energy bills.

1. Try to identify air leaks—they are the largest consumer of energy. Check air leaks from doors and windows. City Utilities offers a blower door air test or you can hire a qualified Energy Star rater to check it out.

2. Hire a subcontractor to reinsulate your home using foam insulation, which literally stops airflow.

3. Seal your ductwork—this is something you can do yourself! Pick up some duct sealant and paint it on the seams.

4. If your heater or air conditioner is more than 10 years old, replace them. Technology has advanced to make your units much more efficient and save you cash.

5. Caulk around windows and doors and add storm doors—this contributes to the overall sealing of the house, which makes a big difference.

6. Don’t forget to insulate your crawl space.

7. Don’t sweat the small stuff—change your light bulbs to Compact Florescent Lamps (CFLs), and watch your water consumption.