In partnership with one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America teams, led by the University of Central Florida’s Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), these successful homebuilders are building super energy-efficient homes. They are achieving a standard met by fewer than one of every 1,000 new homes built in Florida since 2007.

Homes consume about 35 percent of the electricity produced in the United States. Homes are also responsible for more than 20 percent of the U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide, a significant contributor to global warming. Building America’s goal is to develop cost-effective solutions that reduce the average energy use of housing by 40 to 100 percent.

The Department of Energy's EnergySmart Home Scale (E-Scale) is based off the HERS Index.

Similar to an automobile’s miles-per-gallon sticker, energy-efficient homes can have an energy-efficiency rating called the EnergySmart Home Scale^SM (E-Scale), which is based on the nationwide Home Energy Rating System’s HERS Index. A home with an E-Scale of zero generates as much energy as it consumes on an annual basis. While most existing homes have an E-Scale of 130 or higher, typical new homes in Florida have an E-Scale of about 90.

The six Building America homebuilders are constructing all of their homes – a total of about 100 a year – at an E-Scale of 60 or lower. Each home is also an ENERGY STAR-qualified new home.

Five of the six participating homebuilders are based in Gainesville: G.W. Robinson Builders Inc., Tommy Williams Homes, Skobel Development, Schackow Realty and Development (Innovative Home Builders of North Florida Inc.), and H.K.W. Enterprises Inc. The sixth, LifeStyle Homes of Melbourne, builds along Florida’s Space Coast in Brevard County. Each home is individually certified by Florida Home Energy and Resources Organization (Florida H.E.R.O.), an FSEC subcontractor based in Gainesville or by FSEC.

Ken Fonorow, president of Florida H.E.R.O., is largely responsible for the concentration of participating builders in Gainesville.

“Rethinking how homes are constructed makes good sense,” he says. “My goal is to work with developers, builders and homeowners to improve the efficiency, health and durability of homes in the Gainesville area. I hope that others in Florida will see the tremendous value of these homes and want to do the same.”

It doesn’t cost a lot more to build a more energy-efficient home, particularly when the improvements are financed as part of a mortgage. The improvements produce immediate savings in utility bills, in addition to improved air quality and durability.

“The future of new home construction is energy-efficient, high-quality housing,” said Subrato Chandra, FSEC’s Building America program director. “The success of these builders encourages me.”

In addition to FSEC’s six Building America partners, 60 other builders in Florida and 417 nationwide have risen to this challenge.

Building America forms research partnerships with all facets of the residential building industry to improve the quality and energy efficiency of homes. The Florida Solar Energy Center, a research institute of the University of Central Florida, is the only university-led Building America team. FSEC researches technologies for highly energy-efficient homes, and also works with builders to help them design, build and sell highly energy-efficient homes.

Researchers and builders work together to select cost-effective improvements. All of the homes have a highly efficient building envelope (better insulation levels, double pane low-e windows and radiant barriers), efficient and well-engineered heating and cooling systems with tight duct systems and controlled outside air ventilation, very efficient water heating systems and compact fluorescent lighting. ENERGY STAR appliances round out the package in many cases.

“Being a part of the Builders Challenge with our new line of Sun Smart homes is our way of doing the right thing for America’s energy future,” said Lifestyle Homes’ Larry Hufford. “I underestimated how many people felt the same way.”

For more information, visit www.baihp.org and or www.buildingamerica.gov/challenge.

About FSEC
The Florida Solar Energy Center, a research institute of the University of Central Florida, is the largest and most active state-supported renewable energy and efficiency institute in the United States. Created by the Florida Legislature in 1975, FSEC’s mission is to research energy technologies that enhance Florida’s and the nation’s economy and environment, and to educate the public, students and practitioners on the results of the research. Working in alternative fuels, hydrogen and fuel cells, photovoltaics, solar thermal technologies, high performance buildings, and education areas, FSEC’s 140-member staff helps provide Florida with a future of energy independence and environmental sustainability. FSEC is also responsible for testing and certification of solar systems sold in the state of Florida. For more information about FSEC, please visit www.floridaenergycenter.org, or send your questions to info@fsec.ucf.edu.

G.W. Robinson Builders, Inc., Gainesville, FL – 352-373-1724, www.gwrobinson.com

H.K.W. Enterprises, Inc., Gainesville, FL – 352-377-2240

LifeStyle Homes, Melbourne, FL – 321-727-8188, www.buildingalifestyle.com

Schackow Realty and Development
(Innovative Home Builders of North Florida, Inc.) –
386-454-3174, innovativehomebuilders@gmail.com

Skobel Development, Gainesville, FL – 352-224-5545, www.skobel.com

Tommy Williams Homes, Gainesville, FL – 352-331-8180, www.tommywilliamshomes.com

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Water heating is the second largest home consumer of energy, and the performance of some systems on the market today have never been tested under realistic and extreme weather conditions. Testing in the lab will help provide answers the solar industry, utilities and home builders are looking for to increase energy efficiency.

Mr. Robert Hassett, U.S. Department of Energy's Building America Solar Heating and Cooling Technology Manager, cuts the ribbon at the opening celebration of FSEC's new Hot Water Systems Laboratory. He's joined by (from left to right) Danny Parker, principal investigator, Subrato Chandra, project manager, and Carlos Colon, task leader.

“This project is an important part of Building America’s goal of zero energy buildings by year 2020,” said Robert Hassett, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Heating and Cooling Technology Manager. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America Program funded the lab at FSEC, a research institute of the University of Central Florida.

The facility, which opened on Wednesday, will be a hub to test solar, tankless and conventional domestic water heating systems for efficiency.

“Solar water heating is an excellent way to save energy on water heating and reduce whole-house energy use, but utilities are specifically interested in knowing whether or not solar is providing relief to the power grid during peak times. Our testing will answer their questions,” says Subrato Chandra, the Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership project manager. This information is key to utility “buy-in” to more aggressively sponsor solar water heating systems.

This side-by-side testing will evaluate the impact of systems on the utility power grid according to time-of-day usage, and will also enhance and validate simulation models for solar water heating systems. Danny Parker, principal investigator noted, “Solar integrated collector and storage (ICS) systems, where the storage tank is on the roof and sensitive to weather, have never been verified before, only simulated, so we’re interested in seeing how they work particularly on winter mornings.”

Seven systems are currently responding to the same conditions and schedule of use to compare their energy performance and time-of-day electric loads. Over 90 channels of data are being collected. This flexible facility will evaluate how the water heating systems perform without the influence of family usage habits.

“Our tests are performed under more realistic, yet controlled conditions. We’re using real inlet water temperatures and varying the quantity of water being used, something that hasn’t been done before,” says Carlos Colon, task leader of the project.

The seven systems currently being tested are:

1.  Standard 50-gallon electric water heater

2.  40 sq. ft. collector/80-gallon tank flat plate direct solar water heating system with a differential-controller

3.  32 sq. ft. collector/40 gallon integrated collector storage (ICS) system with a standard 50 gallon electric tank for backup

4.  40 sq. ft. collector/80 gallon tank flat plate PV-pumped direct solar water heating system

5. 40 gallon conventional natural gas water heater

6. Tankless natural gas water heater

7. Tankless electric water heater

Current tests will run for a full year under its current configuration with the option of testing additional systems.

The Florida Solar Energy Center, a research institute of the University of Central Florida, is the largest and most active state-supported energy research institute in the country. Current divisions and their research activities include Advanced Energy Research: alternative transportation systems, hydrogen fuel and fuel cells; Buildings Research: energy-efficient buildings; and Solar Energy: solar water and pool heating and solar electric and distributed generation systems. For more information about the center, visit www.floridaenergycenter.org or call the FSEC Public Affairs Office at 321-638-1015.

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Subrato Chandra is the project manager for the Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership.

As project manager for the Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership (BAIHP), FSEC’s Subrato Chandra was recognized earlier this year by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary, Alexander Karsner, for his outstanding support during the development of the DOE Builders Challenge.

In February, the Builders Challenge called on the U.S. homebuilding industry to build at least 220,000 high-performance, energy-efficient homes by 2012. The initiative was announced at the 2008 International Builder’s Show (IBS) in Orlando, Fla., where Chandra and other FSEC researchers provided live technical assistance at the DOE booth. Out of the 40 pioneering builders that signed up for the challenge prior to its launch at the IBS, Chandra and the BAIHP team were responsible for recruiting 18 of these builders.

“Your enthusiasm and dedication are exceptional,” wrote Assistant Secretary Karsner in a letter to Chandra. “It is because of the hard work and dedication by individuals like you that America is able to meet the challenges of energy security and climate change head on at this critical time in our history.”

The Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership (BAIHP) team is the only university-based Building America team competitively funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy-Building Technologies program. BAIHP works with partners throughout the United States. The project focuses on effectively balancing cost, design, construction, and energy decisions to develop customized solutions for our team members. The BAIHP brings practical research expertise to America’s Home Building Industry.

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