"EMPOWERHOUSE" The Future Of Living

   
The term "energy efficient home" just acquired an entirely new concept, and that is the "Empowerhouse". Engineered and developed by students at Stevens Institute of Technology, Parsons The New School for Design, and Milano School for International Affairs; the Empowerhouse won the Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon competition for its cost effectiveness. The Empowerhouse, located just outside of Washington D.C., has basically NO carbon footprint by using approximately 90% less energy for heating and cooling.

     The home is a 1,000 sqft duplex with 12 inch think walls and triple glazed windows. For proof of the homes efficiency it was given the passive house certification test and passed. To test the home a giant blower fan was positioned in one of the doors while all the other doors and windows were closed. The fan slowly sucked out all of the air until the house was pressurized at 50 pascals and then the amount of air that creeped its way back in was measured. The results on a typical home will have a reading of 7 air changes per hour which basically means that in one hour, all the air in the home is replaced 7 times. To pass the passive house certification test means you have recorded a reading of 0.6 air changes per hour. 

“That means that all the little leaks put together are smaller than a postage stamp,” said Orlando Velez (Manager of the Housing Services for Habitat for Humanity of Washington D.C.) “And if you wanted to, you could heat your home with a hair dryer quite easily.”

     Now to answer the questions that I am sure most people are wondering, what is the price tag on this housing innovation and how much will you actually save in energy costs? Well, the cost is approximately $200,000 for each half of the duplex and the estimated energy savings is almost $72,000 over the length of a resident's 30-year mortgage. A lot can be done with that amount of money freed up for your future. 

“I just remember thinking, we did it, a non-profit, affordable house developer can do this, even using volunteers with no construction experience,” said Velez. “And then I started thinking, what’s everyone else waiting for?”

Energy Efficient Home Could Lead To Bigger Mortgage

One of the biggest considerations when it comes to mostly anything now-a-days is the environment. Energy efficiency is becoming more and more relevant and it is now encroaching on the mortgage industry. Energy efficient homes are homes that have additions such as solar panels or high efficiency appliances in order to save energy costs for the home. A new bipartisan bill in the Senate is proposing that home buyers who purchase energy efficient homes should qualify for a higher amount with their mortgage. This new act, which is labeled the SAVE ACT, would allow lenders to factor in energy savings to the value of a home.

"It's about energy efficiency, it's about savings, it's about increasing the borrowing power for the borrower. I think it's a win-win for the industry," said Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., a co-sponsor of the bill.

If approved, any lender with loans backed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Housing Administration (which accounts for approximately 90% of the market) would account for expected energy cost savings. Another aspect the bill would affect is appraisals. The bill would require lenders to add the value of expected energy savings into the value of the home being appraised.