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Case
Study:
Esperanza
del Sol
Key design elements:
Location: Dallas, Texas
Developer: BBH Enterprises: Barbara Harwood
(for-profit affordable, healthy housing developer)
Cost:
The houses cost less than $80,000,
designed to be within the reach of households earning less than $35,000 a year (with
subsidies available for low-income homebuyers, households with an annual income as low as
$24,000 may qualify).
Size: Six 1,273-sq.-ft
single-family homes
Project year: 1994
Features:
This development was the first built in
the U.S. to meet the standards of the EEI E Seal certified utility program, a nationwide
effort designed to encourage energy- and resource-efficient, environmentally-sensitive
housing. According to BBH Enterprises President Barbara Harwood, the three-bedroom,
two-bath, Spanish-style, passive solar homes provide "...in-town, beautiful,
energy-efficient, and environmentally-sensitive housing that is also affordable."
Energy-efficiency highlights include a
maximum level of passive solar gain and construction designed to use 60 percent less
energy than a typical, comparable-size house. The solar contribution to the heating load
is 25 percent, while the bulk of heating/cooling is produced by each home's ground-source
heat pump with air conditioning and hot water assist.
BBH Enterprises guaranteed that average
heating and cooling costs would not exceed $1 per day. To achieve those savings, the
houses were oriented to take advantage of solar heating and natural ventilation, and trees
were preserved and planted for summer shade and protection from winter winds. Added
insulation and a tightened envelope allowed downsizing of the geothermal heat pump, saving
almost enough money to cover the controlled ventilation system.
More Information:
Limited project information in a
case study of the heating system at the GeoExchange website.
Pattern reference: 1, 6, 9, 13, 16
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