NC Green Build details the work SEM does to help their homes earn LEED certification.
With the house completed, Southern Energy Management comes by to test the house and verify some more of the Green building features necessary for the LEED program.
They check our drought tolerant landscaping that also acts as erosion control in some areas. They also verify that 208 Regiment is not contributing any water runoff from our house into the city storm water system. All water from the roof and driveway is actually captured and piped to a dry basin in the rear of the home where it will percolate through the soil.
They attach a fan and computer to the heat and air ductwork to test for a tight system. We want to ensure that most of our conditioned air is making its way where we want it and not getting lost through leaks in the duct system of the house. This is important because in a typical new home, duct leakage may account for 15% to 25% of total heating and cooling energy use. By testing, leaks in the duct work can easily be identified and corrected. This ensures more conditioned air is being properly distributed. Likewise, heat and air equipment can run more efficiently.
Southern Energy Management also hooks up a fan and a computer to our front door to test the air tightness of the house. By testing the air tightness of the house we want to:
- Reduce energy consumption due to air leakage
- Avoiding moisture condensation problems
- Avoiding uncomfortable drafts caused by cold air leaking in from the outdoors
All in all with the building specs, materials and systems used, as well as the onsite testing 208 Regiment was found to be 50% more energy efficient then if the exact house was just built to the current building code standards! That is an impressive number!
