The Jones Family Home in Sugar Land, Texas
When you think of “green homes,” you may think of new construction, but the recent energy savings makeover of a Sugar Land home proves that even old homes can turn green. The home, located at 2822 Cotton Stock Drive and owned by a family who once struggled to pay utility bills, has been certified Silver to the National Green Building Standard by the National Association of Green Home Builders. The three green certification levels available are Bronze, Silver, and Gold, and this house was the first in the Houston area to receive a Silver certification;
The Sugar Land home, owned by the Jones family, was chosen for the makeover by Green Building Expert Dennis Celsor and Indoor Environmental Comfort Expert Gary Parr who hosted a contest to find a family that needed help paying their energy bills. Like many Houston area residents, the Jones family lives in a 1970s home that had an older Heating and AC system and deteriorating insulation.
Dennis and Gary took the following steps and were able to lower the Jones’ energy bills by more than 50%: replaced AC and heating system; renovated the attic; installed a radiant barrier, new insulation and a special attic door cover; installed a tankless water heater; and replaced 1970s windows with energy efficiency windows.
The Jones family’s August 2008 electric bill was $749.70. In August 2009, after completing the Energy Savings Makeover, the electric bill was $333.71. That’s a reduction of 55.5%! The actual kilowatt hours used was 4903 in August 2008. It was 3018 in August 2009. A reduction of 38.4%.
It’s important to note that the Jones family is estimated to save $3000 a year as a result of this makeover. The 1978 home went from an energy hog to one of the most energy efficient homes in the Houston area with a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) rating below the average new home built today. (HERS is a scoring system established by the Residential Energy Services Network [RESNET] in which a home built to the specifications of the HERS Reference Home [based on the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code] scores a HERS Index of 100, while a net zero energy home scores a HERS Index of 0.)
Green Building Expert Dennis Celsor and Indoor Environmental Comfort Expert Gary Parr are the co-hosts of the Thirty Green Radio Show, a call-in show based on Thirty Ways to Cut Energy Costs 30%. It airs each Saturday on KSEV 700AM.
Photo:
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