Looking for ideas on how to create a sustainable home. Hawaii Home + Remodel's article - Refreshing Green Habits - highlights ways to have a eco-friendly home. PVA's Waiʻalae Tropical Modern is featured. This LEED Platinum, Energy Star and EPA Indoor AirPlus certified home is so much more than meets the eye. Efficiency and durability are at the top of the list when it came to ensure no detail was overlooked, incorporating some of the best systems available intended to improve the homes efficiency and life cycle assessment. The existing home was deconstructed and salvaged, while the concrete was recycled for on-site fill.
The home has an Energy Star certified, fully enveloped radiant barrier with closed-cell spray foam insulation reducing the cooling need by 50% and eliminating street noise completely. Exceeding the Forest Stewardship Council’s requirements for the lumber package, plank ceiling, interior trim, doors and flooring achieved the Sustainable Forestry Initiative’s stamp of approval for sustainability. Conscientious decisions were made to achieve the highest levels of occupant health, using no VOC paints, caulks, sealants and finishes without compromising the quality of the finish. The materials brought into the home were also held to the same compliance resulting in the EPA Indoor AirPlus certification, the highest level of indoor air quality for homes, schools or businesses. The energy efficiency, verified as NET Zero, utilizing the tenants of Energy Star (for mechanical, AV, appliances and lighting), along with photovoltaic system, battery backup and gas systems for both efficiency and functionality.
Reduced water consumption was also a big factor, using the EPA’s water management budget tool was the guiding principle to achieve the WaterSense label for the homes plumbing system. A whole house UV filtration system and demand sensing recirculating pump with auxiliary heating tank splits the water-heating into zones to ensure instantaneous hot water with little to no heat-loss or wasted water. Even the landscaping incorporates irrigation efficiency and need based watering, the site is a mix of native species, edible landscaping, gardens, fruit trees and permaculture gardens.
See it in the April/May 2022 issue of Hawaii Home + Remodeling online here or view a pdf copy here.
