Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/48724
live at home A New Nest with Resource Robin Tag along on a journey to build a smarter home, locally By Robin Pharo Month 8: Lessons Learned At long-last we're wrapping up the House of the Future. As we put the finishing touches on the house, we took a moment to look back at our initial goals. We had wanted to explore not only what was possible for this home, but how we could create a new standard that builders and homeown- ers could replicate today. Several energy-efficient and Keeping the Fire Alive A more efficient way to spark up your fireplace By Kelsey Sorenson With winter knocking at the door, there's something comforting about tossing a few logs in the fireplace and gathering around the hearth. But if your home has a wood- burning fireplace (or you're thinking about adding one) all that warmth may be going up in smoke. According to Margo Goodwin, owner of United Brick and Fireplace, a large portion of heat in wood-burning fireplaces escapes out of open chimneys, while the same opening can also let the cold air creep in— leaving a small amount of radiant heat in the room when all is said and burned. Her solution? Close up the chimney and opt for a gas fireplace instead. Not only a stylish option, burning gas logs offers the same classic appeal of a wood-burning fireplace (with less hands-on work) and sealing the chimney keeps more heat where you want it. Whether you're thinking about revamp- ing a room with a fireplace or want to in- vest in making your existing fireplace more energy efficient, going gas is a great way 20 BRAVA Magazine November 2011 to see more green (and stay warmer) this winter. The trend: Swap out an inefficient fire- place for gas in a room where you or your family like to cozy up and feel the savings. The energy savings: Sealing a chimney and installing a gas fireplace retains up to 80 percent more heat. Cost: Expect to spend $2,500-$4,000 to convert an existing fireplace to gas. What to shop for: New fireplaces come in a variety of designs to fit existing décor. When making a purchase, look for Energy Star branded products to ensure efficiency and to potentially qualify for federal tax credits. United Brick and Fireplace is located at 5402 Lien Rd., Madison; (608) 241-3844; 2702 Todd Dr., Madison; (608) 270-2253 or unitedbrickandtile.net. advanced technologies turned out to not be ready for residential homes. I was passionate about the technology developing for radiant cooling, but it just wasn't ready for the everyday homeowner. In that same vein, auto- mated blinds are a concept we explored not just for aesthetic value but for the energy savings they offer. But the devel- opment of this product is about a year or two away from being mainstream. For both, we turned to alternatives that show what is available today. On the other hand we found great solutions to increase both the efficiency and functionality of a home. In building, we discovered that putting two inches of rigid foam to the exterior foundation is the cheapest way to insulate. In fact, our builder, Encore Construction, Inc., is now making this their standard practice. We worked hard to stay away from toxic products, but we had to make a few compromises for performance. For example, we needed UV resistance for our exterior products, but many have a high content of volatile organic compounds (chemicals that potentially have adverse health effects). Overall, 99 percent of our products had little to no VOC—a big accomplishment. As we looked to the future of automation, we learned we can control many more functions of the house using affordable technologies than we anticipated. The systems will allow us to not only control the home, but track our energy savings as well. Looking back, it was a project full of surprises that demonstrate just how capable we are of building a house fit for the future with what we have today. Robin Pharo is a green building consultant and president of Healthy Homes, Treysta Group and Resource Robin. See the completed House of the Future in your next issue! Photo courtesy of united Brick and Fireplace