Affordable Green Housing Report
Title: Renewable Energy for a Madison Area Community Development Project
Description:
This 40 page report models five different 'energy portraits' of the same basic house, to examine the effects of 'green design' features on affordability. The model house is a 1,400 square foot bungalow style 3-bedroom single family home with a raised insulated basement for future build-out.
The five house versions are modeled:
A chart in the report summarizes the various design features of each version, as well as it's HERS (Home Energy Rating System) score. Although the costs reflect the date of the report (1997), the design choices and how they affect overall performenace and operating cost are compelling and still very relevant.
We used the REM/Rate computer software to model the energy use and operating costs assuming a Madison, Wisconsin location. A local builder estimated the construction costs based on an outline specification and schematic drawings. In addition to presenting the findings, the report also comments on some of the limitations of the energy modeling software.