Eliminating poverty housing with efficient and alternative energy use

When North Carolina’s Ashe County Habitat for Humanity formed five years ago, seven people, some who live off the grid, came together to study how to best build a home. They made a commitment not only to affordability, but also to energy savings, and the board voted to build all Ashe County Habitat houses to maximize efficiency and place an emphasis on alternative energy.

“The benefits of energy efficiency fell into the basic requirements of the Habitat ministry,” says Gerry Tygielski, construction chairman for Ashe County Habitat for Humanity, which is founded on a “focus to eliminate poverty housing.”

To get a Habitat house, one must have an inherent need, be fiscally responsible, take part in the building process and take courses on house maintenance. The motive of Ashe County Habitat is to not only lower the cost of the mortgage, but also the cost of living in the house. Almost one in seven families in Ashe County live below the poverty line, according to the most recent census data.

“This past winter, we heard of some people having heating bills of $500 a month,” Tygielski says. “When you’re renting for another $500, that can bankrupt some people.”

The first Ashe Habitat house is a net-zero building, meaning that the energy produced by alternative energy on the house is equal to the energy used in the house. The average cost of heating and powering the house is $50 each month, says Tygielski. The second Ashe County Habitat house is currently underway and will be near, but not quite, zero net energy, due to budget constraints, but Gerry says that they will be close since the price of solar has gone down.

The house is built with insulated concrete form, a novel construction technology that uses what we commonly know as styrofoam, and has a higher insulation and fire rating than conventionally built homes with timber, insulation and drywall. It eliminates air leaks, the amount of which comprises a whole open window in the average house, according to the US Department of Energy. Insulated concrete foam is not widely used, as Gerry notes a lot of inertia in both the general public and the construction business, although it is starting to be used in basements.

High-quality storm windows also reduce air leakage, a metal roof reduces the amount of energy absorbed in the attic and solar panels provide a renewable energy source. But arguably the most efficient aspect of the house is the heating system, a geothermal heat pump. A six-foot trench, a pond or a well accesses the water table at Earth’s year-round internal temperature of 55 degrees. A compressor extracts heat from the water to heat air and pump into the house. A conventional heat pump extracts heat from the air outdoors down to five degrees.

In the High Country of northwestern North Carolina, harsh winters are commonplace and days with temperatures below five degrees are increasing. “We have a unique problem up here in the mountains, with our weather,” says Gerry.

Conventional electric heat pumps are three times more efficient than a conventional gas or oil furnace, says Gerry, and a geothermal heat pump is three times more efficient than a conventional heat pump, taking a house that would normally have a $300-400 heating bill down to under $100.

“There is a premium you pay for having that opportunity, but it pays itself so quickly, it’s a good investment,” he says. Their initial estimate says that the extra costs of making the first Ashe County Habitat house will be paid back in 10 years through lower utility bills, mainly due to greatly lessened heating costs.

This concept has a similar ring to on-bill financing, a utility-led program that provides money for energy efficiency upgrades in already-built homes. The repayments, made on the utility bill, are structured so that they equal the amount of energy savings resulting from the upgrades, so that the bill stays about the same, and extend over a 5-10 year period.

Gerry recognizes that there is a lack of knowledge permeating the public, from efficiency basics to awareness that something can be done about high heating bills. Furthermore, “people are busy working themselves to death to pay the bills,” he says, “they’re not in the position to be investing in home improvements.” He says an on-bill financing program gives people a chance to do something they probably would never be able to do otherwise.

In the last two years at least six people in Ashe County have been referred to Gerry that fall into this category. His response is to direct them to a Habitat for Humanity house application. Within a year, he may be able to direct people to Blue Ridge Electric for an on-bill finance program. He recognizes that there is a lot of work to do for poverty in the area from a social standpoint, but that programs such as Habitat for Humanity and on-bill financing can help responsible individuals in a substantial way.

The electric cooperative is currently looking into on-bill finance program designs. If you are a member, please sign our letter of support to Blue Ridge Electric!

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