Construction will soon begin on a unique environmental housing project developed by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) and the Citizens League for Environmental Action Now (CLEAN). The project brings together the scientific resources of FAS, Roger Rasbach’s beautiful environmentally-friendly home designs and innovative Houston builders to create a home that is affordable, energy efficient, durable and safe.
“Houston, more than any other city, is desperately in need of low-cost, energy efficient housing,” says Jane Dale Owen, president of CLEAN and an FAS Director. “The Rasbach Provident Home is user-friendly, low-cost and exceedingly durable. Aside from being attractive, these homes will be the most practical in today’s marketplace.”
Houston is an excellent place to demonstrate that a home can please homebuyers, builders and environmentalists, according to Henry Kelly, FAS president. “Houston’s climate presents challenges that must be met in many growing areas around the nation: high air-conditioning bills, safety concerns including resistance to hurricanes and strong storms, mold, termites, and other potential problems,” Kelly says. “Houston is the perfect place
to take a lead in the energy technologies of the future – technologies that make good business sense to builders, provide real quality for consumers, and a real contribution to solutions for national energy and environmental challenges.”
More than a year of planning and testing has gone into the environmental housing project, known as the Rasbach Provident Home. The new home is named after the late Roger Rasbach, a Houston architect who is known for designing homes that harmonize beautifully with their natural surroundings, and are environmentally friendly and energy efficient.
Rasbach worked with Jane Blaffer Owen and the New Harmony, Indiana, community to build the House of Tomorrow. This house reduced energy use by 50–70 percent over a conventional home; used many recycled materials in construction; is resistant to pests and has structural integrity to last a century or more.
“Houston, more than any other city, is desperately in need of low-cost,
energy efficient housing,” says Jane
Dale Owen, president of CLEAN and an FAS Director.
The long list of specifications for safety, efficiency and comfort for this Rasbach Provident Home was developed by FAS for building in developing as well as developed countries. The design and technology of this house:
- Reduces energy use 50-70 percent, compared to a conventionally constructed house
- Can be assembled more quickly than conventional houses, reducing construction costs
- Can be constructed without use of wood
- Is virtually termite-proof, fire-proof and mold-proof
- Does not release chlorofluorocarbons
- Is structurally sound to survive severe storms, hurricanes and earthquakes
- Can last a century or more with minimal maintenance
- Reproducible in other markets, using materials available worldwide, minimal imports, and realistic capital investments in facilities employing local labor
One of the features of the Rasbach Provident Home that makes it unique, energy efficient and easy to build is the structural insulated panel technology called Thermasave panels. The panels have an expanded polystyrene (EPS) core with cement coating. The Thermasave panels have passed rigorous test requirements established by the Uniform Building Code, which dictates standards for building in the United States. The Federation of American Scientists (FAS)
also conducted additional tests that confirmed structural and fire safety under extreme conditions. The panels are solid with no space or cavities for mold or decay to develop.
“Houston’s climate presents challenges that must be met
in many growing areas around the nation: high
air-conditioning bills, safety concerns including
resistance to hurricanes and strong storms, mold,
termites, and other potential problems,” says Henry Kelly,
President of FAS.
Energy efficiency is one of the outstanding features of Rasbach Provident Home.
“The building is so energy efficient – it’s like an Igloo cooler with walls six inches thick and roof ten inches thick,” says Joe Ecrette, building contractor on the project. Most conventionally built homes need one ton of air conditioning for every 400 to 500 square feet. According to Ecrette, the Rasbach Provident Home needs only one ton of air conditioning for every 1,000 square feet.
Pre-assembled panels make the home quick and easy to build for significant savings in construction costs. With foundation in place, a 1,500 square foot home takes three to four workers and less than a week to assemble.
In addition to the special construction of the house, the project brings in new technology for saving resources and energy costs. “Top scientists in the country have been analyzing the plumbing system, water heating, air conditioning, duct work layout, electrical system and lighting technology to make overall efficiency of the operation of the house remarkable,” Ecrette says.
For example, roof systems reflect heat, rather than absorb it; double-pane windows save energy; and a technologically advanced heating and air conditioning system provides optimal indoor air quality with minimal energy costs.
In conventional homes, the water has to run for several minutes before hot water is available, and more than a quart of water can be wasted with every shower or bath. The water heating system of the Rasbach Provident Home will deliver hot water to the shower in seconds rather than minutes and saves money, energy and water. “The house will have an instant water heating source,” says Henry Grissom, architect who is adapting the Rasbach design for this project. “No hot water tank will be used. When you turn on the tap, the heating source comes on to heat the water,” he adds.
Grissom says the energy-efficiency of this home will reduce energy costs so that low-income home owners are less likely to default on their loan payment. Up to 30 percent of low-income homeowners default on home loans because they cannot afford to pay both the utility bills and the monthly mortgage payment.
FAS and the team building the Rasbach Provident Home will work with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America program and the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Partnership for Advanced Technology in Housing program to monitor costs, energy use, indoor air quality and other characteristics of the home as part of an ongoing research project to study and design the best housing technology for environments in the United States and around the world.
Henry Kelly says. “Houston is the perfect place to take a lead in the energy technologies of the future – technologies that make good business sense to builders, provide real quality for consumers, and a real contribution to solutions for national energy and environmental challenges.“
We will have hard-headed proof that you can build a safe, energy-efficient home that is entirely affordable,” says Kelly, FAS president. “This is an approach that will make perfect sense to the construction industry, and should make environmentalists and home buyers happy.”
In addition to being an incredibly sensible, safe and efficient house, Kelly adds that it will be a very lovely place to live. “You will want to move into this home,” he says.
The Rasbach Provident Home is being built at 205 Payne Street in Houston as a demonstration of this energy efficient, environmental-friendly technology. The cost of this house is expected to be around $70 a square foot with amenities that make it comparable to homes in the neighborhood. Cost for building a home with the same technology and construction can be as low as $50 a square foot, depending on amenities and décor.
Construction is planned to begin in August.
