What It Takes To Be Green Home of the Year

Sungazing House, winner of the Green Builder Media's Green Home of the Year 2010 award, sets an example for aspiring green builders and homeowners everywhere. Located at an altitude of 6,900 feet in Park City, Utah, Sungazing House experiences average annual temperatures around 35 degrees and over 10,000 Heating Degree Days per year. Undaunted by the challenge of sub-zero weather, architect Jean Yves Lacroix managed to design a home so efficient that it satisfies the gamut of energy efficient building standards: Passive House, Net Zero Energy, LEED Platinum for Homes and NAHB Emerald.

Owner Kevin O'Meara drew inspiration from the Passive House standard and its ambitious goal of reducing energy consumption by 90% compared to an average home. O'Meara challenged Lacroix to combine the highest level of energy efficiency with luxury and livability; in his own words, "We wanted to build something energy efficient and attractive at the same time."

The result: a gorgeous, 3,800 square-foot home perched on the southern slope of the Wasatach Mountains with breathtaking views of the Swaner Nature Preserve that produces more energy than it consumes.

Key Design Features:

• Building envelope: an airtight, well-insulated building envelope is the starting point for any energy-efficient home. Sungazing House keeps its warmth in and the cold out with insulated 12" walls and 16" ceilings. The super-insulated SeriousWindows employ suspended film technology and high-quality fiberglass frames to deliver high R-values and low air infiltration and to minimize unwanted heat loss/gain.

• Site orientation and passive solar heating: Sungazing House sits on the South-facing slope of the Wasatach Mountains. The combination of large expanses of South-facing windows and strategic overhangs allows the low winter sun to heat the home during the cold months and prevents overheating in summer. Sungazing House features custom-tuned Series 925 windows from Serious Materials with high solar heat gain on the windows with southern exposure and low solar heat gain on East and West-facing windows.

• Efficient ventilation: a Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) provides the home with well-conditioned fresh air without losing large amounts of energy in the outgoing air and expending energy on heating the incoming air.

• Onsite solar power: Sungazing House is so efficient that it does not require any gas for space or water heating. Rooftop solar panels both heat water for the home and generate electric power.

• Efficient Appliances: all appliances are ENERGY STAR rated and use minimal energy.

Cati O'Keefe, editorial director at Green Builder Media, explains, "We chose this project as our Green Home of the Year because of the way it marries sleek European design with high performance."

O'Meara's main focus was simple - in his own words, "I was all about energy efficiency."


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SeriousWindows can help both residential and commercial buildings drastically improve energy efficiency, reduce heating/cooling loads and save money. SeriousWindows use suspended film technology and inert gas fills for optimal insulation performance. They feature high R-Values, low air leakage and a full range of glazing packages.Learn more about SeriousWindows.