Don’t waste your energy with this new home. Veridian Homes today unveiled an ultra-energy-efficient home in Madison, Wis., called the Welcome Home. The home features energy savings of more than 43 percent compared to a standard Wisconsin home – which could amount to $1,000 in savings per year.
Veridian constructed the home through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America and Zero Energy Home programs, in partnership with the Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings. The Welcome Home is one of three homes in the country built to meet the energy-efficient criteria of the Zero Energy Home Program, and it is the only such home built in a cold-weather state.
David Simon, president of operations at Veridian Homes, said, “All Veridian Homes are built to be at least 25 percent more energy efficient than standard homes, but the Welcome Home goes even further, with every building practice, finish, and appliance scrutinized to emphasize renewable and sustainable resources. In keeping with our green building philosophy, we wanted to push the limits and create an innovative, environmentally friendly concept home. And the limits were pushed – we exceeded the program goal of 40 percent energy efficiency by 3 percent.”
Local and national industry executives, government officials and environmentalists toured Madison’s Welcome Home today. The event included demonstration stations to showcase environmentally friendly and sustainable building features, such as advanced framing techniques that reduce lumber use by a third, bamboo flooring that includes a recycled underlayment, and an erosion sock that uses recycled wood chips and compost to control runoff.
The home also features a solar hot-water system, an energy-monitoring system to determine real-time and historical energy use, an outdoor rain garden, and Energy Star-rated appliances. Department of Energy studies have found that the resale value of energy-efficient homes is higher than standard homes, according to the Veridian announcement.
The two-story Welcome Home is 2,324 square feet, has four bedrooms, 2.5 baths and a three-car garage. Its price tag: $349,900. “Not only is the Welcome Home high performing, it also has wonderful curb appeal,” Simon said.
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