Green Building @ Habitat

Habitat for Humanity of Elkhart County incorporates sustainable building practices into our homes. Our affiliate has taken initiative to build simple, decent homes that are affordable to purchase and affordable to maintain. By integrating resource-efficient principles, Habitat for Humanity of Elkhart County aims to meet the current needs of the family without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their economic, social and ecological needs.

Our affiliate practices the following sustainable building techniques:

• Often build on small, infill lots, which minimizes the need for new infrastructure
• Protect and utilize existing trees and vegetation on our sites
• Plant low water/drought resistant plants and shrubs
• Build walls with R-19 batt insulation and 1" of continuous R-5 insulation
• Insulate the attic with R-60 blown cellulose insulation
• Surround our sealed crawlspace with R-10 continuous insulation
• Install only high efficiency furnaces
• Keep all ductwork inside the conditioned space of the house
• Install only tank-less water heaters with manifold plumbing systems
• Achieve HERS scores in the mid-50s (~45% more efficient than the reference home)
• Install Energy Star appliances
• Purchase and install only Energy Star windows (U=0.3)
• Air seal the envelope of the house (total air leakage under 500 CFM50)
• Install water saving toilets (1.6 gpf) and faucets (1.5 gpm)
• Reduce scrap lumber by pre-cutting the framing package in our shop
• Use engineered wood products in our floor, walls, and roof framing
• Recycle our scrap: wood, insulation, metals, cardboard, drywall and vinyl siding
• Use low VOC paint and primer
• Control moisture through active house ventilation in the bath fan (passive intake)
• All houses have a step-less entrance at either the front or back of the house
• Size eaves for passive solar gain in the winter and shading in the summer