Habitat for Humanity, Elmont, NY

After much experience with the Energy Star for Homes program Tom Bacarella, Construction Manager for Habitat for Humanity Nassau County (HFHNC) decided to reach out to the United States Green Building Council Long Island Chapter (USGBC-LI) to see what it would take to go a step further and “green” a home as defined by the USGBC LEED for Homes rating system.  A key stipulation was that nothing additional could be purchased that would increase the cost of the project beyond its $125,000 budget.This meant that points had to be achieved on their own merit and deciding what credits to pursue would have to keep the total budget in mind.Even with this, seemingly, tough task the home was easily within reach of a Gold rating due largely in part to its compact design, close proximity to community services, and thoughtfully installed insulation and air sealing.With such a strong rating (missing the highest rating of Platinum by only a few points) for an affordable home it demonstrates that LEED for Homes Certification is achievable for all Long Island homes.

Built on the site of a previously developed lot, HFHNC and USGBC-LI worked together to help this unassuming home in Elmont become one of the first HFHNC LEED Certified homes on Long Island.  Habitat had been building their homes to meet the requirements of Energy Star for Homes Certification so the next logical step was to have their homes LEED Certified.  Habitat hopes to continue certifying all of their new homes under the LEED for Homes Rating System.  HFHNC builds its homes largely with the help of volunteer labor.  In the spirit of building a partnership for the better good USGBC-LI Residential Green Building Committee volunteers worked to help set goals and strategies as well as document the credits that contributed to the LEED for Homes Certification.  

The house includes a 4.5 KW Solar Array that was installed by volunteers of the Long Island Solar Energy Industries Association (LISEIA), which, along with the homes tight thermal envelop and correctly sized heating system, contributes to the homes annual energy savings of more than 40% above a comparably sized home.  Non-toxic finishes and low flow plumbing fixture also contribute to homes LEED for Homes Certification.

Architect:  Stephen A. Lamb for Habitat for Humanity Nassau County  

LEED Consultant:  USGBC-LI Residential Green Building Committee  

afa:  LEED for Homes coordination and documentation.  

Year Completed:  x