Achieving Challenge Home 

in Affordable Housing in 

the Hot-Humid Climate

D. Beal, J. McIlvaine, B. Winter, 

and R. Allnutt

Building America Partnership for Improved 

Residential Construction

August 2014
NOTICE

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constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States government or any agency 

thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the 

United States government or any agency thereof.

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iii

Achieving Challenge Home in

Affordable Housing in the Hot-Humid Climate

Prepared for:

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory

On behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America Program

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

15013 Denver West Parkway

Golden, CO 80401

NREL Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308

Prepared by: 

David Beal, Janet McIlvaine, Bruce Winter, and Ray Allnutt

Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction

Florida Solar Energy Center

1679 Clearlake Road

Cocoa, FL 32922

NREL Technical Monitor: Stacey Rothgeb

Prepared under Subcontract No. KNDJ-0-40339-04

August 2014
iv

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v

Contents

List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................ vi

List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................. vii

Definitions................................................................................................................................................. viii

Acknowledgments ..................................................................................................................................... ix

Executive Summary.................................................................................................................................... x

1 Introduction and Background ............................................................................................................. 1

1.1 Challenge Home Requirements ...........................................................................................2

1.1.1 Challenge Home Mandatory Requirements.............................................................2

1.1.2 Challenge Home Prescriptive and Performance Paths.............................................3

2 MCHFH Challenge Home Specifications and Key Solutions ........................................................... 6

2.1 MCHFH Meeting Challenge Home Mandatory Requirements...........................................8

2.2 MCHFH Challenge Home Economics...............................................................................13

2.3 MCHFH Challenge Home Awards, Recognition, and Advocacy .....................................16

3 Southeast Volusia County Habitat for Humanity ............................................................................ 19

3.1 SEVHFH Meeting Challenge Home Mandatory Requirements........................................19

3.2 SEVHFH Challenge Home Economics.............................................................................29

4 Research Questions and Answers ................................................................................................... 34

4.1 What Are the Major Technical Gaps and Barriers Associated With Achieving Challenge 

Homes in the Hot-Humid Region? ....................................................................................34

4.1.1 Ventilation Barriers................................................................................................34

4.1.2 Interior Duct Systems ............................................................................................35

4.2 Do the Partners Favor the Performance or Prescriptive Path for Challenge Home 

Certification?......................................................................................................................36

4.3 What Is Motivating the Partners’ Interest in High Performance Housing? .......................36

4.4 What Changes Were Needed To Meet the Mandatory Requirements? For Each, Was the 

Change Minor, Moderate, or Major? .................................................................................36

4.5 What Are the Costs Associated With Meeting the Mandatory Requirements?.................37

5 BEopt Analysis ................................................................................................................................... 39

6 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................................ 45

References................................................................................................................................................. 47

Appendix A: Challenge Home Target Specifications ............................................................................ 50

Appendix B: Manatee County Habitat for Humanity Build Book Excerpts ......................................... 51

Appendix C: Manatee County Habitat for Humanity Cost Data............................................................ 57
vi

List of Figures

Figure 1. CH requirements (top row) and recommended (bottom row) consolidate key concepts for 

high performance homes..................................................................................................................... 2

Figure 2. CH Mandatory requirements for all homes .............................................................................. 2

Figure 3. MCHFH duplex homes................................................................................................................ 6

Figure 4. MCHFH Hope Landing floor plan............................................................................................... 7

Figure 5. ICF exterior wall under construction ........................................................................................ 8

Figure 6. Mechanical system in unvented attic formed by open-cell spray foam (not yet installed) 

under roof decking ............................................................................................................................... 9

Figure 7. Insulated pipes under the slab foundation ............................................................................ 10

Figure 8. Outside air ventilation, filter-back intake grille (left) and duct terminating in return 

plenum (right)...................................................................................................................................... 10

Figure 9. Solar thermal and solar PV panels.......................................................................................... 11

Figure 10. MCHFH’s CH certificate.......................................................................................................... 11

Figure 11. Executive Director Diana Shoemaker and Construction Director Bruce Winter with their 

Housing Innovation Award................................................................................................................ 16

Figure 12. Additional awards won by MCHFH's CH .............................................................................. 17

Figure 13. Free green building roundtable organized by MCHFH included discussion of programs 

such as CH as a catalyst for change in the homebuilding industry. ............................................ 17

Figure 14. MCHFH website features a “Green Build” section that describes key elements of the 

Hope Landing construction strategy................................................................................................ 18

Figure 15. SEVHFH’s single-family detached, wood frame CH............................................................ 19

Figure 16. SEVHFH CH certificate ........................................................................................................... 21

Figure 17. ENERGY STAR appliances, ceiling fans, and bath fans..................................................... 22

Figure 18. Construction of air handler closet ........................................................................................ 22

Figure 19. 40-ft2 solar water heater installed on the south-facing roof (left) with an 80-gal tank in 

the utility room (right) ........................................................................................................................ 23

Figure 20. SEVHFH CH floor plan............................................................................................................ 24

Figure 21. SEVHFH duct chase created using a modified truss design, seen here from the attic 

side....................................................................................................................................................... 25

Figure 22. SEVHFH layout for interior duct system .............................................................................. 26

Figure 23. Truss modification design to create interior duct chase.................................................... 26

Figure 24. SEVHFH exterior wall primary drainage plane formed by donated Dow Styrofoam rigid 

insulation............................................................................................................................................. 27

Figure 25. SEVHFH fur-up duct chase with a double layer of 2-in. blue board insulation (R-20 total) 

(left) and R-13 attic-side fiberglass batt insulation (right) ............................................................. 27

Figure 26. Chase construction overview................................................................................................ 28

Figure 27. Joints of the first and second layers of blue board were staggered to further impede air 

flow....................................................................................................................................................... 29

Figure 28. Runout chases seen from underneath (left) and the attic (right). Note dead wood 

framing between trusses that provides attachment surfaces for the foam air barrier. .............. 29

Figure 29. Source energy use by end use for MCHFH CH scenarios.................................................. 41

Figure 30. Site energy use by end use for MCHFH CH scenarios ....................................................... 41

Figure 31. Source energy use by end use for SEVHFH CH scenarios ................................................ 43

Figure 32. Site energy use by end use for SEVHFH CH scenarios...................................................... 43

Figure 33. Exhibit 2: DOE CH Target Home 5......................................................................................... 50

Figure 34. Excerpts from MCHFH training manual................................................................................ 56

Unless otherwise noted, all figures were created by BA-PIRC.
vii

List of Tables

Table 1. Preliminary Assessment of CH Mandatory Requirements....................................................... 4

Table 2. MCHFH Key Energy Efficiency Measures ................................................................................ 12

Table 3. MCHFH’s CH Projected Costs and Savings Results From EnergyGauge USA and BEopt 

2.1 Using $0.12/kWh........................................................................................................................... 14

Table 4. MCHFH’s CH Projected First Year Cash Flow Calculations From EnergyGauge USA and 

BEopt 2.1 Using $0.12/kWh ............................................................................................................... 15

Table 5. SEVHFH Key Energy Efficiency Measures .............................................................................. 20

Table 6. SEVHFH’s CH Projected Costs and Savings Results From EnergyGauge USA and BEopt 

Using $0.12/kWh ................................................................................................................................. 31

Table 7. SEVHFH’s CH Projected First Year Cash Flow Calculations From EnergyGauge USA and 

BEopt 2.1 Using $0.12/kWh ............................................................................................................... 32

Table 8. BEopt Source Energy Use Comparison for MCHFH CH Scenarios ...................................... 40

Table 9. MCHFH BEopt Percent Source Energy Savings by End Use................................................. 42

Table 10. BEopt Source Energy Use Comparison for SEVHFH CH Scenarios................................... 42

Table 11. SEVHFH BEopt Percent Source Energy Savings by End Use............................................. 44

Table 12. Comparison of MCHFH and SEVHFH ..................................................................................... 44

Table 13. Florida Building Code Compliant Home Versus Hope Landing Home Energy Efficiency 

and Sustainability Cost Comparison................................................................................................ 57

Unless otherwise noted, all tables were created by BA-PIRC
viii

Definitions

ACH Air changes per hour

ASHRAE American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers

BAB2010 Building America Benchmark, revised 2010

BA-PIRC Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction

BEopt Building Energy Optimization

CFL Compact Fluorescent Lamp

CFM25 Cubic Feet per Minute at a Test Pressure of 25 Pascals 

CH Challenge Home

DOE U.S. Department of Energy

EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

ESC Energy and Sustainability Consultants

FPL Florida Power and Light

FSEC Florida Solar Energy Center

HERS Home Energy Rating System

HFH Habitat for Humanity

HFHI Habitat for Humanity International

HVAC Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning

ICF Insulated Concrete Form

IECC International Energy Conservation Code

LEED Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design

MCHFH Manatee County Habitat for Humanity

PV Photovoltaic

RERH Renewable Energy Ready Home

RESNET Residential Energy Services Network

SEER Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio

SEVHFH Southeast Volusia County Habitat for Humanity

SHGC Solar Heat Gain Coefficient

UA Area Weighted Average U-Value
ix

Acknowledgments

The support and encouragement of U.S. Department of Energy program managers, Stacey 

Rothgeb, Eric Werling, Sam Rashkin, and David Lee, are gratefully acknowledged. This support 

does not constitute U.S. Department of Energy endorsement of the views expressed in this 

report.

Researchers are deeply grateful for the opportunity to conduct collaborative, applied research 

with Manatee County Habitat for Humanity (MCHFH) in Bradenton, Florida and Southeast 

Volusia County Habitat for Humanity (SEVHFH) in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. The 

leadership of both organizations sets a high bar for responsible stewardship in affordable housing 

construction. This research would not have been possible without the support of:

• Diana Shoemaker, Executive Director, MCHFH

• Rosemary Walker, Executive Director, SEVHFH

The innovative approach to constructing an interior duct system in the SEVHFH home is wholly 

attributable to the vision and leadership of Ray Allnutt, SEVHFH Construction Supervisor. He 

conceptualized an approach that solved failure points identified in previous research. Using the 

systems engineering approach of anticipating and solving problems before they happen, he and 

his team worked with Servair Heating and Air Conditioning to develop and implement a plan 

that delivered results beyond expectation.

Bruce Winter, Construction Director of MCHFH, was instrumental in the design and execution 

of MCHFH’s Challenge Home. Bruce led MCHFH’s effort to update the construction methods 

and building science employed to build its Challenge Home (CH). Bruce also provided detailed 

cost information comparing his construction to a basic frame house that is Florida code 

complaint, included as Appendix C.

The work contained in this report would not be possible without the work of the raters of record 

for both houses. MCHFH’s rater is Energy and Sustainability Consultants LLC of Sarasota, 

Florida, represented by Karl Handley-White, who graciously donates his efforts to the affiliate. 

SEVHFH’s rater is Patrick Gillis of Home Audit Technologies, located in Cocoa Beach, who 

provides Habitat for Humanity affiliates with deeply discounted services. Both of these raters 

stepped up and became CH certifiers to facilitate this work, which wouldn’t have been possible 

without their help.

Special thanks are due to Danielle Daniel for her excellent editorial assistance.
x

Executive Summary

The Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction (BA-PIRC) worked 

with two affordable housing builders who pursued and achieved CH certification. Both builders 

needed very few changes to reach CH; however, both were already certifying homes under the 

ENERGY STAR® for Homes Standard v.3.1. Habitat for Humanity affiliates’ mortgage terms 

are 0% interest over a 30-year mortgage to qualified buyers.

To improve relevance of the study to the general homebuilding community, the costeffectiveness calculations herein are based on a code-minimum reference rather than the 

builders’ standard practice (ENERGY STAR), and projected first year cash flow is provided for 

both the builders’ actual finance terms and for a market rate of 7% for the same mortgage period.

MCHFH pursued CH in duplex dwellings built with insulated concrete forms, an unvented attic, 

a ducted mini-split variable-capacity heat pump, a solar water heater, and a photovoltaic (PV)

array. SEVHFH pursued CH in a frame home with a vented attic (regional convention), a 

seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) 15 heat pump, and an innovative modified truss 

configuration that created an interior duct chase. The latter was featured in a Building America 

case study. The MCHFH and SEVHFH CHs scored 53 and 49, respectively, on the Home 

Energy Rating System (HERS) Index. With the addition of a 2.5-kW PV array, the HERS Index 

score dropped to 23 for the CH built by MCHFH.

Using the actual finance terms (0%, 30 years), cost analysis shows that MCHFH’s CH costs

$17,008 more than an identical geometry code-compliant home: $9,234 for solar hot water and 

PV and $7,774 for the rest of the improvement package. The projected first year cash flow 

associated with these two packages was $36 and $382, respectively, based on EnergyGauge USA 

calculations. This includes revenue generated from the sale of electricity back to the utility in the 

amount of $427 annually. MCHFH received renewable energy utility incentives available only to 

affordable housing providers that improved first year cash flow to $690. 

Based on cost data provided by SEVHFH and data collected in previous studies, researchers 

estimate the cost of SEVHFH’s CH with renewable-ready compliance (with a heat pump water 

heater) to be $4,636 compared to code-minimum specifications. This was reduced by a $600 inkind donation available to all Habitat for Humanity affiliates from Dow Corporation. An 

additional $4,700 cost was incurred for a solar water heater, which was partially offset by the 

cost avoided for the heat pump water heater. Using the actual finance terms (0%, 30 years), the 

projected first year cash flow associated with these two packages was $214 and $238,

respectively, based on EnergyGauge USA calculations. SEVHFH received a similar utility rebate 

for affordable housing for the full cost of the solar water heater that improved projected first year 

cash flow to $395. 

Using market-rate finance terms (7%, 30 years), the projected first year cash flow is negative for 

both the renewable-ready and the solar-equipped scenarios for both houses. These calculations 

do not necessarily reflect the economics achievable by market-rate builders. The improvement 

packages were developed for a specific builder’s resources which, in this case, included large 

utility incentives with limited availability. Market-rate builders may benefit from economies of 

scale or in-house labor capabilities that would implicate a different improvement package. A 
xi

preliminary analysis, conducted with a certified home energy rater, should be used to evaluate 

the projected energy savings and cost effectiveness of various improvements that suit a particular 

builder.

Several gaps and barriers to broader CH standard adoption were identified, including need for 

refinement of the innovative modified truss approach to interior duct systems developed by 

SEVHFH, research documenting the pros and cons associated with meeting the American 

Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers Standard 62.2 ventilation 

rates, and a survey of stakeholders to develop a menu of ventilation strategies in use in the hothumid climate region. The survey could help researchers identify which approaches are of 

greatest interest to stakeholders—those gaining market share, which are favored, and why. 
1

1 Introduction and Background

Under the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Building America program, DOE national 

laboratories and building science research teams conduct cost-shared research for and with 

stakeholders in the homebuilding industry. Researchers work closely with industry partners to 

develop innovative, real-world solutions that achieve significant energy and cost savings while 

safeguarding or improving occupant health and safety, indoor air quality, building durability, and 

comfort. After preliminary research in test houses, whole-house solutions are refined, and 

through research at community-scale, teams validate the reliability, cost effectiveness, and 

marketability of whole-house improvement packages and strategies for new and existing homes

(Thomas-Rees et al. 2013; McIlvaine and Sutherland 2013; McIlvaine et al. 2013).

The DOE Challenge Home (CH) program provides a standardized platform for application of 

Building America innovations that, when combined, achieve significantly higher-than-code

levels of whole-house energy efficiency while also improving durability, quality, affordability, 

and comfort. Some elements of the CH standard exceed construction methods and specifications

of even very high performance homes such as zero energy homes built by other Building 

America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction (BA-PIRC) partners (Thomas-Rees 

et al. 2013). 

BA-PIRC, one of the Building America research team leads, has partnered with two builders as 

they work through the CH certification process in one test home each. Both builders are located 

in central Florida in the Building America hot-humid climate and International Energy 

Conservation Code (IECC) climate zone 2 (Baechler et al. 2010).

This research serves to identify viable technical pathways to meeting the CH criteria for other 

builders in the region. A further objective of this research is to identify gaps and barriers in the 

marketplace related to product availability, labor force capability, code issues, cost effectiveness, 

and business case issues that hinder or prevent broader adoption on a production scale. 

The following research questions were addressed:

• What are the major technical gaps and barriers associated with achieving CH in the hothumid region?

• Do the partners favor the performance or prescriptive path for CH certification?

• What is motivating the partners’ interest in high performance housing?

• What changes were needed to meet the mandatory requirements? For each, was the 

change minor, moderate, or major?

• What are the costs associated with meeting the mandatory requirements?

The builder partners participating in this cost-shared research are Southeast Volusia County 

Habitat for Humanity (SEVHFH) near Daytona, Florida and Manatee County Habitat for 

Humanity (MCHFH) near Tampa, Florida. Both are affiliates of Habitat for Humanity 

International (HFHI), a nonprofit affordable housing organization. Habitat affiliates produce and 

sell homes for 0% interest to qualified buyers who participate in the construction of homes with 
2

other volunteers. They sometimes receive donations or discounts on labor and materials. These 

factors influence economics and economic decision-making. Habitat’s focus on long-term 

affordability increases interest in operating cost, building durability, and maintenance 

requirements. 

1.1 Challenge Home Requirements

Conceptually, CH ties together key components of high performance housing including building 

science, best practices, efficient equipment, high performance envelope components, and indoor 

air quality control (Figure 1). CH also requires renewable-ready measures that make integrating 

renewable energy technologies such as photovoltaic (PV) and solar water heating easier for 

homeowners in the future. Combining renewable readiness with a Home Energy Rating System 

(HERS) Index requirement that exceeds ENERGY STAR®, CHs are zero net-energy ready, a key 

objective of the program. 

Figure 1. CH requirements (top row) and recommended (bottom row)

consolidate key concepts for high performance homes

(Rashkin undated)

1.1.1 Challenge Home Mandatory Requirements

CH builders must meet requirements in seven different categories (Figure 2) and must meet or 

exceed the projected energy performance of the Target Home specifications under the HERS 

Index.

Figure 2. CH Mandatory requirements for all homes

(DOE 2013a)
3

All seven categories of requirements, except number 3 (ducts located within the home’s thermal 

and air barrier), are related to codes and standards external to the CH program. These include:

• Requirement 1: ENERGY STAR for New Homes (EPA 2009)

• Requirement 2: ENERGY STAR labeling standard for fenestration (IECC 2012)

• Requirement 4: Section 3.3 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

WaterSense Single Family New Home Specifications (EPA WaterSense 2012)

• Requirements 5: ENERGY STAR labeling standards appliances, lighting, and ceiling, 

bathroom, and kitchen vent fans (EPA 2013a; EPA undated; EPA 2011a; EPA 2012)

• Requirement 6: EPA standards for Indoor airPLUS (EPA 2013b)

• Requirement 7: EPA Renewable Energy Ready Home (RERH) standards for solar 

electric and solar thermal technologies (EPA 2011b; EPA 2011c).

Readers should refer to the CH National Program Requirements (DOE 2013a) for complete 

details and references. The footnotes shown in Exhibit 1 above (Figure 2) and throughout the 

Program Requirements provide vital information necessary to consider in developing a CH.

There is no standard or single methodology to guide meeting the interior duct requirement. It has 

long been a recommendation by Building America and many in the home performance industry. 

Many factors influence the complexity of meeting this requirement in any given home, including 

building geometry and the builder’s typical construction processes. Constructing a duct system 

fully inside the conditioned space may involve altering standard construction processes, which is 

more challenging than altering specifications. Readers can find examples and guidance in several 

Building America publications and the Solution Center: 

• Requirement 3: Building America Measure Guidelines related to interior duct systems:

o Measure Guideline: Summary of Interior Ducts in New Construction, Including 

an Efficient, Affordable Method to Install Fur-Down Interior Ducts (Beal et al.

2011)

o Measure Guideline: Buried and/or Encapsulated Ducts (Shapiro et al. 2013)

o Measure Guideline: Air Sealing Mechanical Closets in Slab-On-Grade Homes

(Dickson 2012)

o Measure Guideline: Implementing a Plenum Truss for a Compact Air Distribution 

System (Burdick 2013).

1.1.2 Challenge Home Prescriptive and Performance Paths

In addition to these mandatory requirements, CHs must meet or exceed the projected 

performance level of the Target Home specifications (Appendix A), which vary by climate. This 

can be pursued on a prescriptive path or a performance path. Under the prescriptive approach, 

builders adopt and implement all the Target Home specifications (or better) in their projects. The 

Target Home procedure is similar to, but more rigorous than, the ENERGY STAR 3.0 Target 

Home procedures. Note that performance tests for whole-house and duct airtightness are still 

required.
4

The performance path requires that a certified home energy rater model the house using

approved software with the Target Home specifications to generate a Target HERS Index1 score, 

a gauge of whole-house efficiency. Then the rater models the builder’s proposed specifications. 

This approach allows builders to customize specifications as long as the combined effect is 

equivalent to or better than the Target HERS Index. 

MCHFH and SEVHFH each worked with their HERS raters and BA-PIRC researchers to 

compare the builders’ standard specifications against the requirements for CH and identify 

necessary changes. This included reviewing the detailed requirements for standards referenced in 

the mandatory requirements. Prior to undertaking the CH test house, each partner was already 

building high performance homes in compliance with Florida ENERGY STAR 3.1 and the DOE 

Builders Challenge, the predecessor program to DOE CH. Therefore, each already met many of 

the mandatory requirements (Table 1). 

Table 1. Preliminary Assessment of CH Mandatory Requirements

Requirement MCHFH SEVCHFH

Meets Target HERS Index Without PV

Yes

CH Target 60 

MCHFH Actual 53

Yes

CH Target 59

SEVHFH Actual 50

1. ENERGY STAR for Homes, Version 3.12 Yes* Yes

2. Envelope:

ENERGY STAR Fenestration

2012 IECC Insulation Levels

No*

Yes

Yes

Yes

3. Interior Duct System Yes No

4. Water Efficiency Yes Yes

5. Lighting and Appliances:

ENERGY STAR Refrigerators, 

Dishwashers, and Clothes Washers

80% ENERGY STAR Fixtures/Bulbs

ENERGY STAR Exhaust and Ceiling 

Fans

Yes (no dishwasher 

provided)

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

6. EPA Indoor airPLUS Yes (but not certified) Yes (but not certified)

7. Renewable Ready for Solar Electric and 

Solar Thermal Systems

Not standard; a few 

homes included 

renewable energy

Not standard; a few 

homes included 

renewable energy

* “Yes” indicates that the criterion was met by the builder’s standard construction practices. “No” indicates areas 

needing change to meet the mandatory CH criteria.

As evidenced in Table 1 above, the builders were already incorporating many of the energy 

efficiency and high performance strategies necessary for CH certification in their standard 

construction methods. 

 1 Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) Mortgage Industry National Home Energy Rating Standards

govern the calculation method for the HERS Index. On the HERS Index, lower scores indicate lower net energy 

consumption.

2 The ENERGY STAR for Homes program issued a Version 3.1 for Florida.
5

MCHFH was on target to meet all CH Mandatory Requirements except the ENERGY STAR

fenestration (Requirement 2). SEVHFH also needed to incorporate the RERH (Requirement 7)

measures as well as interior ducts (Requirement 3). The latter led to changes in design and 

construction processes.

Both builders’ general approaches to CH and specific solutions are discussed in the following 

sections.
6

2 MCHFH Challenge Home Specifications and Key Solutions

The CH target HERS Index for MCHFH was 60. On the HERS Index, lower numbers are better; 

therefore, any HERS Index score below 60 complies with the CH requirement. (A HERS Index 

score of “0” indicates a zero net-energy home). The achieved HERS Index without solar PV was 

53; with PV it was 23.

For more than 15 years, MCHFH built wood-framed homes using the most economical products 

available with the objective of producing very affordably priced housing. The start of a new 

development, Hope Landing, provided MCHFH with an opportunity to rethink how it was

building homes, specifically with an additional objective of producing homes that are more 

affordable to live in on a monthly basis. Working with an architectural firm and a certified home 

energy rater, MCHFH chose to move away from conventional wood-framed, low-cost material 

construction to a highly energy-efficient, sustainable, and safer home. These decisions aligned

with the organization’s mission to build homes that are not only affordable to purchase, but also 

affordable to live in. 

MCHFH reviewed programs such as ENERGY STAR for Homes, Leadership in Energy &

Environmental Design (LEED) for Homes, and the DOE Builders Challenge, which 

subsequently became the CH program. MCHFH also reviewed new building methods and 

materials that could be handled by Habitat’s volunteer labor force without sacrificing the cost 

effectiveness necessary to meet the organization’s financial goals. In the end, MCHFH 

developed a new design (Figures 3 and 4), a duplex floor plan, and changed almost all of its 

construction methods and products, a bold move requiring careful management. 

Figure 3. MCHFH duplex homes
7

Figure 4. MCHFH Hope Landing floor plan

To validate the new design and construction methods, MCHFH initiated a plans review with a 

third-party testing and verification organization, Energy and Sustainability Consultants (ESC).

About a year before construction began, MCHFH construction staff held meetings with volunteer 

crew leaders to discuss the new construction methods. A Build Book was developed with 

selected crew leaders detailing more than 45 building steps in the new construction process. 

Quality check sheets were developed to verify that work met specifications before being turned

over to the next crews to ensure repeatability and uniformity in construction regardless of crew 

and volunteer turnover. Ongoing training sessions and on-the-job training help new volunteers 

meet competency levels in the construction techniques. Excerpts from MCHFH’s Build Book are 

included in Appendix B. 

As construction at Hope Landing began, ESC conducted inspection visits. Any time a change or 

correction was required, it was reported to the architect and to the volunteer author of the Book 

Build section for update. ESC completed the final testing and certified early homes under the 

ENERGY STAR for Homes, Florida Green Home, and LEED for Homes programs.
8

MCHFH prepared a new homeowners and maintenance manual called “The What and Why of 

How We Build and How to Care for Your Home” to help buyers understand the features and 

operation of their new homes.

Although this activity was done before MCHFH decided to build a CH test house, it provides an 

excellent example of how to navigate the transition from building code-compliant homes to 

building high performance homes. The Build Book, in particular, informs the whole construction 

team. It provides construction objectives, detailed process guidance, and quality assurance check 

points. In a systems engineering exercise, the design and construction team develop solutions for 

anticipatable problems and confusion on paper. A document such as the Build Book, along with 

construction drawings of unfamiliar details and subcontractor scopes of work, can support 

problem solving at the job site. 

2.1 MCHFH Meeting Challenge Home Mandatory Requirements

MCHFH’s new construction method included R-23 insulated concrete form (ICF) walls and R21 open-cell spray foam applied to the underside of the roof deck to create an unvented attic

(Figures 5 and 6). The duct system installed in the unvented attic meets CH Mandatory 

Requirement 3, Interior Ducts. The combined effect of the wall and roof deck insulation 

effectively produces an envelope meeting CH Mandatory Requirement 2 (Envelope) for 

achieving 2012 IECC insulation levels. It does not meet the prescriptive envelope component Uvalue requirements for walls and attics; however, compliance is achieved using the “Total UA”

alternative method (DOE 2013a). Also, the ICF block and foam roof decking provide excellent 

wind load characteristics, a plus in peninsular Florida where hurricanes present the main disaster 

resistance need.

Figure 5. ICF exterior wall under construction
9

Figure 6. Mechanical system in unvented attic formed by

open-cell spray foam (not yet installed) under roof decking

The other CH mandatory envelope requirement is ENERGY STAR labeled fenestration (EPA 

2009). MCHFH’s standard window had a solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of 0.28, very 

narrowly missing the ENERGY STAR criterion for the hot-humid climate, which is 0.27. DOE

granted MCHFH an exemption for this requirement on one of the completed houses. For future 

homes, MCHFH has changed specifications to regionally qualified ENERGY STAR windows.

To meet CH Mandatory Requirement 4, Water Efficiency, MCHFH changed the plumbing 

design by locating insulated pipes under the slab foundation (Figure 7) rather than in the interior 

walls and the attic. This allowed shorter, more direct runs, minimizing water wasted while 

waiting for hot water. The criterion specifies less than 0.5 gallons of water in the piping/manifold 

between the water heater and any fixture. Calculations were performed during design and the 

rater verified compliance at final testing.
10

Figure 7. Insulated pipes under the slab foundation

The EPA Indoor airPLUS program referred to in Requirement 6 calls for humidity control

capability in climate zones 1, 2, and parts of 3. MCHFH achieves this requirement using a 

thermostat with built-in humidistat associated with the ducted mini-split mechanical system. 

The outside air ventilation system consists of a dampered fresh air duct to the return plenum

(Figure 8). 

Figure 8. Outside air ventilation, filter-back intake grille (left) and

duct terminating in return plenum (right)

This particular home was equipped with a 40-ft2 direct circulation, drain-back solar water heater

and a 2.5-kW PV array with micro-inverters (Figure 9). If a solar PV or solar hot water system is 

installed, compliance with any unmet criteria in the solar PV or solar hot water RERH checklist, 

respectively, is not required. Not all the homes in Hope Landing are equipped with solar 

technologies; however, this builder meets the renewable readiness standards for solar thermal 

and PV in all the other homes.
11

Figure 9. Solar thermal and solar PV panels

The builder does not include a dishwasher in standard construction. The refrigerator, clothes 

washer, lighting, exhaust fans, and ceiling fans are all ENERGY STAR-labeled products 

satisfying Mandatory Requirement 5.

MCHFH’s home energy rater, ESC, completed certification of compliance with ENERGY STAR

for Homes Version 3.1, CH Mandatory Requirement 1. The CH label is shown in Figure 10. A 

specifications summary for the MCHFH CH is provided in Table 2. 

Figure 10. MCHFH’s CH certificate
12

Table 2. MCHFH Key Energy Efficiency Measures

Components and

Parameters Description Related Mandatory CH Requirements

HERS Index Score

CH target 60 (must be met without PV)

Actual 53 without PV

Actual 23 with PV

Satisfies CH target HERS 

Index requirement

Design 1148 ft2

, 3 bedroom, 2 bath duplex No house size penalty

ENERGY STAR 

for Homes

Certification under the ENERGY STAR for 

Homes Standard by a RESNET-certified 

home energy rater

CH Requirement 1 and portions 

of Requirement 6, Indoor 

airPLUS

Envelope

Windows Double-pane, low-e, vinyl-frame windows 

U-value = 0.32, SHGC = 0.28*

CH Requirement 2, 

Fenestration; also improves 

HERS Index

Whole House 

Airtightness

Tightly sealed house

ACH50 = 1.02 Improves HERS Index

Foundation Slab-on-grade R-0

CH Requirement 2, Insulation

Wall Type and 

Insulation

R-23 ICF blocks; R-11 partition wall 

between duplex dwellings

Attic Type and 

Insulation

Unvented attic with R-21 open cell, sprayfoam insulation adhered to underside of 

roof deck

Roof Finish Galvalum metal roof Improves HERS Index

Equipment, Appliances, and Lighting

Mechanical 

Equipment

SEER 16 heating season performance factor

10 mini-split heat pump with central air 

handler unit and compact duct system

Improves HERS Index

Air Distribution 

System Materials

R-6 flex ducts sealed with water based 

mastic and fiberglass mesh

Air Distribution 

System 

Airtightness

CFM25,total = 90 cfm (Qn, total = 0.08)

CFM25,out = 13.5 cfm (Qn, out = 0.01)

ENERGY STAR requirement; 

improves HERS Index

Air Distribution 

System Location

Mini-split air handler and a compact duct 

system in unvented attic

CH Requirement 3, Interior 

Duct System

Lighting and 

Appliances

100% ENERGY STAR CFLs, ceiling fans, 

refrigerator, and clothes washer. 

Dishwasher not provided.

CH Requirement 5, Lights and 

Appliances; also improves 

HERS Index

Renewable Energy

Water Heating

40-ft2 collector, 10-gal drain back tank over 

an 80-gal electric water heater for storage 

and backup

CH Requirement 7, Renewable 

Ready

PV 2.5-kW PV system CH Requirement 7, Renewable 

Ready

*CH Exemption granted by DOE for this CH

Note: ACH, air changes per hour; SEER, seasonal energy efficiency ratio; CFL, compact fluorescent lamp; 

CFM25, cubic feet per minute at 25 ACH
13

2.2 MCHFH Challenge Home Economics

Energy use and cost data are available from two modeling software programs, EnergyGauge 

USA (used to determine CH compliance), and Building Energy Optimization (BEopt) 2.1, a 

software used by the Building America program for optimization. Modeling results are shown in 

Table 3. Cost-effectiveness calculations are provided in Table 4.
14

Table 3. MCHFH’s CH Projected Costs and Savings Results From EnergyGauge USA and BEopt 2.1 Using $0.12/kWh

CH Renewable Ready

(No Solar)

CH With Solar

(PV and Water Heater)

EnergyGauge 

USA BEopt 2.1 EnergyGauge USA BEopt 2.1

HERS Index Score 66* 23

Annual Source 

Energy

Energy use (MMBtu) 96.6 94.2 34.0 40.4

Energy use savings over BAB2010 (%) N/A 30.9% N/A 70.4%

Energy use savings over comparable Florida code 

minimum house (MMBtu) 28.2 22.8 90.8 76.6

Percent source energy savings over Florida code 22.6% 19.5% 72.7% 65.5%

Annual Site 

Energy

Energy costs ($0.12/kWh) $1010 $985 $356 $423

Energy cost savings over comparable Florida code 

minimum house ($) $295 $239 $522 $378

Projected PV production annual revenue NA NA $427 $423

Combined annual cost savings over code $295 $239 $949 $801

*The HERS Index score of 53 reported earlier in the report includes the solar water heater, which is allowed whereas PV is not, when assessing compliance 

with the CH Target HERS Index. 

Note: BAB2010, Building America Benchmark, revised 2010, refers to a calculation procedure with standardized reference characteristics used to assess all 

Building America projects (Hendron and Engebrecht 2010).
15

Table 4. MCHFH’s CH Projected First Year Cash Flow Calculations From EnergyGauge USA and BEopt 2.1 Using $0.12/kWh

Compared to Florida Energy Code:

CH Renewable Ready

CH With Solar

(PV + Hot Water)

No Incentives

CH With Solar

(PV + Hot Water)

With Incentives

Incremental First Cost 

Over Florida Code 

Minimum House

$7,774 $17,008 $17,008

FPL Utility Renewable 

Energy Rebates NA NA $9,234

Adjusted First Cost

Over Florida Code 

Minimum House

$7,774 $17,008 $7,774

Modeling Software EnergyGauge 

USA BEopt 2.1 EnergyGauge USA BEopt 2.1 EnergyGauge USA BEopt 2.1

MCHFH

Mortgage Terms 

(0% - 30 Years)

Incremental 

Annual 

Mortgage Cost

$259 $259 $567 $567 $259 $259

Annual Energy 

Cost Savings $295 $239 $949 $801 $949 $801

Projected First 

Year Cash Flow $36 –$20 $382 $234 $690 $542

Market Rate

Mortgage Terms 

(7% 30 Years)

Incremental 

Annual 

Mortgage Cost

$626 $626 $1,371 $1,371

Utility incentive available for low 

income housing only Annual Energy 

Cost Savings $295 $239 $949 $801

Projected First 

Year Cash Flow –$331 –$387 –$422 –$570

Note: FPL, Florida Power and Light
16

MCHFH’s CH is projected to save $949 ($801 in BEopt) in annual energy costs at $0.12/kWh, 

compared to the same home configured to meet Florida code. This includes a projected PV

output of $427 ($423 in BEopt) per year. The solar hot water system and small PV array added 

$9,233 to the house’s construction costs. MCHFH participated in an FPL rebate program (FPL

undated) to install a solar water heating system. FPL reimbursed MCHFH for the full cost 

($4,151). MCHFH also installed a 2.5-kW PV system, garnering a further FPL rebate of 

$2/installed Watt for a total of $5,082 through FPL’s Residential Photovoltaic Program, which 

covered the total cost of the PV installation. 

The non-solar upgrades beyond code were calculated to add $7,774. MCHFH reports this is 

about 8% of total cost per unit. When combined with the $9,234 renewable costs, this totals 

$17,008. These costs are outlined in detail in Appendix C.

2.3 MCHFH Challenge Home Awards, Recognition, and Advocacy 

MCHFH’s CH was entered in DOE’s Housing Innovation Award, winning an award in the 

“Affordable Builders” category (Figure 11). The CH was entered in the 2013 Manatee-Sarasota 

Homebuilders Association Parade of Homes, providing a community outreach opportunity to

visitors. MCHFH has received numerous awards for the Hope Landing development (Figure 12). 

It was named “Best in Category” in the Multi-Family, Four or Less Units category over many 

developments in higher end neighborhoods. Further accolades were garnered at the Southeast 

Building Conference where MCHFH won two prestigious Aurora Awards in 2012, one in the 

Environmental Design category for “Best Energy Efficient Home,” and a second in the 

Affordable Housing Design category. The home was certified LEED Platinum. The press 

coverage provided another opportunity to spotlight the benefits of high performance construction 

for all housing—not just affordable housing.

Figure 11. Executive Director Diana Shoemaker and

Construction Director Bruce Winter with their Housing Innovation Award

(Used with permission of Diana Shoemaker and Bruce Winter)
17

Figure 12. Additional awards won by MCHFH's CH

In addition to incorporating high performance, sustainable building practices in homes it builds, 

MCHFH advocates the concept to the community. MCHFH organized and issued an open 

invitation to a free community discussion on November 13, 2013 to promote construction of 

affordable and sustainable buildings. Discussion included programs such as CH that catalyze 

change in the homebuilding industry. The event featured a moderated panel discussion with a 

question and answer period after the discussion. The moderator was Scott Dennis from the local 

ABC TV News. Panel members were Janet McIlvaine of BA-PIRC; Dennis Stroer representing 

Calcs-Plus, a ratings service that provides Habitat for Humanity (HFH) with HERS Ratings on a 

volunteer basis; Carlos Ugarte of Ugarte and Associates, the architects for the CH; Bruce Winter, 

Construction Director of MCHFH; and Thomas Harriman of Harriman Inc., provider of solar hot 

water and PV systems for the CH (Figure 13). The event was well attended and sparked a lively 

discussion and many questions.

Figure 13. Free green building roundtable organized by MCHFH included discussion of programs 

such as CH as a catalyst for change in the homebuilding industry.

MCHFH construction staff worked with their design team to develop a 30-minute TV program 

for the local educational television station discussing sustainable building and the importance of 

involving local building specialists when considering building and remodeling. The MCHFH 

website details the sustainability strategy for the Hope Landing development (Figure 14).
18

Figure 14. MCHFH website features a “Green Build” section that describes

key elements of the Hope Landing construction strategy.
19

3 Southeast Volusia County Habitat for Humanity

SEVHFH has a long-standing relationship with Building America. SEVHFH originally partnered 

with Building America as part of the Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership in 

2009. Since then SEVHFH has consistently built houses that meet or exceed ENERGY STAR

criteria, including the latest ENERGY STAR standard in Florida, Version 3.1. SEVHFH was 

also an early adopter of the Builders Challenge. With this history, it was a natural step for 

SEVHFH to build a CH.

In contrast to the MCHFH methods, SEVHFH’s standard practice embraces typical central 

Florida building techniques, with an emphasis on volunteer friendliness and readily available

products and labor. MCHFH’s slab-on-grade, single-family homes (Figure 15) have wood-frame 

walls and a vented attic with blown-in insulation. SEVHFH’s CH did not replace any of these 

“conventional” building materials. These simple yet efficient homes are sterling examples of 

affordable housing built affordably, while being affordable to live in. 

Figure 15. SEVHFH’s single-family detached, wood frame CH

3.1 SEVHFH Meeting Challenge Home Mandatory Requirements

SEVHFH achieves its ENERGY STAR and CH status by deploying a package of proven, costeffective efficiency improvements developed and implemented over time. Table 5 summarizes 

the specifications for the SEVHFH CH. 
20

Table 5. SEVHFH Key Energy Efficiency Measures

Components and Parameters Description Related Mandatory CH Requirements

HERS Index Score 49 Satisfies CH target HERS Index of 59

Design 1250-ft2

, 3-bedroom, 2-bath, single-family home No house size penalty

ENERGY STAR for Homes

Certification under the ENERGY STAR for 

Homes Standard by a RESNET-certified home 

energy rater

CH Requirement 1 and portions of 

Requirement 6, Indoor airPLUS

Envelope

Windows

ENERGY STAR-labeled double-pane, low-e, 

vinyl-frame windows; 

U-value = 0.33, SHGC = 0.18

CH Requirement 2, Fenestration

Whole House Airtightness Well sealed house; ACH50 = 4.00 Improves HERS Index

Foundation Slab-on-grade R-0

CH Requirement 2, Insulation Wall Type and Insulation R-13 frame walls with R-3 exterior sheathing

Attic Type and Insulation Raised heel truss, vented attic with R-38 blownin attic insulation

Roof Finish and Deck Light color shingle roof with radiant barrier 

backed roof deck Improves HERS Index

Equipment, Appliances, and Lighting

Mechanical Equipment SEER 15/heating season performance factor 8 

heat pump

Improves HERS Index

Air Distribution System Materials R-4.3 duct board sealed with water based mastic 

and fiberglass mesh Improves HERS Index

Air Distribution System Airtightness CFM25,total = 39 cfm (Qn,total = 0.03)

CFM25,out = 0 cfm (Qn, out = 0.0) Improves HERS Index

Air Distribution System Location

Ducts in a fur-up chase created with modified 

truss design; air hander closet in conditioned 

space

CH Requirement 3, Interior Duct System

Lighting and Appliances 100% ENERGY STAR CFLs, ceiling fans, 

refrigerator, dishwasher, and clothes washer

CH Requirement 5, Lights and 

Appliances

Renewable Energy

Water Heating 40 ft2

/80-gal open loop solar water heater CH Requirement 7, Renewable Ready

PV Renewable ready CH Requirement 7, Renewable Ready
21

This CH provides an excellent model for any central Florida builder because the CH Target 

HERS Index is achieved by combining a package of envelope and equipment specifications that 

are moderately better than typical regional practices with the addition of a solar water heater that 

takes advantage of utility incentives. A similar path could be used by many central Florida 

builders to achieve the target CH HERS Index without major changes in structural systems, 

components, or equipment. Although house size and characteristics drive the target HERS Index, 

researchers have found that targets generally fall in the mid to low-50s working for a variety of 

home sizes and types. A typical code compliant home in Florida scores in the low 90s to upper 

80s on the HERS Index. The gap of 30–40 in the HERS Index is diminished by many of the 

mandatory CH requirements (e.g., ENERGY STAR windows) so that after meeting those only a 

few additional improvements may be needed.

The Target HERS Index for the SEVHFH house was 59; the final achieved HERS Index was 49, 

far exceeding the requirement (Figure 16).

Figure 16. SEVHFH CH certificate
22

The conventional 2 × 4 walls have RESNET Grade 1 insulation (required by ENERGY STAR

for Homes) with an added layer of R-3 rigid insulation over the exterior house wrap. The attic 

insulation of R-38 is becoming a regional standard. To meet the mandatory envelope insulation 

criterion (Requirement 2), SEVHFH used the U-factors in Table 402.1.3 of IECC 2012. The 

insulation levels of fenestration, ceilings, walls, floors, and slabs can be traded off using the UA 

approach under both the prescriptive and the performance paths of the CH program. The CH

compliance software used by the rater and Building America researchers automatically evaluates 

whether or not a house meets IECC 2012 insulation levels, including using the UA alternative 

path. This, combined with ENERGY STAR fenestration, satisfies Requirement 2. 

ENERGY STAR appliances (Figure 17), lighting, and fans throughout the house meet 

Requirement 5. 

Figure 17. ENERGY STAR appliances, ceiling fans, and bath fans

SEVHFH standard construction included many of the Indoor airPLUS requirements that are not 

typical of regional builders. For example, Indoor airPLUS item 4.3 states “No air-handling 

equipment or duct work installed in garage AND continuous air barrier in adjacent assemblies.” 

Compliance with the garage portion is easy because SEVHFH homes don’t have garages. The 

assemblies adjacent to the air handler closet are sheet rocked and sealed thoroughly (Figure 18).

Figure 18. Construction of air handler closet
23

SEVHFH participates in FPL’s Residential Solar Water Heating (Low Income New 

Construction) Program when it is available, which was the case for this CH. SEVHFH received

an FPL rebate of $4,700 for the solar hot water system installed on its CH (Figure 19), which 

covered the cost for this item.

Figure 19. 40-ft2 solar water heater installed on the south-facing roof (left)

with an 80-gal tank in the utility room (right)

Inclusion of solar water heating exempts this home from any unmet criteria in the Solar Water 

Heating RERH standard. In other homes, when this incentive is not available, a hybrid heat 

pump water heater is installed. Occasionally, the affiliate builds in neighborhoods with natural 

gas and installs an instantaneous gas water heater. Both of these improved hot water systems 

would allow SEVHFH’s homes to qualify for the CH program as long as they are ENERGY 

STAR models. For builders installing ENERGY STAR-labeled water heaters, the CH standard 

exempts builders from several specifications related to providing infrastructure for future solar 

water heating systems on the EPA Renewable Ready Solar Thermal Checklist. 

To comply with the RERH checklists SEVHFH installed a conduit running from the power 

distribution panel to a box mounted on the south wall to facilitate running wire from exterior 

inverters to the panel. The panel has several blank spaces to accommodate a future circuit 

breaker for the PV input.

Two of the main things that distinguish the SEVHFH house from market rate production homes 

are the small footprint and lack of garage. Because of the small, compact floor plan (Figure 20), 

no changes were needed to pass the hot water distribution test, which limits standby hot losses at 

the fixture farthest from the water heater to 0.6 gallons. Because there is no garage, several items 

on the Indoor airPLUS checklist do not apply.
24

Figure 20. SEVHFH CH floor plan

The main change needed for CH compliance by SEVHFH was CH Mandatory Requirement 3, 

Interior Ducts. A foamed sealed attic was rejected because of the higher first cost involved. 

SEVHFH also rejected the idea of a fur-down approach, which creates a duct chase below the 

ceiling plane, because of code-mandated ceiling height requirements. 

Code requires minimum ceiling height of 7 ft, 0 in., leaving slightly less than 1 ft, 0 in. to house 

the duct system once the dimensions for an air barrier and structural members are subtracted. 

Although this had been achieved on a production basis, it is extremely challenging to ensure that 

the finished ceiling height does not drop below 7 ft, 0 in. (McIlvaine et al. revised 2002;

McIlvaine and Beal 2002).

Instead, SEVHFH’s CH used an innovative interior duct system design to comply with CH 

Requirement 3. SEVHFH Construction Director, Ray Allnutt, worked very closely with the 

mechanical contractor, Servair Heating and Air Conditioning (Edgewater, Florida), to envision, 
25

design, and execute a creative fur-up or raised ceiling interior duct system strategy. This 

innovative approach included a modified truss design to accommodate a fur-up duct chase above 

the ceiling plane (Figure 21). More information about interior duct system design in general is 

available in the Building America Measure Guideline for interior ducts (Beal et al. 2011). The 

approach, developed by Allnutt, represents a significant improvement in technical execution. 

Figure 21. SEVHFH duct chase created using a modified truss design,

seen here from the attic side

The technical challenges of building a duct chase, whether fur-down or fur-up, are:

• Establishing a continuous, sealed air barrier between the chase and the surrounding 

unconditioned spaces, including building cavities

• Adequately insulating the chase. 

Conventionally, drywall or other sheet goods are used to create the air barrier. Air sealing details 

must address all joints, edges, and penetrations in the air barrier. Where the chase extends into 

rooms through interior walls, the air sealing must isolate the chase from the wall cavities to 

remain truly in conditioned space. 

Regarding insulation, the tops of fur-down chases are aligned with the ceiling plane; hence, attic 

insulation forms the thermal barrier for fur-down chases. Alternatively, fur-up chases rise above 

the ceiling plane, requiring a different insulation strategy. Insulating the top and vertical sides of 

the chase is similar to insulating tray ceilings and knee walls. Typically these are all built with 2 

× 4s. With only a 3.5-in.cavity depth to work with, it is very challenging to achieve insulation 

levels on the sides and top of a fur-up duct chase that are similar to the rest of the attic. 

Figure 22 shows the duct system layout. In this home, the framing for the chase is formed by 

truss members (2 × 4s) in a modified truss design that creates the structure for a chase running 

through the center of the house (Figure 23). The truss modification is offset from the central king 

post to reduce the structural impact of the modification. Accurate sizing of the chase and the 

ducts using exact dimensions is critical to avoiding issues with fitting the ducts into the chase.
26

Figure 22. SEVHFH layout for interior duct system

Figure 23. Truss modification design to create interior duct chase

SEVHFH’s decision to build a fur-up chase was influenced by the availability of free materials 

through HFHI’s “Gifts in Kind” Program, which partners with Dow Corning and others. Dow

donates Dow Styrofoam, a rigid foam insulation product commonly referred to as blue board, to

any Habitat affiliate that requests it. The availability of this product for free significantly reduced 

the cost for the affiliate’s interior duct system while simultaneously tackling the insulation 

challenge. The economics of this approach would obviously be different for typical market costs; 

however, compared to constructing an unvented attic, the cost may be favorable.

Prior to using the product to form an interior duct chase, SEVHFH was already taking advantage 

of this partnership by using 1⁄2-in. Dow blue board on the exteriors of its houses. SEVHFH 
27

installs it over the house wrap and under the fiber cement siding (Figure 24) to meet 

Requirement 4.4.1 (Reduced Thermal Bridging) on the ENERGY STAR Thermal Enclosure 

System Rater Checklist. The blue board serves as the primary drainage plane, but the underlying 

house wrap forms a redundant drainage plane and an exterior air barrier.

Figure 24. SEVHFH exterior wall primary drainage plane formed by

donated Dow Styrofoam rigid insulation

To meet CH Requirement 2, Envelope Insulation, SEVHFH needed to achieve at least R-30 

insulation with all chase surfaces. Blue board provides insulation of R-5 per inch. SEVHFH 

requested 2-in. thick Styrofoam, Square Edge Insulation from Dow to form the air barrier for its 

fur-up chase. SEVHFH achieved an R-33 insulation level on the sides and the top of its fur-up 

duct chase by using a double layer of this R-10 product (Figure 25, left), resulting in R-20 of 

Styrofoam, to form the duct chase air barrier. Then the top and sides of the chase were wrapped 

in R-13 fiberglass batts (Figure 25, right), which fit into the bays formed by the modified truss. 

With this strategy, one of the major failure paths for fur-up chases, poor insulation, was avoided. 

The chase construction strategy is outlined in Figure 26. 

Figure 25. SEVHFH fur-up duct chase with a double layer of 2-in. blue board insulation (R-20 total) 

(left) and R-13 attic-side fiberglass batt insulation (right)
28

Figure 26. Chase construction overview 

The first layer of blue board is installed to the inside of the structural cavity formed by the 

modified truss cavity, and a ledger board installed to the inside of that will provide structure for 

the bottom of the chase (top, left). Next, All blue board joints are sealed with a product specifically 

for foam (top, right). Then the second foam layer is installed (bottom, left). Joints are staggered to 

further reduce air transport through the chase (bottom, right).

The first layer of blue board was installed to the inside of the chase structural cavity formed by 

modifying the truss. The edges and seams of the first layer of blue board were sealed with a 

construction adhesive specifically designed for foam. The seams in the second layer of blue 

board were staggered (with respect to the first layer, Figure 27) to further impede air exchange 

between the chase and the surrounding attic space and sealed in a similar manner. Through this 

careful attention to detail, the major challenge of creating a continuous sealed air barrier was 

conquered. A ledger board to provide an attachment surface for the bottom of the chase was 

installed to the inside of the first foam layer. Locating it to the inside of the air barrier was an 

important detail that eliminated leakage paths around the structural element. Run out chases to 

serve rooms throughout the house branched off the main chase. Dead wood installed between 

trusses provided attachment surfaces for the foam top and sides (Figure 28).
29

Figure 27. Joints of the first and second layers of blue board were staggered

to further impede air flow.

Figure 28. Runout chases seen from underneath (left) and the attic (right). Note dead wood 

framing between trusses that provides attachment surfaces for the foam air barrier.

Careful detailing proved effective as evidenced in the duct leakage test, which showed no 

leakage to the surrounding attic. This interior duct chase was featured in a Building America case 

study (DOE 2013b) and was used to generate Building America Solution Center content.

3.2 SEVHFH Challenge Home Economics

The cost for the interior duct system was approximately $1,887; however, this includes the cost 

of the Dow “Gifts in Kind” of $612 for 2-in. blue board to construct the chase. The donation 

reduced the realized incremental cost (above the builders typical duct system cost) to $1275,

including $400 for the modified truss package (engineering and materials), $575 for alternative 

duct system construction (duct board instead of mainly flex duct), and $300 additional labor to 

build the chase. 

Modeling software estimates energy savings from moving SEVHFH’s typical, well-sealed duct 

system from the attic to the interior chase are $11 annually (at $0.12/kWh, results from 
30

EnergyGauge USA). This small savings is the result of SEVHFH’s standard construction, which 

typically includes a very tight duct system (data from previous projects show typical Qn, out = 

0.017), with only the R-6 supply ductwork in the attic. The air handler and central return plenum 

are housed in an interior closet. Furthermore, meeting the ENERGY STAR for Homes and CH

requirements diminish heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) loads. With shorter 

runtimes, the heat exchange and leakage of the duct system become less important than in codeminimum homes. The very compact nature of small affordable housing additionally reduces duct 

losses compared to larger homes, which may see larger benefits.

Energy use and energy cost data are available from two modeling software programs: 

EnergyGauge USA (used to determine CH compliance) and BEopt (a software program used by 

Building America program). SEVHFH’s CH is projected to save $509 ($365 in BEopt) in annual 

energy costs at $0.12/kWh, compared to the same home configured to meet Florida code (Table 

6). This includes $161 ($162 in BEopt) of annual energy savings generated by the solar water 

heater. The solar water heater costs $4,700; however, SEVHFH participates in FPL’s Residential 

Solar Water Heating (Low Income New Construction) Program, which will rebate the entire cost 

of an approved solar water heater for affordable housing providers.

Based on cost data provided by SEVHFH and data collected in previous studies, researchers 

estimate the cost of SEVHFH’s CH with renewable ready compliance (with a heat pump water 

heater) to be $4,636 compared to code-minimum specifications (Table 7). This was reduced by a 

$600 in-kind donation available to all HFH affiliates from Dow Corporation. The estimated 

annual energy cost savings of $348 produces a first year positive cash flow of $214 (BEopt 

results were $203 and $69, respectively) (Table 7).
31

Table 6. SEVHFH’s CH Projected Costs and Savings Results From EnergyGauge USA and BEopt Using $0.12/kWh

CH Renewable Ready CH With Solar (Hot Water Only)

EnergyGauge 

USA BEopt 2.1 EnergyGauge USA BEopt 2.1

HERS Index score 55 N/A 49 N/A

Annual 

Source 

Energy

Energy use (MMBtu) 89.61 112.4 74.23 96.90

Energy use savings over BAB2010 (%) N/A 17.3% N/A 28.7%

Energy use savings over comparable 

Florida code minimum house (MMBtu) 33.21 19.4 48.58 34.9

Percent source energy savings over 

Florida code 27% 14.7% 39.6% 26.5%

Annual 

Site 

Energy

Energy costs ($0.12/kWh) $937 $1176 $776 $1014

Energy cost savings over comparable 

Florida code-minimum house ($) $348 $203 $509 $365

Portion of savings from solar water 

heating N/A N/A $161 $162
32

Table 7. SEVHFH’s CH Projected First Year Cash Flow Calculations From EnergyGauge USA and BEopt 2.1 Using $0.12/kWh

Compared to Florida Energy Code:

CH Renewable Ready

(With Heat Pump Water 

Heater)

CH With Solar

(Hot Water Only)

No Incentives

CH With Solar

(Hot Water Only)

With Incentives

Incremental First Cost $4636 $8736 $8736

FPL Utility Renewable Energy Rebates NA NA $4,700

In-Kind Donation $612 $612 $612

Adjusted First Cost $4024 $8124 $3424

Modeling Software EnergyGauge 

USA BEopt 2.1 EnergyGauge USA BEopt 2.1 EnergyGauge USA BEopt 2.1

0% Interest, 30 Years

MCHFH Mortgage

Incremental annual 

mortgage cost $134 $134 $271 $271 $114 $114

Annual energy cost 

savings $348 $203 $509 $365 $509 $365

Projected first year 

cash flow $214 $69 $238 $94 $395 $251

7% Interest, 30 Years

Market Rate Mortgage

Incremental annual 

mortgage cost $374 $374 $704 $704

Utility incentive available 

for low-income housing

only

Annual energy cost 

savings $348 $203 $509 $365

Projected first year 

cash flow –$26 –$171 –$195 –$339
33

An additional $4,700 cost was incurred for a solar water heater, which was partially offset by the 

cost avoided for the heat pump water heater. Adding the solar water heater increases annual 

mortgage burden to $271, but also increases annual savings to $509. This produces a slightly 

higher projected first year cash flow of $238 ($94 in BEopt). SEVHFH also received a utility 

incentive (as did MCHFH) for the full cost of the solar water heater. No solar PV incentives were 

available. The utility incentive improved projected first year cash flow about 65% to $395 ($251 

in BEopt). 

The in-kind donation was removed from the incremental cost for the market rate mortgage (terms 

of 7% over 30 years) calculations, which resulted in projected first year cash flow that is 

negative for both the renewable ready and the solar water heating scenarios. The utility involved 

offers these solar incentives to affordable housing builders only. 

The results shown for market rate mortgage terms are provided for reference. They do not 

necessarily reflect the economics a market-rate builder could achieve, because the improvement 

packages were developed for a specific builder’s resources. In this case, it included free materials 

and utility incentives that are not available to market-rate builders. However, those builders may 

benefit from economies of scale or in-house labor capabilities that would implicate a different 

improvement package. A preliminary analysis, conducted with a certified home energy rater, 

should be used to evaluate the projected energy savings and cost effectiveness of various 

improvements that suit a particular builder.
34

4 Research Questions and Answers

For each builder partner, researchers pursued the following research questions:

4.1 What Are the Major Technical Gaps and Barriers Associated With Achieving 

Challenge Homes in the Hot-Humid Region?

Based on the CH efforts reported here as well as discussions with other BA-PIRC high 

performance builders, researchers found two main barriers: 

• Balancing ventilation and indoor air quality metrics such as relative humidity

• Interior duct system construction.

4.1.1 Ventilation Barriers

ENERGY STAR for New Homes (CH Requirement 1) requires mechanical ventilation levels per 

calculation methods in the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning 

Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 62.2. For the homes in this study, that corresponds to 

approximately 50 cfm of constant outside air exchange. The standard does not specify how the 

exchange is to be achieved. Builders expressed concern that the higher ventilation rates will 

create unanticipated problems that are potentially difficult to resolve and may lead to warranty 

claims. One installed an energy recovery ventilator for a balanced ventilation approach, which 

meets the required ventilation rate, but these are known to have poor latent heat removal capacity 

in the swing seasons when the HVAC equipment provides little dehumidification but outdoor 

relative humidity can still be high. The other is using a fan cycler in the air handler with an 

outside air duct into the return plenum. The thermostat also has a relative humidity setting 

capability. This supply-only approach is preferred for the hot-humid climate. Although fairly 

simple to install, commissioning this type of system to ensure outside air flow meets design 

intent requires more accurate airflow measurement devices than HVAC contractors typically 

have on hand. 

Other BA-PIRC existing partners have been very resistant to implementing ASHRAE Standard 

62.2 ventilation rates, feeling that the required amount of outdoor air may threaten the building 

durability because of the excessive moisture content of outside air. Supplemental 

dehumidification is viewed by these partners as the only practical solution to ensure there are no 

problems. However, it is viewed as an additional expense, a noise nuisance that may lead to the 

occupants disabling it, a maintenance burden, and an additional electricity load. Based on 

feedback from a limited sample of approximately one dozen moderate- to high performance 

builders, it appears that there is a lack of confidence in ventilation and dehumidification 

equipment currently available for single-family housing in the hot-humid climate. 

Many stakeholders in the home building industry are considering these challenges. The research 

community has not generated, or perhaps not delivered to builders, a body of proven indoor air 

quality benefits from ASHRAE Standard 62.2 ventilation rates in the hot-humid climate. 

Research documenting the benefits and drawbacks of 62.2 levels of ventilation as well as 

guidance on climate-appropriate system design appear crucial to increasing uptake of the CH 

program (and ENERGY STAR) in Florida. With climate specific research proving the benefits of 

higher ventilation rates, builders will be in a position to integrate that into their high performance 
35

marketing strategy. The Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) collaborated with researchers of the 

Building Science Corporation and IBACOS on a white paper that discusses these issues more 

thoroughly (Martin 2014). BA-PIRC has a relevant, monitored field study in progress. 

Publication of preliminary results is expected in 2014.

The silver bullet for this challenge would be off-the-shelf equipment or a standardized system 

that is easily designed, installed, and commissioned to provide outside air that does not create 

adverse pressure imbalances and simultaneously ensures indoor higher humidity levels are 

maintained within comfort boundaries.

A potential code issue in Florida also arose. Florida building code expressly forbids outdoor air 

ventilation levels that exceed ASHRAE Standard 62.2, meaning any implementation that 

complies with ASHRAE 62.2 is very close to violating code, and may actually do so given 

accuracy of test equipment and fluctuations in actual flow.

4.1.2 Interior Duct Systems

Several Building America teams and other stakeholders are working toward developing 

inexpensive and effective ways to incorporate the CH program’s interior duct requirement.

The simplest way to accomplish an interior duct system in a typical Florida slab-on-grade home 

is a sealed attic. SEVHFH and other BA-PIRC partners in central Florida find the lower R-value 

(limited by material properties) and significantly increased costs of the available foam systems 

unappealing. Foam costs are typically more than double per square foot per R-value.

Additionally, the increased area requiring insulation when the thermal barrier is moved from the 

attic floor to the roof deck further increases the costs of the foamed attic approach.

On the other hand, BA-PIRC partners further south in the state, including MCHFH, have 

experienced condensation problems in attics with radiant barriers and R-6 flex-duct supply air 

systems in attics. This is related to extremely high summertime dew point temperatures. This has 

led to more widespread adoption of the sealed attic construction by builders in that area as well 

as creating some competition among applicators, lowering price.

Because slab-on-grade foundations are the norm in Florida new construction and across much of 

the hot-humid climate region, unvented crawlspaces are not an option for interior ducts. 

The alternative to an unvented attic is to construct a duct chase separated from unconditioned 

spaces by an air barrier and a thermal barrier. BA-PIRC has documented solutions to the sealing 

details of both fur-up and fur-down methods of chase construction (McIlvaine et al. revised 

2002; McIlvaine and Beal 2002), but builder resistance is still high. The reality is that either 

method requires forethought, insight, and careful design and execution. 

Incorporating a fur-up or raised ceiling chase by using a modified truss approach can be a very 

complex task in typical Florida new construction, which features multiple roof lines. The 

inherent difficulty in creating a continuous air barrier with a fur-up duct chase generates a 

demand for new quality assurance procedures. The approach developed by SEVHFH bears 

further investigation. It has promising technical merit, but the cost effectiveness must be further 

evaluated before widespread application in market-rate housing. 
36

The more conventional approach to interior ducts involves building a chase below the ceiling 

plane. The aesthetic pros and cons have been debated for many years. BA-PIRC partners in the 

Gainesville, Florida area developed an innovative approach to construction of fur-down chases 

that significantly reduces the labor and complexity of establishing the continuous air barrier.

4.2 Do the Partners Favor the Performance or Prescriptive Path for Challenge 

Home Certification?

Both partners selected the performance path of compliance with the CH program. The small size 

of HFH homes and the high standard practices of both builders allowed the homes to meet the 

target HERS Index score without resorting to the significantly increased equipment efficiencies 

found in the prescriptive path (e.g., SEER 18 heat pump). 

BA-PIRC developed packages for several market-rate builders during the recruiting effort for 

this study. All homes reviewed followed the performance path because all the candidates had one 

or more specifications that significantly exceeded that found in the prescriptive path (e.g., ICF 

walls, solar water heating) and did not meet others. By pursuing the performance path, costs to 

meet the lacking prescriptive specifications were avoided while still meeting the HERS Index 

requirements of the CH program. 

4.3 What Is Motivating the Partners’ Interest in High Performance Housing?

The partners covered in this report are both local affiliates of HFHI, an international nonprofit 

affordable housing provider that sells homes at 0% interest to qualified buyers. The 

organization’s mission is simply stated as “building decent affordable housing.” To fulfill that 

goal, these affiliates have realized that the least expensive home to build is not the least 

expensive home to live in. 

Additionally, there are several organizational mechanisms in place that make building to a higher

performance standard a no-brainer for many HFH affiliates. First, HFH’s 0% interest rate means 

that its buyers pay a lower annual mortgage premium than do market-rate mortgage holders for 

the efficiency improvements. Next, Habitat has many partners that donate energy and building 

science-related products to affiliates. These partnerships are found at the national and local 

levels. Through HFHI’s national “Gifts in Kind” program, Whirlpool donates ENERGY STAR

refrigerators and other appliances, and Dow donates a wide product line. At the local level, both 

affiliates in this study received their HERS ratings for free or at a significantly reduced cost. 

Many of the affiliates receive discounts or donations of subcontractor time and materials. Last, 

but not least, some grant programs available to affordable housing entities require either

ENERGY STAR or similar construction to receive funds or provide funds to install solar on 

qualifying homes. Both of our partner affiliates participated in both types of grant programs, 

receiving monies to cover the entire costs of solar water heaters (and PV in Manatee County) and 

more funding to build ENERGY STAR homes through the U.S. Department of Housing and 

Urban Development Self-help Homeownership Opportunity Program. 

4.4 What Changes Were Needed To Meet the Mandatory Requirements? For 

Each, Was the Change Minor, Moderate, or Major?

Both of the partners profiled in this document were building homes that exceeded the target 

HERS Index for ENERGY STAR 3.1, as well as meeting all mandatory ENERGY STAR

requirements. Additionally, CH HERS targets were being met or exceeded. There were only a 
37

few mandatory CH requirements that were not being complied with prior to the affiliates 

building CHs. 

MCHFH was meeting ALL CH requirements except ENERGY STAR-labeled windows. This 

was a minor change, involving a change to the specifications and material ordering. This level of 

compliance is the result of years of work by the affiliate to refine and improve its house to be not 

only affordable to buy, but, more importantly, affordable to live in. Perhaps the least obvious 

changes needed are the preparation, planning, prototyping, etc. MCHFH exemplified the process 

by undertaking a review of what the organization was previously doing (code minimum) and 

what its real goals were. This is an important step. Transitioning from code-minimum 

construction to very high performance levels involves major changes from design through 

permitting and purchasing through final inspections and occupancy. In past research similar to 

this CH effort, the builders, whether affordable housing or market rate, that align what they are 

building with their organizational missions, have a much better chance of hitting and maintaining 

performance targets. During this evaluation, input should be gathered from everyone who 

influences construction with the objective of solving problems before they happen (Thomas-Rees 

et al. 2013; Baechler et al. 2011). 

SEVHFH was meeting all the CH requirements except the mandatory interior ducts and the 

solar-ready provisions. For the CH, SEVHFH took advantage of a local utility rebate initiative, 

FPL’s Residential Solar Water Heating (Low Income New Construction) Program, which 

reimburses low-income, nonprofit builders for the entire costs of an approved solar hot water 

system. This represented a moderate change; however, the affiliate had participated in the 

program with several houses prior to the construction of the CH. The mandatory solar-ready PV

requirement was easily met by the installation of strategically placed pieces of electrical conduit. 

SEVHFH’s solution to the interior duct requirement was a very well thought out and 

implemented fur-up or raised ceiling chase system detailed in Section 3.1, above, and a case 

study (DOE 2013b).

Getting started with CH will be much more challenging for code-minimum builders. The Target 

HERS Index requirement is a good place to start. Although there is no direct correlation between 

HERS Index and state energy codes, typical code-compliant new homes in Florida score in the 

mid-80s. Much Building America research has been conducted on how to cost-effectively reach 

a HERS Index score in the upper 60s (Thomas-Rees et al. 2013). Likewise, working with a 

certified home energy rater will help any builder identify a path to satisfy CH Requirement 1, 

ENERGY STAR for New Homes. In addition to meeting the Target HERS Index score, 

ENERGY STAR certification experience is a fundamental starting point for any CH effort. 

4.5 What Are the Costs Associated With Meeting the Mandatory Requirements?

Although the two builders in the study were building to specifications significantly better than 

code requirements when they began their CH efforts, cost-effectiveness calculations are based on 

a code-minimum reference to improve relevance of the study to the general homebuilding 

community. Both builders sell their homes to qualified buyers at 0% interest over a 30-year 

mortgage. Again to improve relevance, researchers calculated projected first year cash flow 

based on market rates of 7% for the same mortgage period.
38

MCHFH did a thorough cost analysis of its house versus a code-complaint frame house of the 

same size and orientation. The cost analysis concluded that the MCHFH’s CH cost $17,008 more 

than an identical code-compliant home. This included $9,234 for solar hot water and PV, or the 

non-solar improvements beyond code resulted in a $7,774 cost increase for the CH. This cost 

analysis is included in Appendix C. The projected first year cash flow associated with these two 

packages was $36 and $382, respectively, based on EnergyGauge USA calculations. This 

includes revenue generated from sale of electricity back to the utility in the amount of $427 

annually. MCHFH received utility incentives to cover the full cost of the solar equipment; this 

improved first year cash flow to $690. Under market-rate mortgage terms, projected first year 

cash flow is negative for both the renewable-ready and the solar-equipped scenarios. The utility 

incentives applied to MCHFH’s CH were available for low-income housing providers only.

Based on cost data provided by SEVHFH and data collected in previous studies, researchers 

estimate the cost of SEVHFH’s CH with renewable-ready compliance (with a heat pump water 

heater) to be $4,636 compared to code-minimum specifications. This was reduced by a $600 inkind donation available to all HFH affiliates from Dow Corporation. An additional $4,700 cost 

was incurred for a solar water heater, which was partially offset by the cost avoided for the heat 

pump water heater. The projected first year cash flow associated with these two packages was 

$214 and $238, respectively, based on EnergyGauge USA calculations. SEVHFH also received a 

utility incentive for the full cost of the solar water heater. No solar PV incentives were available. 

The utility incentive improved projected first year cash flow to $395. The in-kind donation was 

removed from the incremental cost for the market rate mortgage calculations, which resulted in a 

projected first year cash flow that was negative for both the renewable-ready and the solar water 

heating scenarios. The utility incentive applied to SEVHFH’s CH was available for low-income 

housing providers only.
39

5 BEopt Analysis

The CH program includes a HERS Index score requirement. Calculations related to the HERS 

Index were made with EnergyGauge USA because BEopt does not include a HERS Index 

calculation option. The HERS Index requirement necessarily drives decision-making for builders 

striving to achieve CH certification.

The CH program has a very specific whole-house efficiency in the form of a Target HERS 

Index. Although the houses are entered into BEopt 2.1, partners’ decisions on what and how to 

build the CHs were made independently of output from BEopt. BEopt does not produce a HERS 

Index calculation and therefore did not aid the partners in determining if their homes were 

meeting the efficiency requirements of the CH program. CH requires that an approved HERS 

rating software be used. In this case, the partner’s HERS raters and Building America researchers 

evaluated the partners’ proposed improvement packages using EnergyGauge USA, a HERS 

rating software, to determine if the homes would meet the target CH HERS Index. Furthermore, 

some of the characteristics of the homes could not be modeled in BEopt. FSEC communicates 

regularly with the BEopt development team when such issues arise.

The homes’ general layouts and the features that could be modeled in BEopt are entered into the 

Building America Field Data Repository. Costs that were known were modified for the BEopt 

runs. These include the costs of both partners’ solar hot water systems, ceiling fans, mini-split 

heat pumps, duct systems, and PV systems. The BEopt output tables and graphs are included 

below (Tables 8–12 and Figures 29–32).
40

Table 8. BEopt Source Energy Use Comparison for MCHFH CH Scenarios

MCHFH Source Energy Use (All Electric)

BAB2010 

(MMBtu/yr)

MCHFH CH 

(MMBtu/yr)

CH With

Code Minimum 

Characteristics 

(MMBtu/yr)

CH Renewable 

Ready (No Solar) 

(MMBtu/yr)

Miscellaneous 34.56 36.24 40.02 36.06

Vent Fan 1.5 1.5 0.25 1.5

Large Appliances 25.98 10.06 11.28 10.06

Lights 12.9 8.36 14.23 8.36

HVAC Fan/Pump 7.9 0.23 6.75 0.2

Cooling 24.6 17.17 21.08 14.81

Heating 0.81 0.19 0.42 0.29

Hot Water 28.06 6.1 22.93 22.94

Total 136.3 79.9 117 94.2

PV 0 39.4 0 0

Net (Total - PV) 136.3 40.4 117 94.2

Source Energy Savings Over BAB2010 – 95.9 19.3 42.1

Source Energy Savings % Over BAB2010 – 70.4% 14.2% 30.9%

Source Energy Savings Over Code Minimum – 76.6 – 22.8

Source Energy Savings % Over Code Minimum – 65.5% – 19.5%
41

Figure 29. Source energy use by end use for MCHFH CH scenarios

Figure 30. Site energy use by end use for MCHFH CH scenarios
42

Table 9. MCHFH BEopt Percent Source Energy Savings by End Use

Source Energy Use (All Electric) Source Energy Savings

BAB2010 

(MMBtu/yr)

MCHFH CH 

(MMBtu/yr)

% of End Use 

(MMBtu/yr)

% of Total 

(MMBtu/yr)

Miscellaneous 34.56 36.24 –4.9% –1.2%

Vent Fan 1.5 1.5 0.0% 0.0%

Large Appliances 25.98 10.06 61.3% 11.7%

Lights 12.9 8.36 35.2% 3.3%

HVAC Fan/Pump 7.9 0.23 97.1% 5.6%

Cooling 24.6 17.17 30.2% 5.5%

Heating 0.81 0.19 76.5% 0.5%

Hot Water 28.06 6.1 78.3% 16.1%

Total 136.3 79.9 41.4% 41.4%

PV 0 39.4

Net (Total – PV) 136.3 40.4 70.4% 70.4%

Table 10. BEopt Source Energy Use Comparison for SEVHFH CH Scenarios

SEVHFH BEopt Source Energy Use (All Electric)

BAB2010 

(MMBtu/yr)

SEVHFH CH

(MMBtu/yr)

CH With 

CodeMinimum 

Characteristics 

(MMBtu/yr)

CH Renewable 

Ready

(No Solar) 

(MMBtu/yr)

Miscellaneous 34.98 36.28 39.55 36.1

Vent Fan 1.53 4.51 0.25 4.51

Large Appliances 25.98 20.16 24.82 20.16

Lights 13.54 9.94 14.94 9.94

HVAC Fan/Pump 7.1 5.03 5.92 4.31

Cooling 21.47 13.75 18.17 11.74

Heating 2 0.3 0.91 0.44

Hot Water 29.31 6.91 27.21 25.2

Total 135.9 96.9 131.8 112.4

Source Energy 

Savings Over B10 

Benchmark

– 39.0 4.1 23.5

Source Energy 

Savings % Over 

B10 Benchmark

– 28.7% 3.0% 17.3%

Source Energy 

Savings Over Code 

Minimum

– 34.9 – 19.4

Source Energy 

Savings % Over 

Code Minimum

– 26.5% – 14.7%
43

Figure 31. Source energy use by end use for SEVHFH CH scenarios

Figure 32. Site energy use by end use for SEVHFH CH scenarios
44

Table 11. SEVHFH BEopt Percent Source Energy Savings by End Use

Source Energy Use (All Electric) Source Energy Savings

BAB2010 

(MMBtu/yr)

SEVHFH CH 

(MMBtu/yr)

% of End Use 

(MMBtu/yr)

% of Total 

(MMBtu/yr)

Miscellaneous 34.98 36.28 –3.7% –1.0%

Vent Fan 1.53 4.51 –194.8%* –2.2%

Large Appliances 25.98 20.16 22.4% 4.3%

Lights 13.54 9.94 26.6% 2.6%

HVAC Fan/Pump 7.1 5.03 29.2% 1.5%

Cooling 21.47 13.75 36.0% 5.7%

Heating 2 0.3 85.0% 1.3%

Hot Water 29.31 6.91 76.4% 16.5%

Total 135.9 96.9 28.7% 28.7%

PV NA NA NA NA

Net (Total – PV) NA NA NA NA

This is the impact of the energy recovery ventilator running continuously.

Table 12. Comparison of MCHFH and SEVHFH

Compared to the B10 

Benchmark

Compared to Typical

Code Minimum

CH With 

Renewables

CH Renewable 

Ready

CH With 

Renewables

CH Renewable 

Ready

MCHFH 70.4% 30.9% 65.5% 19.5%

SEVHFH 28.7% 17.3% 26.5% 14.7%
45

6 Conclusions

All but the third of the seven CH requirements are related to codes and standards external to the 

CH program. There are multiple Building America Measure Guidelines to support fulfillment of 

Requirement 3, interior duct systems. Even so, the complexity of implementing the strategies in 

the measure guideline presents challenges to standard construction practices that require 

forethought, careful execution, and a solid quality assurance process. This and builder concerns 

about outside air ventilation impacts were identified as barriers to broader adoption of the CH 

program.

BA-PIRC worked with two affordable housing builders who pursued and achieved CH 

certification. Both builders were already certifying homes under the ENERGY STAR for Homes 

Standard v.3.1. To improve relevance of the study to the general homebuilding community, the 

cost-effectiveness calculations herein compare the CHs to a code-minimum baseline rather to the 

builders’ standard practices, which already significantly exceeded code requirements. 

Additionally, both are affordable housing builders that sell their homes to qualified buyers at 0% 

interest over a 30-year mortgage. Projected first year cash flow calculations are shown for those 

terms, but also for a market rate of 7% for the same mortgage period.

MCHFH pursued CH in duplex dwellings built with ICFs, an unvented attic, a ducted mini-split

variable-capacity heat pump, solar water heater, and a PV array. SEVHFH pursued CH in a 

frame home with a vented attic (regional convention), SEER 15 heat pump, and an innovative 

modified truss configuration that created an interior duct chase. The MCHFH and SEVHFH CHs 

scored 53 and 49, respectively, on the HERS Index. With the addition of a 2.5-kW PV array, the 

HERS Index score dropped to 23 for the CH built by MCHFH.

MCHFH did a thorough cost analysis of its house versus a code-complaint frame house (regional 

convention) of the same size and orientation (Appendix C). The cost analysis concluded that the 

MCHFH’s CH cost $17,008 more than an identical code-compliant home. This included $9,234 

for solar hot water and PV. Subtracting the solar costs, the improvement beyond code resulted in 

a $7,774 cost increase. The projected first year cash flow associated with these two packages was 

$36 and $382, respectively, based on EnergyGauge USA calculations. This includes revenue 

generated from sale of electricity back to the utility in the amount of $427 annually. MCHFH 

received utility incentives to cover the full cost of the solar equipment; this improved first year 

cash flow to $690. Under market-rate mortgage terms, projected first year cash flow is negative 

for both the renewable-ready and the solar-equipped scenarios. The utility incentives applied to 

MCHFH’s CH were available for low-income housing providers only.

Based on cost data provided by SEVHFH and data collected in previous studies, researchers 

estimate the cost of SEVHFH’s CH with renewable-ready compliance (with a heat pump water 

heater) to be $4,636 compared to code-minimum specifications. This was reduced by a $600 inkind donation from Dow Corporation available to all HFH affiliates. An additional $4,700 cost 

was incurred for a solar water heater, which was partially offset by the cost avoided for the heat 

pump water heater. The projected first year cash flow associated with these two packages was 

$214 and $238, respectively, based on EnergyGauge USA calculations. SEVHFH also received a 

utility incentive for the full cost of the solar water heater. No solar PV incentives were available. 

The utility incentive improved projected first year cash flow to $395. The in-kind donation was 
46

removed from the incremental cost for the market-rate mortgage calculations, which resulted in a 

projected first year cash flow that was negative for both the renewable ready and the solar water 

heating scenarios. The utility incentive applied to SEVHFH’s CH was available for low-income 

housing providers only.

The results shown for market-rate mortgage terms are provided for reference. They do not 

necessarily reflect the economics a market-rate builder could achieve, since the improvement 

packages were developed for a specific builder’s resources. In this case, they included free 

materials and utility incentives that are not available to market-rate builders. However, those 

builders may benefit from economies of scale or in-house labor capabilities that would implicate 

a different improvement package. A preliminary simulation study, conducted with a certified 

home energy rater, should be used to evaluate the projected energy savings and cost 

effectiveness of various improvements that suit a particular builder. This should be undertaken as 

part of an integrated design process that takes into consideration the capabilities and insights of 

the builder’s team and other stakeholders outside the company such as code officials and real 

estate agents (Baechler et al. 2011).

Gaps identified included:

• With the test results proving the technical merit of SEVHFH’s innovative modified truss 

approach to interior duct systems, research is needed to identify less expensive ways to 

achieve the same results. 

• A clear desire among high performance builder partners for research that clearly 

delineates the pros and cons associated with meeting ASHRAE Standard 62.2 ventilation 

rates with the methods and equipment available on the market today.

• A survey of stakeholders would be useful to develop a menu of ventilation strategies

already in use in the region. This could help researchers identify which approaches are of 

most interest to stakeholders—which ones are gaining market share, which ones are 

favored, and why.
47

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https://www.energystar.gov/products/specs/system/files/Refrigerators_and_Freezers_Program_R

equirements%20v4_1.pdf

EPA. (2011b). “Solar Photovoltaic Specification, Checklist and Guide.” Accessed February 

2014: www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/bldrs_lenders_raters/rerh/docs/ 

Renewable_Energy_PV.pdf?b308-2819

EPA. (2011c). “Solar Water Heating Specification, Checklist and Guide.” Accessed February 

2014: www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/bldrs_lenders_raters/rerh/docs/ 

Renewable_Energy_SWH.pdf?7bff-c72d

EPA. (2012). “ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Residential Ventilating Fans –

Partner Commitments: Version 3.2. Accessed February 2014: https://www.energystar.gov/ 

products/specs/system/files/Ventilating_Fans_V3.2_Specification_0.pdf

EPA. (2013a). “ENERGY STAR Program Requirements Product Specification for Clothes 

Washers – Partner Commitments: Version 6.1.” Accessed February 2014: 

https://www.energystar.gov/products/specs/system/files/Clothes_Washers_Program_Requiremen

ts_Version_6_1.pdf

EPA. (2013b). “Version 1 (Rev. 02) Indoor airPLUS Construction Specifications.” Accessed 

February 2014: www.epa.gov/indoorairplus/pdfs/construction_specifications.pdf

EPA. (undated). ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Residential Dishwashers – Partner 

Commitments: Version 5.2. Accessed February 2014: 

https://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/product_specs/program_reqs/ENERGY_STAR_Dishwas

her_Program_Requirements_V5-2.pdf?081b-5d4c

FPL (undated). “Residential Solar Water Heating (Low Income New Construction) Pilot.” 

Accessed February 2014: 

www.fpl.com/landing/solar_rebate/pdf/SWH_Residential_LowIncome_Standards.pdf

Hendron, R.; Engebrecht, C. (2010). Building America House Simulation Protocols. National 

Renewable Energy Laboratory. Accessed February 2014: www.nrel.gov/docs/fy11osti/49246.pdf

IECC (2012). International Code Council Online Library. International Energy Conservation 

Code. Accessed February 2014: http://publicecodes.cyberregs.com/icod/IC-P-2012-000019.htm

Martin, E. (2014). “Impact of Residential Mechanical Ventilation on Energy Cost and Humidity 

Control.” Cocoa, FL: FSEC. Accessed July 2014: http://fsec.ucf.edu/en/publications/pdf/NREL60675.pdf

McIlvaine, J.; Beal, D. (2002). “Designing and Building Interior Duct Systems: An Introduction 

for Design, Construction, and Energy Research Professionals.” Cocoa, FL: FSEC. Accessed 

February 2014: www.ba-pirc.org/pubs/pdf/M1-13_1-4.pdf
49

McIlvaine, J.; Beal, D.; Fairey, P. (revised 2002). Design and Construction of Interior Duct 

System. Cocoa, FL: FSEC. Accessed February 2014: 

www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/publications/pdf/FSEC-PF-365-01.pdf

McIlvaine, J.; Sutherland, K. (2013). Applying Best Practices to Florida Local Government 

Retrofit Programs. Cocoa, FL: FSEC. Accessed February 2014: 

http://fsec.ucf.edu/en/publications/pdf/BA-PIRC-florida_retrofit_best_practices.pdf.

McIlvaine, J.; Sutherland, K.; Martin, E. (2013). Energy Retrofit Field Study and Best Practices 

in a Hot-Humid Climate. Cocoa, FL: FSEC. Accessed February 2014: 

www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/publications/pdf/FSEC-RR-404-13.pdf.

Rashkin, S. (undated). “DOE Challenge Home Zero Net-Energy Ready Home Training”. U.S. 

Department of Energy: Building Technologies Program. Access February 2014: 

www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/residential/pdfs/ch_zero-net-energy_training_06062013.pdf.

Shapiro, C.; Zoeller, W.; Mantha, P. (2013). Measure Guideline: Buried and/or Encapsulated 

Ducts. Norwalk, CT: Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings. Accessed February 2014: 

http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/building_america/measure_guide_burie

d_encap_ducts.pdf

Thomas-Rees, S.; Beal, D.; Martin, E.; Fonorow, K. (2013). Approaches to 30% Energy Savings 

at the Community Scale in the Hot-Humid Climate. Cocoa, FL: FSEC. Accessed February 2014: 

http://fsec.ucf.edu/en/publications/pdf/FSEC-CR-1947-13.pdf.
50

Appendix A: Challenge Home Target Specifications 

A target HERS Index for certifying a home under the Challenge Home standard is determined by 

applying the specifications laid out in Exhibit 2 of the Challenge Home National Program 

Requirements to the house in an approved software simulation tool. Exhibit 2 is provided here 

for reference. The homes in this report were governed by Revision 3 of the Challenge Home 

Standard (DOE 2013a).

Figure 33. Exhibit 2: DOE CH Target Home 5
51

Appendix B: Manatee County Habitat for Humanity Build Book 

Excerpts

Excerpts from Manatee County Habitat for Humanity Build Book delineating details for 

insulating wall in their duplex homes in Hope Landing.
52
53
54
55
56

Figure 34. Excerpts from MCHFH training manual
57

Appendix C: Manatee County Habitat for Humanity Cost Data

Provided by Bruce Winter, Construction Manager

Manatee County Habitat for Humanity (MCHFH)

September 25, 2013

Table 13. Florida Building Code Compliant Home Versus Hope Landing Home Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Cost Comparison 

Categories Energy Efficiency Sustainability

Foundation

Only two issues here in Florida over code: one is larger 5- to 10-ft overlap of plastic (no real cost difference) 

and the second is self-leveling crack filler around all slap penetration (air quality).

Two tubes × $7.20 = $14.40

Additional for Hope Landing Home: $14.40 $0.00

Exterior Wall

Wood Framed Home:

Foam seal Rolls 50’ 2 × 4.47 = $8.94

Bottom Plates PT 2 × 4 ×10-2 × 4.56 = $9.12

Bottom Plates PT 2 × 4 ×16 – 5 × 7.94 = $37.70

Double Top Plate 2 × 4 ×10 4 × 4.38 = $17.52

Double Top Plate 2 × 4 ×16 – 10 × 7.58 = $75.80

Wall Studs 2 × 4 × 92 5/8 – 100 × 2.92 = $292.00

16d HDG Nails by the box – 1 × 52.93 = $52.93

Simpson Titan screws (Box 20) – 5 × 66.99 = $334.95

Simpson SP1 - 73 × 1.76 = $128.48

Simpson H-10 - 48 × 2.28 = $109.44 

Simpson Corners - 2 × 2.25 = $4.50

Simpson nails - 1 × 99.95 = $99.95

Simpson hold-downs - 2 × 39.95 = $79.90

1⁄2-in. plywood 24 sheets × 18.65 = $447.60

8d HDG nails 1 box × 81.59 = $81.59

House wrap (150 ft 1 × 160.00 = $160.00

Plastic cap nails 1 box × 25.98 = $25.98

R-13 wall batt insulation 7 bags × 46.03 = $322.21

Staples 1 box × 8.49 = $8.49

Total $2,297.02
58

Categories Energy Efficiency Sustainability

ICF Block Home:

U-channel (100 ft aluminum bent flat stock) $14.00

Shot/fasteners $16.20

ICF Blocks (160 S. and 12 C. and freight) $1,876.09

Rebar (2/3 bundle) $467.95

Plastic Ties $12.50

Window/door buck lumber $290.65

Lag screws 1⁄2 in. × 6-64 in. × 1.18 = $75.52

Concrete (14 yds.) $1,185.75

Concrete labor and pumper truck $387.50

Simpson MGT 2 × 39.99 = $79.98 

Bolts 1⁄2 in. × 6 in. 2 × 2.11 = $4.22

Simpson HETA20 (Need 96/Box 100) $88.22

PVC 3⁄4 in. ×11⁄4 in. × 2 in. × 3 in. × 4 in. (wall penetrations) $24.00 

Spray foam adhesive 4 × 6.02 = $24.08

Total $4,546.66

Additional for Hope Landing Home: $2,249.64 $0.00

Exterior Finish

The soffit, fascia, corners and trim could be the same using the 

construction practices we have built with in the past for both types 

of house. The big difference would be in the siding panels.

Florida Building Code Home

Vinyl siding is the same material nationwide. It has a lifetime 

warranty that is prorated. Vinyl siding has about a 12-year life in the 

Florida sun until it becomes brittle and faded. From experience the 

warranty reimbursement is every little by this time. 

1 box roofing nails × 33.92 = $33.92

8 sq × $78.0/sq = $624.00

Total $657.32
59

Categories Energy Efficiency Sustainability

Hope Landing Home

HardiePlank fiber cement lap siding is enhanced to address the 

climate trends for our Florida conditions. It has a 30-year nonprorated warranty that is transferable.

1 box self-sinker weather resistant screws × 129.00 = $129.00

130 planks × $6.32 = $818.44

Total $947.44

Additional for Hope Landing Home: $0.00 $290.12

Windows

Florida Building Code HomeAluminum, single-hung, duel-glazed, 

non-impact glass, non-ENERGY STAR, with U-factor of 0.54 and

SHGC of 0.31 4 – 4 × SH-25 and 1 × SH22

Bid: $583.00

Hope Landing Home

Vinyl, single-hung, duel-glazed, non-impact glass, low-E, argon gas 

filled, ENERGY STAR Southern with U-factor of 0.30 and SHGC 

of 0.22 – 4 × BLVFSH-25 and 1 × BLVFSH22 Bid: $1,066.53

Additional for Hope Landing Home: $483.53 $0.00

Exterior Doors

Florida Building Code Home

Basic Econo-Steel, insulated, 6-panel, double-bore, pre-hung 

outswing door in wood jamb with standard 11⁄2-in. raise metal 

threshold 2 × 116.00 = 

The two doors are $232.00

Hope Landing Home

Premium fiberglass, insulated ENERGY STAR, 6-panel, doublebore, pre-hung outswing door in fiberglass jambs (no riot). Front 

door with bottom swipe has ADA threshold (less than 3⁄4 in. raise) 

and rear door has 1-in. raise metal threshold. 

Custom Built bid price $341.84

Additional for Hope Landing Home: $0.00 $109.84
60

Categories Energy Efficiency Sustainability

Roofing

Florida Building Code Home Roof

5/8” plywood - 65 sheets × $22.50 = $1,462.50

5/8” plywood clips - 1 box × 49.95 = $49.95

10d ring-shank nails - 1 box × 50.00 = $50.00

15w roof felt - 9 rolls × 34.91 = $314.19

Plastic cap nails - 1 box × 25.98 = $25.98

Sheathing Sub-Total $1,902.62

Asphalt 3-tap shingles – 54 bundles × 22.74 = 1,227.96

(3-tap – $22.74 Vs. architectural – $32.50 per bundle)

Roofing nails - 1 box × 33.92 = $33.92

Total roof $3,164.50

Hope Landing Home

5⁄8-in. Zip panels and tape Bid Price 1,456.09

10d ring-shank nails 1 box × 50.00 = $50.00

Sheathing Sub-Total $1,506.09

5V Galvalume panels, trim gaskets and fasteners 

Bid Price = $2,405.00

Total roof $3,911.09

Additional for Hope Landing Home: $0.00 $746.59

Florida Building Code Home

R-19 Owens Corning Atticat loose fill blown-in insulation. 

(R-19 is $426.48 and R-30 is $534.24) By bid price: $426.48

Insulation - Attic

Hope Landing Home

R-21 Certaspray open-cell foam insulation at 51⁄2 in. provides 

insulation value and air-sealing in a single step. 

By bid price: $1,552.00

(Manufacturers say you get increased insulation value when on the 

underside of the roof and you get a conditioned space in the attic. R30 spray foam would add another $835.00 to the cost of insulation.)

Additional for Hope Landing Home: $1,125.52 $0.00
61

Categories Energy Efficiency Sustainability

Interior Walls

There are no real cost differentials between wooden interior wall 

construction methods we would use in either home. We use our 

scrap materials and advance framing techniques to provide:

Ladder cross blocking for corners tie-ins

Two stud corners

“California” headers over all interior doors

Cabinet, shelving and bath hardware blocking

Door knob wall bracing (prevents dry wall damage)

We add batt insulation into the utility room to master bedroom wall 

and the hall bathroom side walls adjacent to both front bedrooms for 

sound deadening. 1 1⁄2 Bags × 46.03 = $69.05

$0.00 $0.00

Additional for Hope Landing Home: $0.00 $69.05

HVAC

Florida Building Code Home

1 1⁄2-ton 13 SEER non-ENERGY STAR conventional system with 

same duct work, no outside make-up/ventilation air, and nonENERGY STAR bath fans. Meets FL Building Codes Standards. 

Bid Price: $5,109.50

Hope Landing Home

Mitsubishi Electric Mr. Slim .3 to 1.2 Ton, 16 to 23 SEER, 

ENERGY STAR, mini-split system with invertor technology, 

variable speed fan and variable speed compressor. Air distribution 

through pancake fan/condenser feeding distribution to R-6 duct 

work all in conditioned space. Make-up fresh air through 6-in.

filtered duct in the soffit and controlled by manual/motorized 

dampener. Both bathroom fans are ENERGY STAR ducted to the 

outside under the soffit. Kitchen vent fan is ducted through roof. 

Bid Price: $5,067.50

Amount less for Hope Landing Home: ($42.00) $0.00

Plumbing 

Systems

Require all piping is to be insulated. $0.00 $0.00

Shortened pipe runs for hot water to <0.5 gal changed from 

overhead to in slab reducing material usage. $0.00 $0.00
62

Categories Energy Efficiency Sustainability

We use all low-flow fixtures that were donated by Kohler that meets 

Water Sense standards. We would have used them in either type of 

home constructed. 

$0.00 $0.00

Florida Building Code Home

12-year 50-gal standard electric water heater installed

Bid Price $709.00

Hope Landing Home

Solar water heating system - 80 gal. drainback system installed 

Bid Price $4,860.00

FPL reimburses us 100%. The cost differential has been included 

even though it would be at no cost to us.

Additional for Hope Landing Home:

$4,151.00

(No cost for 

MCHFH)

$0.00

Electrical 

Systems

Base cost of electrical system cost would be unchanged if not 

slightly lower because of lower rated electrical devices being used. 

PV ready home – conduit run from CB panel into attic (no charge 

added by contractor)

$0.00 $0.00

Florida Building Code Home

Contractor grade fans w/lights 3 × 41.95 = $125.85

Hope Landing Home

ENERGY STAR fans w/lights 3 × 99.95 = $299.95

Additional for Hope Landing Home Fans: $174.10 $0.00

All CFLs (estimate of difference) $66.00 $0.00

All appliances are ENERGY STAR and they are donated through a 

gift-in-kind program from Whirlpool. However, ENERGY STAR 

appliances can be purchased for about the same price as regular ones 

through hard shopping and discounts.

$0.00 $0.00

Drywall All wall and ceil penetrations are to be sealed – tubes of caulk – 4 

tubes × $2.28 = $9.12 $9.12 $0.00
63

Categories Energy Efficiency Sustainability

Top of drywall to top plates are sealed - tubes of caulk – 8 tubes × 

$2.28 = $18.24 $18.24 $0.00

Cabinetry and

Counter

We have purchased cabinets from a local wholesale manufacturer

for more than four years. They meet material standards under the 

CH requirements. No cost differential between construction methods 

would be realized.

$0.00 $0.00

Floor Covering

We are using all hard surface flooring in our houses now. This is a 

change from the carpet and roll vinyl we used in the past that we 

paid to be installed. Our volunteers now do the work saving us the 

installation costs but we would do this for either method of 

construction.

$0.00 $0.00

Interior Trim

All trim moldings are solid wood and doors meet material standards. 

Closet shelving is metal. Bathroom hardware, Medicine cabinets, 

mirrors, and door hardware are all solid wood, metal or plastic. No 

cost differential between construction methods would be realized.

$0.00 $0.00

Interior Finish

All low or NO VOC products were used. Habitat receives <50 g/L 

VOC paints from Valspar through our Gift-in-Kind program. All 

caulks and adhesives used in the construction of the houses are low 

VOC. However, it is possible to find the low VOC products at the 

same cost of ordinary one. No cost differential between construction 

methods would be realized.

$0.00 $0.00

Lot 

Improvements

This is driveways, sidewalks, sod and landscape. We use South 

Coast Florida native plants without irrigation. Some houses have 

rain barrels (we offer for $50.00) with soaker hoses to water 

plantings. We use Bahia glass for drought tolerance and poor soil 

growth ability. No cost differential between construction methods.

$0.00 $0.00
64

Categories Energy Efficiency Sustainability

Jobsite Facilities

We use a four dumpster recycling system (general waste, cardboard, 

metal, plastic) to sort waste into. We were able to cut our waste by

more than 25% through designing the house so it uses the size of the 

ICF so no cuts are required to layout the house and preparing 

material lists that order specific size material for every task. We now 

pay for only the general waste removal weight and the recycle 

materials pays for the dumpsters to be on site and their waste 

removal. This has caused a reduction in waste removal costs for 

previous methods of all waste in one dumpster. Hard to put a cost of 

what the saving are but it has been no extra cost to recycle. 

$0.00 $0.00

Project Fees

No change - we actually have received $140.00 from FPL and on 

some $4,000.00 from HD-HFHI Sustainability Program in the past 

for certifying energy-efficient construction.

$140.00 $0.00

Consumables

These are items and materials that are used and disposed of that may 

or may not be outside of one of the other categories. .No cost 

differential between two types of house construction methods

$0.00 $0.00

Contingencies

Certification fees vary greatly by what which and how many 

certifications you chose to achieve. Fees also vary between raters for 

their work and the testing they do. The cost to Habitat to certify a 

LEED or Challenge Home with other certifications costs about –

$2,600.00 $0.00

We received a FPL reservation for a 10-kW system at the allowance 

of $2.00/kW. We split that system over two houses for a 2.5-kW 

system with a rebate from FPL of $5,082.43 for each house. The two 

systems were installed on houses already closed and no planning for 

addition of a PV system so the cost was $5,898.98 for each install. 

However, with doing the install at time of construction or even after 

the house is sold as long as the conduit is run to allow access to the 

CB panel, you should be able to install the PV system for close to 

the $2/W of the system. 

$5,082.43

(no cost for 

MCHFH)

$0.00

Grand Totals Addition Cost for Hope Landing Challenge Home Versus Florida 

Building Code Home $15,791.98 $1,215.60
65

Categories Energy Efficiency Sustainability

Less reimbursements from FPL 

(Solar Water Heater $4,151.00 & PV System $5,082.43) $9,233.43

Habitats extra cost for efficient Hope Landing Homes $6,558.55

Cost of Hope Landing Home more than Florida Building Code 

Home (Energy Efficiency $6,558.55 + Sustainability $1,215.60) $7,773.55
66

buildingamerica.gov

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