House plans from the National Affordable Housng Network are affordable, energy efficient and attractive. A series of plans will be available later this year.

American families at the lower end of the financial range can spend more than 15 percent of their household income on energy costs. They must regularly choose between food and heat, or between buying medicine and keeping their homes from overheating in summer. With those options, there's no healthy choice. Tragically, housing built especially for low-income people often cuts corners on features that save energy. This increases operating cost for occupants and sometimes increases the burden on government-funded, low-income energy assistance programs.

One group that's battling this situation is the National Affordable Housing Network with headquarters located in Butte, Montana. This nonprofit organization dedicates its efforts to improving how affordable housing is built. Through the High Performance Housing Partnership program, training and publications, the Network promotes construction that uses the least possible energy, water and other natural resources, while improving health, comfort and safety.

"More than a decade ago," says Barbara Miller, Network executive director, "we proved that low-cost housing could be built to use less than $200 a year in space heat, while overall first costs were essentially the same as similar housing without the efficiency features." The claim is significant, because it refers to building in Montana with a climate that exceeds 9,000 heating degree days.

The typical cold climate building package includes R-60 ceilings, R-40 wall, R-19 floors, advanced air sealing and heat recovery ventilation. "It's better to put money into structural measures, such as insulation and air sealing, than the heating system," says Miller. "Sometimes builders don't believe that they need only 15,000 btu/hr furnaces when they typically install 70,000 btu/hr models in less energy-efficient houses."

Collaboration

By working with other low-income housing groups, such as Habitat for Humanity, the Network has been able to identify and field test energy saving features that make economic sense. Already the Network has assisted in the design and development of 160 homes.

The Tullamore Housing Project in Butte is close to home. "The project's 24 single-family homes were carefully designed to give maximum value," says Miller. That's especially important when a private contractor builds the project. These cold-climate plans feature high- efficiency walls and ceilings, heat-recovery ventilation, compact fluorescent lighting along with sealed combustion space and water heating. Each house has a fully insulated basement that can be finished into living space in the future.

All homes will be individually owned. Buyers are required to attend 12 hours of training, covering consumer credit, home selection, maintenance, operating costs (including energy) and mortgage issues. To purchase the home, they must complete the course and pass a written test. Tullamore is being developed under a partnership between the City of Butte, Silver Bow County and Norwest Bank.

The Network is also adapting their approach to hot climates. Habitat for Humanity (HFH) affiliates across the state of Texas will be building 50 prototype houses based on Network plans. The performance of each house will be measured in some way.

High Performance House Plans

The Network plans to share lessons learned in the field through a set of published house plans. The first plan aimed at cold climates is already available, with three additional plans on the drawing table. The completed plan is a 1,238-sq.-ft., one-story design based on 15 years of research. In documenting the design, extra information has been included to help volunteer workers. For example, the location of solid blocking in wall framing and ducts for the heat-recovery ventilator have been indicated on the plans. Professional builders don't need this kind of detail, but when volunteers swarm the job site, extra plan details help work flow more smoothly. The Network intends to target other plans in this way--some for owner/builders and other for professional contractors. Plans under development include a three-bedroom with ADA accessibility and two other 1,000-sq.-ft. buildings on full basements.

Superior energy performance without additional cost requires careful design tradeoffs, such as solar orientation, insulation optimization and heating system downsizing. The highly detailed plans help avoid material substitutions and plan changes that can undermine the carefully designed building system.

"Plans for owner/builders and volunteers are detailed enough that you can take them to a lumber yard and get a complete materials list with costs," says Miller.

Next year, the Network will publish plans optimized for hot climates based on their work in Texas.

For more information about the Network and their house plans, write to PO Box 3706, Butte, MT 59702 or visit their Web site at www.nahn.com.