Habitat for Humanity Orlando Green Home Review.

A few weeks ago, Habitat Orlando reached out to me and the PulseofCentralFlorida to visit their new green home community* We met up with their volunteer coordinator, Jennifer Gallagher who is one of the nicest chicks you'll ever meet.  She put up with all my annoying construction questions and you can't help but be inspired by her passion for what she does.  It's truly contagious, one of those "I can change the world" feelings. 

* (I previously did a post about the sites green features, check it out here.  The Pulse also has a site review here with all the photos.)

It's awesome to see a non-profit take on the challenge of building a green community.  It's such a perfect fit since one of Habitat's mission is to make homes affordable, now they are making them affordable to operate.  

I think the most impactful features Habitat Orlando incorporates into their homes are white roof shingles, low-e windows, energy efficient appliances and CFL's.  These features are going to help the new homeowners keep their monthly utility bills super low.  I was able to talk to a future homeowner, who was really excited about keeping her bills low while being eco-friendly. Energy efficient appliances and CFL's are obvious power savers to most people, but white roof shingles are going to save the planet according to Al Gore.  Just kidding...sorta.  Most roofs have dark shingles, which absorb heat.  White roof shingles deflect the sun which helps keep the attic cool, which in turn helps keep the home cool.  Since Florida life means running the AC for the majority of the year, this feature will have a huge impact on the homeowners utility bills.  The same light deflection concept comes into play with Low-e windows.  What does low-e mean anyways?  E= Emissivity = the amount of light ( or heat) that flows through a material.  These windows prevent heat transfer from light into the home.  Both white roof shingles and low-e windows aren't too expensive and will make a serious dent in your home operating costs. Which is sweet!! 

One of the great things about this community is that the homes will also be Florida Green Home Certified.  The director of construction, Terry, focused on making the homes energy star, and in doing so, was also able to qualify the homes to be FGBC certified.  Right now the homes qualify to have a silver rating, but there is a possibility the homes could get an even higher rating.  Go Terry!!!  

If you want to volunteer your time, money or supplies don't hesitate to reach out to the team.  You'll be glad you did  :)