67
e n e r g y
r e s e r v e d
The home continues to perform at a high
rate of energy efficiency.
“That’s what I’m interested in in terms of
homebuilding,” Ellison says, “that’s the most
fascinating part of it for me.”
One of the methods he used to tighten the
envelope was the insulation of the outer stud
wall. Ellison explains: insulation is tradition-ally
sandwiched between the studs, permitting
heat and cold to infiltrate the interior in sum-mer
and winter through the uninsulated studs
themselves. But he added a layer of polyiso —
rigid cell foam insulation, or outboard — cov-ering
the studs, then wrapped the outer walls
with sheathing and applied a coat of Tremco’s
liquid Enviro-Dri.
He added closed cell spray foam insula-tion
to reinforce the rigidity of the house,
high performance windows and doors, and
a Vera hot water reserve system triggered by
a motion sensor that’s still being tweaked.
Because the home is so airtight, Ellison sug-gested
an ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilator)
— a fresh air ventilator that continually
recirculates fresh air into the house and
expels stale air outside — plus an array of
36 photovoltaic panels on the south and east
roofs to offset the energy usage. The com-bined
methods, materials and systems earned
the project a Home Energy Rating Score of
7. The lower the score, the better in a market
in which a typical code-built home scores an
average 100, Ellison says. Six months out of
the year, the homeowners have only paid the
$13 monthly minimum for their 3,642 con-ditioned
square feet. The rest of the energy
generated from the pv panels is sold back to
the grid.
“Overall, Kevin and Lucien designed and
built us the most incredible home we ever
could have imagined. From an aesthetic per-spective,
everything about the house, inside
and out, reflects our personality and style,”
the homeowner says. “We still wake up in the
mornings to that master bedroom view and
wonder if it’s real.”
Come see how
we do things
Rick and Lee Anna Stoker
2750 Vance St., Wilmington, NC 28412
OFFICE HOURS: M-F 9 am–2 pm
910-794-9656
www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM