Ground Zero For The Green Housing Movement

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/04/eveningnews/main4990918.shtml

(CBS) Just about everywhere you look in Greensburg, Kan., somebody is building something or something’s just been built. It’s been nonstop for two years, ever since a mile-and-a-half wide tornado with 205 mph winds basically wiped this town of 1,500 people off the map, reports CBS News correspondent Jeff Glor.

Back in May 2007, Jill Eller was hopelessly sifting through the ruins of her house – and her life.

“How do you start?” she asked, crying.

Like many in Greensburg, her family lived in a trailer for two years, willing themselves to stay.

“We felt like we were abandoning ship if we left Greensburg,” Eller said.

Last month, Jill and her husband Scott moved into their one-of-a-kind three-bedroom green dream house, which is energy efficient and more tornado resistant.

“It’ gets called a lot, the igloo house, the Princess Leia house,” Jill Eller said.

“And those are the nice things,” Scott Eller said.

With Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) – six inches of Styrofoam sandwiched between plywood panels – their gas bill went from $200 a month to only $30. But, their mortgage went from nearly paid off to $200,000.

“We’re in the worst financial position we’ve been in since we first got married,” Jill Eller said. “But we’re working it out.”

Like the Ellers, it would have been easier for most people to leave. But about 800 refused, no matter how it looked, and no matter how much it cost.

Now, Greensburg is ground zero for the green movement. The area got nearly $100 million from the government to rebuild, including a $50 million school, $25 million hospital and a $3 million city hall – all of them certified LEED Platinum, the most energy efficient you can get – but not inexpensive.

Greensburg has gone from a town that was celebrating its survival on the first anniversary of the storm, to asking serious questions about its future on the second.

“We expect to be bigger, stronger and greener,” said City Manager Steve Hewitt.

The question is: What happens when all the aid money dries up? Can going green produce green?

To survive, Hewitt is tirelessly working to capitalize on his town’s name by luring green businesses – places that build products for wind, solar and other clean energy companies, which would mean critically needed jobs that have so far not materialized.

Energy-Efficient Home Sneaks on Market

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/Energy_efficient_home_sneaks_on_market

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Sebastian Salazar never claimed to be an environmentalist.

Then came the day he was watching his favorite TV show.

“The DIY Channel, to tell you the truth,” said Salazar. “The Do It Yourself Channel; I love watching the DIY Channel.”

The program dealt with something called a Structural Insulated Panel , or SIP.

“The walls are seven inches thick, or six-and-a-half inches thick,” said Salazar. “And the roof, solid panels are eight-and-a-half inches thick. So it’s just a big jigsaw puzzle put together, you know, out of those panels.”

The panels, constructed off site and put in place with a crane, fit so snugly together, air leaks are minimized, unless you want to take advantage of the steady breeze on Sebastian Salazar’s hilltop near Coupland in Williamson County.

“Like when I was growing up, my grandparents lived out in the country, too, and they always had the windows rolled up, too, to keep the, you know, to keep the air circulating while everybody was in the house,” said Salazar. “And same concept, you know, you got windows on the south side and north side and open up the windows and a nice breeze, you know, just blows right through the house and keeps everybody comfortable. My last month’s electric bill was $43.00 and the highest electric bill I’ve had since December was $53.00.”

Building with SIPs generally costs about the same as building with wood frame construction, when you factor in the labor savings resulting from shorter construction time and less job-site waste. Other savings are realized because less expensive heating and cooling systems are required with SIP construction.

SIPA does not maintain pricing data from individual manufacturing members. If you are looking for pricing information, please contact our members directly by clicking on “Find SIPs” or complete the form located under “Let’s Talk SIPs” and our members will contact you with information specific to your request.

Structural insulated panels (SIPs) are high performance building panels used in floors, walls, and roofs for residential and light commercial buildings. The panels are typically made by sandwiching a core of rigid foam plastic insulation between two structural skins of oriented strand board (OSB). Other skin material can be used for specific purposes. SIPs are manufactured under factory controlled conditions and can be custom designed for each home. The result is a building system that is extremely strong, energy efficient and cost effective. Building with SIPs will save you time, money and labor.