Single Homes Going Green, Too

LEED for Homes was developed to meet the unique needs of residential market single-family and multi-family homes. It addresses aspects of residential building such as location, energy and water concerns. The draft LEED for Homes Rating System is in pilot testing and log on and rate the system. Comments may be submitted until July 14 midnight

Meanwhile, an experimental home in Guelph, Canada, by a Cambridge developer is the first mass-produced model home designed to recycle water and save energy.

The 2,700-sq.-ft., three-bedroom home looks like any other home in the Westminster Woods subdivision. The difference is the 10,000-gallon cistern buried in the backyard that pumps rainwater into the home’s dishwasher, washing machines and toilets. The furnace and air conditioning unit have been replaced by solar panels that are connected to geothermal loops dug 174 ft. into the ground. These loops absorb heat from the earth heating the house, and also are

The house’s inside also was

The Guelph project home could save owners as much as $2,500 a year on energy and water costs. It is the first Canadian home to

Developers have worked in conjunction with the University of Guelph engineering school testing filterless rainwater harvesting system. The project is scheduled to open to the public in July as a two-year pilot program. The university and developers’ goals

The Guelph project home has caught the interest of water conservation authorities who are looking for ways to handle growing populations and rein in rising water and electricity costs. Yet before green housing could be sold to the public, authorities need to verify that the use of recycled water is safe for both outdoor and indoor use.

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