A healthy home for a healthy planet–Green Tour Site 6

Site #6 – 107 SE Cessna Rd, Bend

Energy Retrofit and Remodel

Home Performance Contractor: Earth Advantage

Owner: Louise Palmer

Original Energy Performance Score (EPS): 129, Post-Project EPS: 58

1404 Sq Ft

This home is in the process of being remodeled and gives you a chance to observe the process and what the steps are to completely retrofitting your existing home into the most energy savvy house on the block! When complete, this home will be a community demonstration project to showcase healthy homes and will be the first Earth Advantage-certified Remodeled home in Central Oregon. The home is being remodeled from 1971 code to 2020 standards which are much more stringent than our current building codes.

When retrofitting this home, the owner’s motto was “Build Tight, Ventilate Right.” This means that she made sure the shell of the house had as few leaks as possible and then calculated ventilation based on how much fresh air flow was needed. The air leakage was decreased from 17 air changes per hour (ACH) to 6 which makes for a much less drafty house!

A heat recovery ventilator which provides fresh air and improved climate control, while also saving energy by reducing heating and cooling requirements, supplies constant fresh air to the home. Indoor air quality is also improved by the use of non-VOC paints and low VOC stains and sealants. The new flooring in the home is formaldehyde-free.

In an effort to make this home as energy efficient as possible, electric baseboard heat will be replaced by a mini split heat pump. The walls and floor were brought up to R 22 and 31.5, respectively. The garage was also converted to a studio and the walls were increased from a 4-inch cavity to 6 inches in order to allow for more insulation.

In order to address drainage problems around the foundation and walkway, the cement walkway is in the process of being removed and will be replaced with gravel. The cement from the walkway is being reused as pavers to build the patio. Throughout the remodel process all usable materials were salvaged.

For information on the rest of the homes on the 15th Annual Green Tour, visit the Tour page.