The builder challenges encountered in the design, construction, and commissioning of two Building America houses are reported. One house, located in Bordentown, New Jersey, was designed for 43 percent (48 percent including PV) source energy savings compared to the Building America benchmark. The other is located outside Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with predicted source energy savings of 49 percent (58 percent with PV). Both houses are two stories with three bedrooms.

These houses have to some degree been instrumented and monitored for evaluating comfort and energy performance. However, in the execution of these projects it has become apparent that for the predicted energy savings to be realized, fundamental changes in the process of designing and building houses must be embraced by the builder and their trade partners to ensure a successful project. This paper discusses the challenges faced by the builders in implementing a systems approach to higher performance housing.

Presented at Thermal Performance of Exterior Envelopes of Whole Buildings X – December 2007

Units: Dual