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| How cool is that?  What does it take to retrofit an existing home for maximum energy efficiency, particularly in a warm, humid climate? Visitors to the International Builders' Show in Orlando Feb. 8-11 had the opportunity to find out by touring the Cool Energy House. The house was built in 1995 and was selected for a whole-house remodeling project by the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America Program. The goal is to reduce energy costs by at least 50 percent in the home. GE, a manufacturing partner in the Cool Energy House, has installed a full suite of energy-efficient appliances and lighting, supplemented by a pilot installation of GE solar panels and Nucleus, an ingenious home energy management system. GE appliances and lighting account for about 10 percent of the overall savings in the home."The Cool Energy House remodel focuses on energy efficiency and sustainable design," says Rod Barry, director of efficiency and environmental relations for GE Appliances. "It allows GE to showcase our ecomagination initiative, our commitment to imagine and build innovative solutions to the world's most pressing environmental challenges." The kitchen of the Cool Energy House is filled with stainless steel GE Monogram appliances. These include an ENERGY STAR-rated refrigerator; two ENERGY STAR-rated dishwashers; a five-burner induction cooktop; an electronic convection wall oven and an Advantium speed-cooking wall oven; a range hood; and a wine reserve. The kitchen of the Cool Energy House is filled with stainless steel GE Monogram appliances, including an Advantium speed-cooking wall oven. The laundry room features a GE Profile laundry pair: an ENERGY STAR-rated front-load washer, and a dryer that communicates with the washer using "clean speak" technology to select proper cycles and temperatures for each load. Additional appliances, including a 20-cubic-foot refrigerator, a wine and beverage center, and a full-size washer-dryer combo are found elsewhere in the house. Hot water for the home is supplied by two GeoSpring hybrid electric heat pump water heaters. These are ENERGY STAR-rated and are 62 percent more efficient than standard 50-gallon electric water heaters. The home's water quality is enhanced with a GE super capacity water softener and a GE water filtration system. The GE Nucleus energy management system monitors and controls electrical use in the household. This system gathers energy consumption from appliances. The information can be downloaded to home computers and smart phones. Consumers can then monitor home energy use, estimate energy costs, track energy use over time and remotely control home temperature. Energy-efficient light bulbs from GE Lighting are used throughout the home, including GE Energy Smart Compact Fluorescent (CFL) bulbs and GE Energy Smart LED bulbs. GE Energy Smart CFLs use less wattage, produce less heat and last 8 to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. Offered in daylight, soft white, cool white, sunshine and Reveal models, most are ENERGY STAR -qualified. GE Energy Smart LED bulbs offer more than 75 percent in energy savings over comparable incandescent bulbs. Plus, they last more than two decades — 25 times longer than incandescent solutions. GE also installed solar panels in the Cool Energy House as a pilot installation. "GE appliances, lighting products, solar panels and the Nucleus Energy Manager help make this home extremely energy efficient and will save the homeowner money on electrical bills for years to come," says Rod Barry. "How cool is that?" write your comments about the article :: © 2012 Construction News :: home page |