Foothills Housing Coalition's commitment to the environment stems from the belief that design should seek to integrate the natural and built environments. FHC adheres to the mantra that "less is more." Homes designed to minimize their environmental footprint with minimal cost can be both environmentally and aesthetically beautiful as well as safe, decent, and affordable.
Along these lines, Fauquier Housing Corporation became EarthCraft certified in 2009. EarthCraft House™ is a residential green building program of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association in partnership with Southface. The Virginia EarthCraft House program provides a set of standards for energy and resource efficient homes. Integrating these environmental standards into affordable housing allows Fauquier Housing to build homes that are 30% more energy efficient than conventional building code.
A key component to mitigating environmental waste is to utilize existing buildings and materials. FHC's programs seek to provide assistance where there is need. For Fauquier Housing and Rapidan Better Housing, this means providing home repairs on existing homes. When homes are beyond repair Fauquier Housing will rebuild on an existing site. These new homes average around 800 square feet, providing homeowners with the services and comfort they need, while maintaining the integrity of their land.
More about EarthCraft House
EarthCraft House is a point based program providing builders with a series of standards to comply with. For a home to be certified a builder much meet all requirements and receive a minimum of 150 points for complying with additional environmental standards. Higher levels of certification are awarded for homes that achieve 200 points and 300 points.
ENERGY STAR
FHC became ENERGY STAR certified in 2009. Building homes right the first time, caulking air leaks, installing insulation and using all ENERGY STAR appliances costs little but can generate large savings for homeowners over the lifetime of a building. All EarthCraft House certified homes must also comply with ENERGY STAR standards.
Energy Efficient Practices
The following are examples of EarthCraft House and ENERGY STAR practices FHC adheres to:
Sealing the building envelope: testing for air leaks using a blower door test and caulking all envelope penetrations (light sockets, fans, window gaps etc.) to prevent the displacement of conditioned, interior air
Insulation: wrapping the exterior of the home to prevent moisture from entering exterior walls, insulating water pipes to prevent freezing and excess condensation
Mitigating waste: use of recycled and existing building materials, developing precise framing plans and material lists prior to construction to avoid unnecessary framing and cut waste