|
Wilton – The phrase “environmentally
friendly home” probably doesn’t conjure up an image
of a $1.2 million, 3,600-square-foot house in a 22-home Wilton
development.
But
behind the walls of the classically featured display home in
the new Loudon Ridge development, you’ll
find loads of recycled newspaper for insulation.
In the basement
is a state-of-the-art, energy-efficient furnace.
And
in the kitchen – complete with a hickory hardware
floor – is
a futuristic control panel that, with a fingertip touch,
can open all the windows in the house, adjust the lighting
and, simultaneously,
turn on the 400-CD changer.
“Green” homes, according to Frank
Laskey of Capital Construction, can essentially be anything people
want them to be – and
still be environmentally friendly.
This
means that having an environmental conscience won’t
result in a niche of consumers having to sacrifice style,
design and aesthetic taste when building the abode of
their dreams,
Laskey said.
Laskey said he helps residents build homes
that are healthy for the natural land surrounding the residence
and for
the residents
themselves.
“If products are good for the environment,” he
said, “they
must be good for the people.”
One of the main
objectives Laskey has when approaching a new project
is to make the interior of the home feel
like
the exterior
in terms of fostering an architecturally appealing
look.
“Part of the design of being green is
making the outside seem as if it’s on the inside, by using
materials from the outside,” Laskey
explained.
Home
can be energy-saving and stylishAs he walked into the environmentally
compatible,
earth-toned-colored
demo house,
Laskey pointed out that the front door, its frame
and the surrounding paneling are made of wood that doesn’t possess
the toxic glue chemical, formaldehyde.
Further helping the transition
from front yard to over the threshold is the use of silverish-gray
stone, said Laskey.
Though
it’s difficult to tell from looking
at the surface – some
of which are maroon, dark green, or a swirl of beige and brown – Laskey
said the home’s wall insulation is made from old newspapers.
In
the future, he said, the insulation could even include the beans
used for tofu and soy burgers.
“We haven’t used soybeans yet,” he
said, “but we use
recycled newspaper – it stops the air flow.”
Does
the added effort to be “green” pay off? Well,
Laskey estimates the monthly utility bill to be only about
$120 per month for the entire 3,600-square-foot
home.
And
even with all of the energy-saving gadgets and gizmos, the
idea that style and luxury can’t mix with
a “green” theme
goes out the window when you gaze at the 110-inch movie
screen in the basement’s home entertainment
center, with brown leather lounge chairs and blinds that
automatically close to keep out excess sunlight.
The house
that Laskey had showcased, situated on a 5-acre parcel, has
access to a private wooded area of 30 to 35
acres, which
residents of the soon-to-be-built
Louden Ridge Green housing development will be able to
use for horseback riding, biking or simply walking.
According
to Ryan Moore, a public relations representative at the New
York State Energy Research and Development Authority,
builders like Laskey receive
$3,500 for constructing “green” model homes that are open for
60 days.
And homeowners can save 30 percent or so, on
their energy bills compared to conventionally built homes.
Since
the start of New York State Energy Star, a federal government-administered
energy-saving program that approves and certifies “green” houses,
there have been 4,392 environmentally friendly homes built across the
state, said Moore.
“Each New York Energy Star-labeled home
must pass a stringent evaluation, including a computer-based
energy analysis, inspections and certification testing,” said
Gaye Dougherty, public relations official for Energy Star.
Having
met Energy Star “green” and American Lung Association “clean
house” standards, Laskey is still waiting to receive fire and
safety certificates from the town of Wilton before moving ahead with
his plan to turn
the whole development green – even in the middle of winter.
|
