Energy-Efficient Rehab Becomes New Home for Habitat for Humanity Family

KALAMAZOO, MI – December 16, 2014 – It takes a village to build a Habitat for Humanity house, but it takes just one family to make it a home.The transformation began on Sunday, Dec. 14, when a local family dedicated its new home on Kalamazoo’s east side. The home had an open house and a dedication ceremony. The ceremony celebrated Habitat’s 195th homeowner family and all the volunteers who helped build the home.

The family of a long-time neighborhood resident donated the 1,000-square foot home, originally built on this site in 1937, to Habitat for Humanity when its owner died. High school students enrolled in the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency’s Education for Employment Construction Trades program renovated this house under the direction of Habitat staff. Each year, through the construction or full remodel of a Habitat for Humanity house, EFE students learn valuable aspects of the construction trade -- from site preparation and layout to carpentry, electrical, masonry, plumbing, heating, plastering, painting and other skills. Additional Habitat for Humanity volunteers also contributed their time and talent to the project.

The newly rehabilitated home is a rare Energy Star rehab. Its Home Energy Rating System Index (HERs) rating is just 58, which means it is 42 percent more energy-efficient than a new home built to the current Michigan energy code.
The new home is so energy-efficient that it doesn't even have a traditional furnace. By using the latest in energy saving materials and methods, such as spray foam insulation, thicker framed walls, and air-sealing, the home requires less than half of the heat that would be provided by the smallest gas furnace on the market today.

Instead, the home is heated and cooled by two "mini-split" heat pump units. These innovative units, as well as other energy-sipping features like a hybrid water heater, Energy Star® appliances, and compact fluorescent light bulbs should make the home very affordable to operate. Indoor air quality is enhanced by a heat recovery ventilator.

Other special features include handcrafted cabinets made by Jackson State Prison volunteers through the Prison Build Program, a partnership between the Michigan State Department of Corrections and Habitat for Humanity of Michigan. Dow Chemical donates foam board insulation, Valspar donates paint, and Whirlpool donates a range and refrigerator to all the homes Habitat builds in the U.S. Schneider Electric donates the breakers and service panel and Hunter Douglas donates mini-blinds for the bedrooms and baths.

The house will be purchased by a qualified Habitat home buyer who has contributed more than 300 volunteer hours or “sweat equity” to help build this home and the homes of fellow Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity home buyers. The home buyer also completed more than 30 hours of MSHDA-approved financial literacy and personal financial management classes at Kalamazoo Neighborhood Housing Services and more than 27 hours of homeowner maintenance training provided by Habitat in partnership with Community Homeworks.

About Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity: Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity builds or rehabilitates four to five homes and repairs twelve more each year in Kalamazoo County, the cities of Otsego and Plainwell, and Gun Plain and Otsego townships. Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity began in 1983 and is one of more than 1,500 U.S. and 550 international affiliates of Habitat for Humanity International that coordinate Habitat house-building projects in over 3,000 communities around the world. For more information, please use the contact information and link provided below.