New Jersey Spray Foam Company Donates $8,000 Towards Green Home Project

ATLANTIC CITY – July 12, 2011 – A family was recently named the new owners of the first ever energy-star green certified home in New Jersey.

The Atlantic County Habitat for Humanity organization recently held a house dedication ceremony for Thelma Wilder and her family on July 9, 2011. Located on the 17 hundred block of Grant Avenue in Atlantic City, the 1400 square foot, energy-efficient home is the first of its kind to be built in the Atlantic City, NJ area. The Wilder family, originally chosen by Atlantic County Habitat, moved into the home in November of last year. Since then, the family lived in the house for the next eight months and was recently named official homeowners.

“I was elated to know that we were selected as the family,” says Thelma Wilder. “Especially to be the owner of the first green home by habitat. It was an exciting feeling.” The two-story house, built with the help of almost 200 Atlantic County Habitat for Humanity volunteers, features a variety of energy star appliances windows, and lighting. The house was outfitted using air sealing and duct sealing techniques to give the home a much more comfortable and relaxing environment.

Green Life Energy Solutions, a spray foam company based in New Jersey, collaborated with Atlantic County Habitat in the construction of the energy efficient home. The company donated $8,000 in closed-cell foam insulation for the project.

“We began spraying the home roughly at the end of January 2010,” says Ed Ryan, owner of Green Life Energy Solutions. “One of the challenges we faced at the time was spraying the home in the dead of winter. We had to bring portable heat with us to battle the cold.”

Ryan and his three-man crew applied 3” of closed cell foam to the crawl space, attic roofline and exterior walls. After two and a half days of spraying, the crew successfully completed the job and construction resumed.

According to Ryan, for the time that the Wilder family lived in the house, they are now averaging only $1300 a year in electric bills. “That includes everything,” says Ryan. “Heat, electricity, and air conditioning.”

The Wilder family is expected to continue benefiting from the significant energy savings and increased durability brought by the energy efficient home.