Paul Scrivens took energy-efficient home construction to one of its highest levels, earning LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for his Prescott, Ariz. home, according to The Daily Courier.
"We thought probably this was going to be our last home, so I wanted to make it as energy efficient as possible," he said.
LEED provides builders and the owners of those buildings with a framework for implementing green building design, construction, operation and maintenance, according to the Green Building Council's website. LEED certification is available in four different levels and is based on the number of credits the building or home earns in different categories.
Scrivens began running computer models of the home in the summer of 2010. That was the inception of the home. Construction began in October of 2011 and it took a year to build the 3,200-square-foot house with an additional 1,000-square-foot basement.
Rather than a traditional wood frame, the home has integrated concrete forms and structural integrated panels. CFL and LED lightbulbs illuminate the home.
Scrivens said that the home is 53 percent more efficient than a standard home and three times as efficient as an existing wood home. He added that costs for an average home this size runs about $4.300 annually. Just through the winter months, Scrivens' energy costs are a third of that. That means a break-even point in five to six years, he noted.
Read more about building a green home.
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