Eco-Friendly Affordable Housing
For decades now, affordable housing advocates have been working to convince elected officials and the general public that affordable housing is both good and beneficial to the community at large.
They have pointed to studies which show that low-income housing boosts the economy and, when it's built well, can actually increase land and home values in the area.
Now, they have something else to add to the list - improving the environment.
This week, the city of Topeka, Kansas celebrated the opening of a new affordable housing development called Echo Ridge.
Not only are the homes priced for low- to moderate-income families, they are also green.
A total of 66 eco-friendly units were developed using tax credits and funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Each home includes Energy Star appliances and fixtures, and low-water use fixtures.
The roofing material is reflective, which reduces the roofs surface temperature by up to 100 degrees, keeping the buildings cooler and decreasing the need for air conditioning.
It is estimated that reflective roofing can cut air condition usage by 10 to 15 percent.
In addition to the roofing material, the windows at Echo Ridge are glazed, which means they are dual pane, and each pane is coated with a micro-thin film that reflects sun and heat.
In the summer, this means the inside of the house stays cooler, and in the winter, glazed and insulated windows keep more of the warmth in.
Glazed windows can reduce heating and cooling needs by 10 to 50 percent.
Echo Ridge heating and cooling systems are also ground sourced.
What this means is that the buildings are equipped with geothermal systems that use the steady temperatures below ground to provide heating and cooling to the buildings.
In the summer, hot air from the buildings is pumped (through a closed-loop array of pipes) down into the Earth, where lower temperatures cool the air so it can be pumped back into the building.
In the winter, the processed is reversed, and warmer air is pulled from deep underground to heat the buildings.
This system alone relieves the building almost entirely of its need for fossil fuels (oil and gas).
In addition to the physical properties of the Echo Ridge buildings, the grounds are landscaped using a variety of trees and bushes that shade over 50 percent of the paved spaces.
Shading helps keep buildings cool, reduces soil erosion, and promotes a variety of wildlife that contributes to pest and insect control.
This unique, innovative project is proof that affordable housing can be modern, accessible and environmentally friendly without incurring exorbitant construction costs.
Fred Bentley, who is the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC) Rental Housing Director believes Echo Ridge can serve as a model for eco-friendly building, and an educational tool for affordable housing developers.
They have pointed to studies which show that low-income housing boosts the economy and, when it's built well, can actually increase land and home values in the area.
Now, they have something else to add to the list - improving the environment.
This week, the city of Topeka, Kansas celebrated the opening of a new affordable housing development called Echo Ridge.
Not only are the homes priced for low- to moderate-income families, they are also green.
A total of 66 eco-friendly units were developed using tax credits and funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Each home includes Energy Star appliances and fixtures, and low-water use fixtures.
The roofing material is reflective, which reduces the roofs surface temperature by up to 100 degrees, keeping the buildings cooler and decreasing the need for air conditioning.
It is estimated that reflective roofing can cut air condition usage by 10 to 15 percent.
In addition to the roofing material, the windows at Echo Ridge are glazed, which means they are dual pane, and each pane is coated with a micro-thin film that reflects sun and heat.
In the summer, this means the inside of the house stays cooler, and in the winter, glazed and insulated windows keep more of the warmth in.
Glazed windows can reduce heating and cooling needs by 10 to 50 percent.
Echo Ridge heating and cooling systems are also ground sourced.
What this means is that the buildings are equipped with geothermal systems that use the steady temperatures below ground to provide heating and cooling to the buildings.
In the summer, hot air from the buildings is pumped (through a closed-loop array of pipes) down into the Earth, where lower temperatures cool the air so it can be pumped back into the building.
In the winter, the processed is reversed, and warmer air is pulled from deep underground to heat the buildings.
This system alone relieves the building almost entirely of its need for fossil fuels (oil and gas).
In addition to the physical properties of the Echo Ridge buildings, the grounds are landscaped using a variety of trees and bushes that shade over 50 percent of the paved spaces.
Shading helps keep buildings cool, reduces soil erosion, and promotes a variety of wildlife that contributes to pest and insect control.
This unique, innovative project is proof that affordable housing can be modern, accessible and environmentally friendly without incurring exorbitant construction costs.
Fred Bentley, who is the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC) Rental Housing Director believes Echo Ridge can serve as a model for eco-friendly building, and an educational tool for affordable housing developers.
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