Holderness School AP Class visit

Holderness School Environmental Science AP Class visits ABODE

The 19 Holderness School students in Reggie Pettitt's Advanced Environmental Science classes recently visited Abode to learn more about green design -build concepts. Project Manager and Certified Green Professional Gerald Fransen spoke with the students and fielded questions about sustainable building technologies & products that produce Abode homes making them 40% more efficient than traditional code built homes.



The first 8 students arrived early for this field trip that featured a 3-d model cutaway showing features such as:

• Ice and water shield, 30 yr. architectural shingles made with 30- 40% post consumer waste that is recycled.


• Various open and closed cell spray foam insulation for walls.


• ICF's (insulated concrete forms) with an R-24 rating.

The following day 12 more students were introduced to the product benefits, material choices and principals Abode uses when building to Energy Star or Leed standards. Points touched upon were:

• Higher insulation values reduce a/c and heating usage during the course of a year which can equal a 30-70% reduced fuel consumption.


• Energy Star 3.0 requirements and compliance becoming more stringent as of July 1, 2011.


• Passive solar orientation.


• Blower door testing which tests the amount of air leakage and air changes needed per hour for fresh air.
HERS rating's & how it will eventually be tied to a home being sold, helping the consumer evaluate that homes utility costs. "A home that just meets code has a HERS Index of 100. For every point above or below 100, the home is that many % less or more efficient than the same home built to code."* For example, a HERS Index of 57 which is 43% more efficient than its code-built counterpart.

• The benefits of high efficiency boilers and heating systems couples with on demand hot water.


• Solar and Geothermal systems benefits & costs were given discussion time as well.

As these students are engaged in the ongoing LEED dormitory project at the Holderness School, we are encouraged by the catalysts and environment they are exposed to that will ultimately shape more efficient futures.