Santa Fe Partners with Florida High-Performance Green House Project

Santa Fe has been chosen to help the Florida High-Performance Green House, located in Cape Coral, FL, achieve five green home certifications by providing interior moisture control and fresh air ventilation.

Homeowner and eco-entrepreneur, Paul Shahriari is focusing on the cost/benefit of green building for this unique project. The initial costs and life cycle benefits of every major element of the 3,876 square foot home will be analyzed on its’ individual case study elements, as well as its part in the overall green financial strategy of this project.

“The goal of this project is to demystify the green decision making involved with designing, building, and/or renovating a home,” said Shahriari.  “We are using the principles of sustainability – environment, economic, social – to make decisions that are both good for the environment, economics, and health of the family.”

Whole-house dehumidification and fresh air ventilation are recognized as a vital component to the sustainability of the home, as well as to the comfort and health of its occupants.  It also enhances a home’s energy efficiency and lengthens the life of the HVAC equipment.

“We utilized the Santa Fe whole house dehumidifier to incorporate both humidity control but even more importantly a source of controlled fresh-air into our home.  Santa Fe has allowed us to have a balance of energy efficiency, humidity control, and fresh air ventilation that no other single product on the market could provide.”

In addition to all the life cycle costs/benefits, the project team will track operating costs for a period of 1-3 years and post results on the project website. This new home project is being evaluated with five certification programs as a method of showcasing each program and how each system evaluates the same project. They are:

• US Green Building Council’s LEED for Homes
• Florida Green Building Coalition
• National Association of Home Builders
• Energy Star Homes
• ASID and USGBC REGreen Remodeling Guidelines

“Green building certification is an important step for owners looking to ensure that their project team delivers what they have promised.  Third-Party Certification of a project provides the structure and rigor that is needed for the highly complex world of real estate, design, and construction,” said Shahriari.