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Homeowner Builds a LEED Platinum Home following Hurricane Sandy
“My experience with Hurricane Sandy was transformative,” says Kim Erle, LEED AP. The superstorm, which was the deadliest, most destructive, and strongest of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, destroyed her 1940’s cottage on Shinnecock Bay in the East Quogue area of Southampton, NY. Not only did she need to build a new house, “I decided to get smart,” Erle says.
“Like most people, I’m good at recycling, I shut the lights off, I know climate change is real,” she explains. “I’m the average conscientious homeowner. But Sandy was a pivotal moment. I realized that if I don’t do something about climate change, who will? I was suddenly personally and professionally motivated to have an impact on climate change.”
First, she became accredited through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building program. Then, after the town implemented new tax incentives to encourage property owners to exceed New York State building standards, Erle decided to rebuild to LEED residential standards. Deploying her expertise as LEED AP, she registered her sustainable home design with the United States Green Building Council.
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The plan entailed “deconstruction” of what remained of the 1940’s home (“That earned us a LEED point, as it’s the most sustainable method for removing a structure,” she says), and replacing it with a new, 3,600-square-foot home sited more than 12 feet above sea level. She also aimed for the highest LEED residential rating, Platinum.
She called her project Sunset Green Home, which also became the name of her energy efficiency, high-performance retrofit, and sustainability strategy consulting business. The town’s tax break provided her with $15,000 over 10 years—more if property taxes increase. Moreover, she now “walks the talk” by having completed her own 3,600-square-feet home that integrates building practices and sustainable strategies that minimize the impact on the environment. The home also incorporates high energy efficiency and superior air quality. “As a LEED-accredited professional,” she says, “I knew what it would take to reach Platinum on this home.”
The home’s Zehnder energy recovery ventilation system (ERV) makes sure fresh outdoor air is continuously exchanged with the air in the house. While a code-compliant house has seven air changes per hour and an Energy Star® home has five, Sunset Green Home has just two. The home uses an energy-efficient, variable refrigerant-flow HVAC system for heating and cooling.
Erle says visitors can’t believe the tiny mechanical system heats and cools her house. She adds that HVAC installers and subcontractors specializing in air sealing had to collaborate on sizing the system, “which rarely happens on building sites.” They also considered window orientations. Energy-efficient ceiling fans in the living areas and bedrooms allow cooling at higher air-conditioning temperature set points.
The greatest joys
Erle added a seasonal pool with an automatic cover to retain heat, and a UV-ozone sanitizer to minimize chemical use. The home’s 3,000-square-foot deck was constructed using FSC-certified cumaru through WalkGreen. Because the home is close to sensitive tidal wetlands, Stinchi Landscaping implemented an environmentally sensitive landscaping plan, which incorporates a vegetated wetlands buffer of native plants attractive to birds and other wildlife.
Camille LeFevre
Camille LeFevre is an architecture and design writer based in the Twin Cities.
