A difficult decision to tear down a 60-year old lakeside bungalow led to construction of a Challenge Home-certified, LEED platinum home that takes
energy efficiency to new heights in New Fairfield, Connecticut. Owners James Gainfort and Hayden McKay learned the old home’s concrete block walls would not support the second-story addition they hoped to add to take advantage of views of Candlewood Lake and to increase storage space in this escape-from-New York weekend retreat that will one day be their year-round retirement home. So the husband and wife architects decided to make the most of the situation, tearing down the old, asbestos-tiled building to the foundation slab, salvaging everything possible, and designing a new, modern two-story home that captures commanding views, lots of daylight, and significant energy savings.
The couple hired local builders BPC Green Builders to construct the home, which was completed in December 2012. When they moved in, they immediately noticed how comfortable and quiet the home is. “We can turn the heat down to 55°F while we are gone during the week and it takes five days to drop from to 70 to 62°F,” said McKay. The home’s double-wall construction and triple-pane glass windows also keep it very quiet inside. “We don’t hear anyone’s weed whackers or snow blowers.” McKay, who now works as a lighting designer, was concerned that the triple-pane windows’ two layers of low-emissivity coating would block out too much light but she said the coating is barely noticeable to the eye, although it’s certainly contributing to the projected $2,817 in annual utility bill savings. The home achieved a low Home Energy Rating System (HERS) score of 39
without photovoltaics (PV). The home’s flat roof has been structurally reviewed, an inverter location has been identified, and conduit has been installed for the addition of solar panels at some future date. If a 9-kW PV system were added, the solar power production would offset energy use to bring the home very close to net zero with a HERS score of 2.