December 2009
By Andrea Fox, Ms. Green Quick Fixes SM
Local Heroes
Neil and Martha Chayet, Salem, Massachusetts
Project: Turning the 1811 Justice Joseph Story House into a LEED-Silver-Certified Home
When attorney Neil Chayet of CBS Radio’s “Looking at the Law” and his wife Martha, purchased the historic Justice Joseph Story House on Winter Street in Salem, they did not know it would become the first building on the National Register of Historic Landmarks to become LEED-certified, and at the Silver Level.
The Chayets were introduced to the U.S. Green Business Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) residential pilot program when they began working with an Energy Star representative for their new home back in 2007. They said they were motivated to bring their carbon footprint down because in the United States, buildings contribute more than 50% of the carbon load to the atmosphere, while vehicles contribute around 20%.
From the spray foam insulation that did not interfere with the integrity of the historic property’s architectural details, to simple choices like low volatile organic compound (VOC) paint, conservation-oriented options such as a drip irrigation system for watering lawn beds, and state-of-the-art equipment like an energy recovery ventilation system, thermopane glass windows, radiant heat flooring, and a groundbreaking closed-loop geothermal system, this 9,000 foot three-family is a showplace of green living as well as historic preservation elegance.
Geothermal Centerpiece
Taking center stage, the geothermal system provides the Story House with a virtually zero-carbon footprint for heating, air conditioning (A/C), and hot water systems,
And the operating costs are great, too, with geothermal systems having a 500% efficiency factor when compared to oil. That means for every $1 it takes to run the heat pump, there is $5 of energy—equivalent to oil—received, said Neil.
Geothermal systems transfer the heat of the Earth to the house by fluid, which at the Story House is a mixture of non-toxic propylene glycol antifreeze and water that never has to be replenished and will last nearly 100 years, thanks to special piping material. Compress the fluid and you achieve heat, expand the fluid, and you cool the home.
The A/C is particularly efficient, as unusual as renewable energy systems go. “Remember you are cooling 50 degree water, not 90 degree air,” Neil said, noting that the best part is that the system lacks noisy air compressors.
While installation costs of a geothermal system are approximately double that of a conventional system, the Chayets will receive 30% back in federal tax credits. They said the payback for the entire system is about 7-10 years.
“LEED taught us that this is a lot more than just being energy efficient,” said Martha. While LEED was extra work up front, “we’ve ratcheted-up that quality of life,” she said.
Each item in the certification process provides focus, they said. “You get down into the weeds for how it’s done,” said Martha, who noted that Story House project exceeded LEED’s landscape design requirements, which they attribute to the “excellent design” of Landscape Architect James Emanuel.
The Chayets completed the LEED process before the Adobe Live Cycle software became available and worked closely with a third-party verification consultant—Matt Root of Conservation Services Group (CSG). “Get them in early before you cover up the walls,” Martha advised.
Their ultimate advice in seeking LEED certification comes from Winston Churchill. “Never ever, ever give up,” they said.
For more information about geothermal energy, visit Geoexchange.org.
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