Ten affordable townhomes in Silver Creek Village earned the highest energy efficiency rating available in the United States, which will save future homeowners on annual utility costs in an effort to lower overall housing costs for low-income families. Habitat for Humanity of Summit and Wasatch C ounties previously built 16 homes in Silver Creek Village, but Executive Director Shellie Barrus said the 10 new units, which will be featured in the Park City Showcase of Homes this weekend, have unique energy conservation capabilities. “This home is much more energy efficient than a standard new construction, and the home is also emission-free,” said Kevin Emerson, Utah Clean Energy’s director of building efficiency and decarbonization. “There’s zero combustion, so all of the heating, cooking and water heating comes from efficient electric appliances instead of appliances that combust fossil fuels, namely gas.” Utah Clean Energy, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing energy efficiencies across the state, partnered with Habitat for Humanity to provide guidance on the project’s sustainability efforts, in addition to some financial assistance the organization received from the Utah Clean Air Partnership and the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development. The townhome available to tour this weekend has four bedrooms spread across three floors. Credit: Courtesy of Alyson Bergomi/Utah Clean Energy “Habitat (for Humanity) makes the homes affordable to buy, but Utah Clean Energy is lucky to be able to make them affordable to live in long term,” Emerson said. Specifically, the townhomes have received a NextGen certification from Energy Star, which Emerson said has more requirements and is a more rigorous process than other comparable certifications. To obtain the certification, Habitat for Humanity built the home with air-source heat and water pumps instead of gas pumps and installed electric appliances in the kitchen.  The garage also has the infrastructure to install an electric vehicle charger, and the roof was built so solar panels could be placed easily. “In some ways, you could think of it as a home of the future, but the future is actually today because everything that was put in the home uses what I like to call state-of-the-shelf technologies and building practices,” Emerson said. “Much of the reason why we’re so passionate about energy-efficient, all-electric construction is not only because it reduces the home’s impact on climate change, but also because all-electric technologies keep utility bills low month after month.” Emerson estimated that the townhomes’ owners will save $1,900 on utilities each year, which Barrus said makes it more likely a family will be able to afford the cost of living in Summit County after purchasing the home. She attributed Habitat for Humanity’s ability to install efficient technologies to Utah Clean Energy, saying navigating the NextGen certification process would have been too overwhelming without additional assistance. “We probably wouldn’t have ventured into this because there’s so much information out there,” Barrus said. “It’s very hard to cull through what needs to happen, so we’ve always appreciated our partnership with Utah Clean Energy, but we wouldn’t have said yes or attempted to do this without their support.” The homes, which will be on display during the Park City Showcase of Homes, have electric appliances to avoid creating gas emissions and other forms of pollution. Credit: Courtesy of Alyson Bergomi/Utah Clean Energy The energy-efficient homes will provide residents with health benefits, Emerson said, because the lack of gas appliances means the building has better indoor air quality. Cleaner air reduces the risk of asthma attacks and preserves the long-term health of a resident’s lungs. “The kitchen is often a central gathering place for the family and for the home, and knowing that it’s safer for the families to breathe the air and not have to deal with the emissions that are associated with combustion is a really important part of affordable, efficient and clean homes,” Emerson said. Emerson said Utah Clean Energy’s calculations showed the 10 townhomes collectively would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 175,000 pounds per year, or the equivalent of not driving approximately 230,000 miles in a standard car. The townhomes will be on display during the Park City Showcase of Homes, which Barrus called a great opportunity for Habitat for Humanity to educate the community about affordable housing and to promote energy-efficient technology installed in the building. “We get a chance to not only show them this amazing house we built and how beautiful it is and what a great community it’s in, but we can also dispel a lot of perceptions surrounding affordable housing,” Barrus said. “It really is helpful to talk about why affordable homeownership is important and dispel the myths about what it is and who is living in it. We talk about our families, and many of our families … will be here over the weekend helping take tickets and leading tours.” Barrus said she’s seen firsthand how homeownership can fundamentally change family dynamics, especially in Summit County where many working parents are commuting from the Salt Lake Valley. For example, she described a mother who purchased a Habitat for Humanity home a few years ago. The mother worked at a resort in Summit County and enrolled her children in a Wasatch Back daycare, but the family spent more than two hours in the car every day commuting from Salt Lake City. But once the mother purchased her home, the family’s ability to connect, talk and plan fun activities together increased dramatically, improving their relationships. “I have always felt like owning a home and the stability of homeownership is so meaningful,” Barrus said. “I grew up in a family of nine children, and we always had a home and a place to be. My dad was a homebuilder, so I was involved in this my whole life, and I know what a difference it makes for kids to have this stability, as well as for parents and the community.” For information on Habitat for Humanity, including how to volunteer or apply for a home, visit habitat-utah.org. 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