For Immediate Release
Contact: Chellee Siewert, Metropolitan Builders Association Executive Director – 262.436.1122 or Pattie Stone, MBA Director of Construction
Affairs – 262.436.1122
Energy Star Testing for the Wisconsin Trend Home™ set for Wednesday, August 13th, 9:00 a.m. at the jobsite!
1512 Rockridge Way, Waukesha (Rolling Ridge Subdivision)
(Waukesha, WI) – July 30, 2008– Since the ground breaking of the Wisconsin Trend Home™, which took place in February 2008, Wisconsin ENERGY STAR® Homes has been carefully monitoring the home’s construction process, ensuring that standards for air tightness, ventilation capacity, and combustion safety are being met at every step along the way. The final performance test is open for the press to attend on Wednesday, August 13th at 9:00 a.m.
Tom Bawolek, from Five Star Energy Corp., Tim O’Brien, the general contractor on the project, and Chellee Siewert and Pattie Stone from the MBA will be available at the test to answer any questions that members of the media may have. A summary of the performance testing includes:
- Blower Door Test – ENERGY STAR® will instigate 20 mph wind from all directions which will determine areas of air leakage in the home.
- Infrared Scanning – This will allow ENERGY STAR® to locate cold spots and air leakage points or insulation flaws in hidden locations, such as interior chases or inaccessible areas of an attic.
- HVAC Airflow Testing – ENERGY STAR® will measure supply and return airflows from the furnace to ensure that the system is reasonably balanced. Balancing of airflows can often improve comfort as it focuses on how your home is heated.
- Ventilation System Testing – This tests ventilation equipment, such as bathroom exhaust fans, to ensure that they are able to expel moisture and odors from the home.
Benefits of the Wisconsin ENERGY STAR® Homes Program include lower operational costs, better control over indoor air quality, and assurance that your home is properly built and tested to Wisconsin standards. Full diagnostic performance testing of mechanical systems and the building shell completes the certification.
The Wisconsin Trend Home™ is opening its doors to the public on August 16th. Elements of the home will be used to show consumers and builders alike that technologies which will be typical in homes in the year 2020 can and should be utilized today. Besides the very important educational aspect of this home, there is also a charitable aspect. The Wisconsin Trend Home™ will eventually be listed for sale. The proceeds from the sale will be utilized to provide a $200,000 grant to La Casa de Esperanza, which will help to train low-income workers in the construction industry, and the remainder will go to the WBA Foundation, which will be utilized in a scholarship fund to attract high quality students to a career in the building trades.
