BASF Earns LEED-H Platinum For Near-Zero Energy Home in Paterson, NJ

BASF has been developing its Near-Zero Energy Home in Paterson, New Jersey (just a few miles from where I grew up, image of the finished house to the left) since it was selected by USGBC to participate in the LEED-H pilot program back in 2005. Last week, on January 24, the house became the first single family home on the East Coast (and second in the country after Steve Glenn’s LivingHomes model home) to earn LEED Platinum under the pilot program.

Jack Armstrong, Manager of Construction Industry Sector for BASF, said that the company chose to participate in the LEED-H pilot program “to shed light on BASF chemistry as the enabling technology for zero-energy and high-performance homes.” That chemistry helped create expandable polystyrene, polyurethane foam sealants, and cool metal roof coatings, which help the home be eighty percent more energy efficient than a conventional single family house. An independent analysis came to this conclusion after studying the home during the second half of 2006 and measuring its performance with respect to indoor environmental air quality, energy efficiency and environmental impact. In addition to saving energy, the house also produces its own energy. Armstrong notes that “[t] hereare many days that the electrical meter moves in reverse allowing the homeowner to sell the excess energy back to the utility company.”

BASF’s online presentation of the house provides a detailed overview of its building envelope (which includes Insulated Concrete Forms and Structural Insulated Panels), solar power system, and mechanical systems (which incorporate a radiant floor). The company plans to donate the home before the end of March to Paterson’s St. Michael’s Housing Authority, which will in turn relocate a family with a quadriplegic teenage boy into the home.

The Near-Zero Energy Home looks to be a really exemplary green structure and I’m proud that the first LEED-H Platinum project on the eastern seaboard is in the State of New Jersey. I am curious, though, if BASF will keep tabs on energy consumption and the other metrics it evaluated through the second half of 2006 once the home’s new tenants move in.

• About the BASF Near-Zero Energy Home- Paterson, N.J. (BASF)
• BASF Goes Platinum With Near-Zero Energy Home LEED Rating from USGBC (PRWeb)

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