Residential Project Gallery - No More Energy Cost Blues in the Blue Hawaii | |
 | Overview For over 35 years, Gentry Homes, Ltd. has been developing and building superior homes and communities in Hawaii delivering exceptional value to their customers. Haleakea, Gentry's most luxurious residential development on the Ewa Plain, features 171 four- and five-bedroom homes with more than 2,800 square feet of covered space on lots of 5,000 square feet each. Fifty of the homes border the lush fairways of the 27-hole Hawaii Prince Golf Course. All Haleakea homes are two stories and many homes, not bordering the golf course, enjoy breathtaking views of the Waianae mountain range. |
Challenge Ewa's year-round sunny weather causes excessive heat gain. Utilizing an effective insulation and air barrier material in combination with right sized central air conditioning units is important in maintaining a comfortable indoor living environment while keeping the operating costs low. |  |
 | Solution “Effective air-sealing of the building's envelope utilizing a top quality insulation product was our primary goal and that is the reason we selected the Icynene® insulation and air barrier material,” said Bob Kayser, President, Gentry Homes “Icynene® sealed all the gaps vulnerable to air leakage and allowed us to install smaller air conditioning units. We could save on upfront costs while conveying the benefit of monthly energy savings to our customers through an energy efficient Gentry Home.”. Haleakea homes are built with Gentry's VIP (Value Included in Price) features. Each home has a high-efficiency central air-conditioning unit, as well as dual-paned low-e windows that reflect hot, infrared light to keep the cool air circulating inside. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Icynene® open-cell spray foam insulation was sprayed in the walls and ceilings to create an air-tight barrier against the outdoor heat. Icynene Licensed Dealer JDH Construction, Ltd. sprayed Icynene® at 3.5 inches thickness in the walls providing an R-value of R-13 and in the ceilings at 5 inches thickness providing an R-value of R-19. In addition, the Hawaiian Electric Co. approved 120-gallon solar water heater and a fluorescent lighting package was included to help keep the electricity bills low. Results An Affordable Energy-Efficient Home Icynene® insulation made these luxury homes energy efficient and more affordable to operate. When compared with a smaller sized home, containing fiberglass insulation instead of Icynene®, the Icynene® home proved to be 39% more energy efficient. The comparative data follows: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The homeowners of Icynene® home are enjoying $109.00 on an average in monthly energy savings. Other Icynene® benefits are: Minimized Cooling Cost: The Icynene® home is 216 sq. ft. bigger with higher ceilings resulting in additional air volume. In addition, during the daytime, the southern exposure of the Icynene® home generates an increased radiant heat gain through the many windows, while the fiberglass home's northern exposure and fewer windows saves it from the excessive radiant heat gain. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Given that all the above features point towards a higher cooling load on Icynene home, the home uses much lesser energy and is 39% more cost effective than the fiberglass home. Comfortable living: The hot and humid climate of Hawaii with outside temperatures ranging between 75 and 90 degrees means higher cooling requirements. By minimizing the ingress of warm humid air, Icynene® helps reduce the latent load on the air conditioning unit. The high efficiency 16 SEER air conditioning unit along with the humidistat helps maintain a comfortable indoor environment in the Icynene® home."While a more energy-efficient home may increase the overall price of a home, the consumer gets paid back in lower monthly bills," said Bob Kayser “As the cost of fuel goes up, the payback could be even faster than you'd think.” |  |
It is no wonder that Haleakea's homes are well received by energy conscious buyers. The first release of 17 homes in March 2006 was sold out within a few weeks and the same response followed with subsequent releases. Upon the completion of the project, yet another feather was added to Gentry's hat, Haleakea's Waialea plan won the Energy Value Housing Award and the 2 Star Built Green Award at the BIA (Building Industry Association) Hawaii's Parade of Homes 2006. To contact an Icynene Licensed Dealer in your area click here. For more information about Icynene®-installed projects, visit our Project Gallery. | |
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