Pioneer Valley Habitat prioritizes the building simple, energy-efficient homes for the benefit of both our future homeowners and the environment. It’s important to look at a home as a whole system in the design process planning for lots of insulation, air tightness, ventilation and good mechanicals. We now build exclusively all-electric ENERGY STAR certified homes. When possible, we include active solar PV on the roofs to create power to make the goal of zero net energy within sight.
It’s especially important for our homebuyers to not just have an affordable mortgage, but an affordable utility bill. Volatility in electrical costs can make this difficult, which is why it’s so important to invest first in reducing the overall energy demands of a house through efficiency and then adding solar when feasible. While costs do go up in the winter in an all electric house, it can still be significantly less than paying for oil or other fossil fuels in a drafty older home.
All electric homes are part of building for the future. Local, regional and global efforts to decarbonize require moving our buildings to systems that can be operated on renewable energy.
PVHH’s Building Techniques
- Building smaller, “big enough” homes to decrease energy requirements
- All walls are super insulated and include continuous insulation to reduce thermal bridging
- Working with recycled insulation whenever possible
- Building airtight by sealing all window, door, and sheathing joints to minimize outside air infiltration
- Good indoor air quality with controlled ventilation (HRV or ERV)
- High efficiency double or triple pane windows
- High efficiency heating, cooling and hot water systems
- All electric homes powered with solar photovoltaics when possible
Energy Efficient Homes
PVHH is striving to create homes that are affordable, durable, and good for the environment. That’s why we’ve committed to meeting ENERGY STAR standards in all of our builds, with a goal of building net-zero-possible homes.
| Project | Sq. feet | HERS (no PV) | HERS (with PV) | ACH50 | Annual Utilities Estimate |
| Florence, 1br completed 2019 | 672 | 46 | 8 | 1.75 | $238 |
| Northampton, 3br completed 2020 | 1,222 | 42 | -16 | 0.95 | $0 |
| Northampton, 2br completed 2021 | 936 | 44 | -5 | 2.88 | $84 |
| Shutesbury, 3br completed 2021 | 1,344 | 51 | 24 | 1.39 | $1,115 |
| Pelham, 3br completed 2022 | 1,308 | 39 | -1 | 1.47 | $1,341 |
| Pelham, 3br completed 2022 | 1,408 | 40 | 0 | 1.19 | $1,406 |
| Conway, 3br completed 2023 | 1,344 | 35 | -17 | 0.95 | $84 |
| Northampton, 1br completed 2023 | 834 | 37 | -13 | 1.48 | $84 |
| Northampton, 2br completed 2023 | 934 | 36 | -19 | 2.08 | $84 |
| Northampton, 3br completed 2023 | 1,037 | 34 | -19 | 1.82 | $84 |
For the MJ Adams Legacy Women Build Initiative in 2014, on East St. in Easthampton, we built this zero lot-line duplex as a “zero energy possible” home. Thanks to a generous donation from Pioneer Valley Photovoltaics, these homeowners have the opportunity to potentially generate as much energy as they need to operate the house on-site.
Since 2018, all of our builds have included donated or reduced-cost solar panels and have been classified as ENERGY STAR certified and/or Zero Net-Energy Ready Homes by the Department of Energy. These include our Smith Street build in Greenfield, our first Big Enough small home in Florence, and our multi-home modular project in Northampton.
Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity’s homes received recognition in 2020 at the Habitat for Humanity House Design Contest, winning Best in Sustainability, and at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Housing Innovation Awards in the affordable category. PVHH was recognized again at the Habitat for Humanity House Design Contest in 2021 with the Design of the Year award. This award recognizes Habitat builds such as this one that prioritize energy efficiency in simple, accessible home designs, making homeownership more accessible and affordable for families with low income.
The City of Northampton is also taking part in making buildings more energy efficient, for both existing structures and future builds. Learn more about their climate action plan in this mini-series, and check out Chapter Three: The Opportunity in Buildings below!