A Miami Beach home, located at 2020 Alton, has been awarded LEED Platinum, with the score of 120/89.5. The project is a joint effort of developer Matthew Lahn of the Florida Green Home Design Group, architect Ari Sklar of Sklarchitecture, and general contractor Robert Arkin. The project also has an -8 HERS score, has been named an Energy Star Qualified Home, and has received the National Green Building Standard Emerald rating, which indicates that the house saves 60% or more of its energy use.
The 3,200 square foot house is powered by a combination of 600w Vertical Axis Wind Turbines made by Urban Green Energy, and an array of 11.5kw high efficiency, frameless solar panels made by 1SolTech. The house has a solid concrete structure with closed cell/open cell foam insulation and Low E insulated impact resistant windows, which, taken together, provides enough power to for the household with some left over to be sold back to FPL through the grid for credit. The house is also fitted with a battery back-up system that will provide enough power to run the essential components of the home in an emergency situation. In addition to that, the solar panels are rated for 160mph winds and the wind turbines are easily folded down and secured during extremely windy conditions.
The windows and doors are from the CGI Estate series manufactured by CGI Windows & Doors. These impact resistant windows and doors feature clear anodized aluminum frames with monolithic grey Energy Advantage Lo E 366 high-performance glass. These windows are designed to withstand category 5 strength hurricane winds.
The house also features a 7000 gallon concrete cistern to store the collected rainwater, which will be used to fill the pool and irrigate the garden. The cistern is also coated with a product called Pond Armor, which makes the water potable and therefore making it possible to use in the event of an emergency.
The heating and cooling needs of the home are taken care of by geothermal heat pumps made by Dual Air. These pumps also produce almost all of the hot water for the home, while evacuated solar tube collectors from Solarus provide a redundant hot water source. This is a groundwater system that is used in conjunction with supply and discharge wells that were developed by Centerline Drilling. A backup hot water source is provided by tank less gas water heaters.
Other sustainable and green features of the home include:
– LED lighting used throughout the house.
– Sustainable wood custom cabinetry made by Poggenpohl.
– An energy efficient appliance package designed by La Cuisine Gourmet.
– WaterSense-qualified faucets and fixtures made by Toto (bathroom cabinetry is made from sustainable materials)
– Recycled glass countertops manufacture by Vetrazzo.
– Low-VOC paints and finishes by Sherwin Williams.
– Icynene spray foam insulation.
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