Wash Park Green photographs © frank ooms photography
In its pursuit of LEED for Homes Gold Certification, this upscale duplex in Denver’s Washington Park neighborhood incorporates numerous energy and water-saving technologies while maintaining superior indoor air quality. Through the use of a fiberglass "blown-in-blanket" cavity insulation system, coupled with rigid exterior insulation, high-performance windows and open-cell foam ceiling insulation, this house dramatically reduces heat losses through the building assembly. Further, at less than 0.01 natural air changes per hour, very little conditioned air is lost through leakage.
Because of the very "tight" construction, pre-conditioned, fresh ventilation air is provided continuously through the units’ heat recovery ventilation systems. Finally, solar thermal collectors on the roof of each unit provide no-cost, carbon-free space and water heating. With the addition of high-efficiency furnaces for those cloudy days, plus a solar photovoltaic array to offset electric demand, these duplex units are each more than 60% more efficient than a comparable, code-compliant home.
Learn more about the high performance and green features of this home at: www.washparkgreen.com/energysystems.html.
