Earth Advantage Platinum Certified Home See the article in the Feb/March issue of HOME POWER
 When Tom and Kathy Carstens decided to build their retirement home in Applegate, Oregon, they wanted to build a home that reflected their values around sustainability and energy efficiency. Tom had started his research years earlier and had stumbled upon the concept of building a "environmentally sound" home. This got Tom and Kathy fired up and they set out to build the best home they could. During Tom's research he had come across the Earth Advantage program. The goals of the program fit like a glove and he was off and running. It was in late summer of 2004 that they developed a 12-page packet that outlined the principles for the design and construction of their new home. Shortly thereafter they hired Dorris Construction to build their home. Their plans incorporated a number of environmentally sound, energy efficient, durable and healthier indoor-air measures and systems into their home.
The house incorporated the following:
- Insulated concrete forms for the walls
- Structural insulated panels for the roof from Structures NW
- Ground source heat pump
- All ductwork inside the heated space of the house
- Heat recovery ventilator
- Solar hot water system
- Solar electric panels to generate electricity
- Extended roof eaves to reduce solar heat gain
- Energy efficient windows
- Madrone hardwood and tile floors
- Non-VOC paints
- Recycled 80% of the jobsite waste
The house was designed as a system. It works as a system with very little maintenance. For all the work that Tom and Kathy put into their home, they were recently awarded the Earth Advantage Platinum Certification, the highest level of certification for the Earth Advantage program. In fact, the Earth Advantage staff was so impressed with the work that was done by Tom and Kathy and their builder, Dorris Construction, that they submitted the house for the 2007 Energy Value Housing Award.
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