Ecohouse - About

At EcoHouse Santa Fe it is our mission to build environmentally friendly and energy efficient homes. We provide our customers with living environments that are not only healthy and conducive to personal well-being but which also exert as little stress on the environmnent as possible. Alot of work and consideration goes into this process and EcoHouse Santa Fe prides itself in focusing on the following main components of environmentally conscious construction:

Lots are carefuly laid out to leave as much native vegetation in tact as possible. Site drainage planes are laid out to irrigate existing trees and vegetation using swales and terracing. Extensive excavating is also avoided wherever possible.

Paints often used by EcoHouse Santa Fe are clay, non-toxic, and solvent free. Exterior walls are insulated with thick (usually 13-inch) recycled cellulose blow in insulation. The interior walls are generally constructed of full adobe to contribute to the overall thermal mass of the house. Lastly, the footings, retaining walls and slab are insulated with blue board.

Top energy savings can be achieved by a three-component system. First, the housing envelope is insulated at a R-50 value with a R-70 value ceiling. The second component is that the housing envelope is virtually airtight (High-tide construction). The third component is the innovative heat recovery ventilation system which exchanges the air volume of the house up to nine times a day. Together, the components of this system work to eliminate any heat loss from the home producing up to 70-80% energy savings. Other energy saving features utilized by EcoHouse Santa Fe include: passive & active solar, triple pane low-energy windows, and the use of EnergyStar appliances.

All of the wastewater produced by EcoHouse Santa Fe buildings can be recycled and used for irrigation. A rainwater collection system is also often installed. EcoHouse Santa Fe makes use of other water efficient features as well such as EnergyStar dishwasher and laundry appliances, dual flush low flow toilets, and other low flow plumbing throughout the house.

EcoHouse Santa Fe prides itself in using only environmentally friendly materials contributing to the overall health and environmental quality of the home. Through the use of a innovative heat recovery ventilation systemthe air in a building is refreshed up to nine times a day while keeping up to 95% percent of the heat inside. Additional filters may also be added to the system to ensure better indoor air quality and prevent allergy provoking pollen and particles from entering the home. To further improve indoor air quality no carpeting is usually installed, no VOC paint used, and lumber or wood installments are carefully chosen (Most commercial cabinets for example contain formaldehyde and other harmful toxins). A switch off option is availble for electrical wiring in EcoHouse Santa Fe buildings to provide homeowners the option of a space free of electro-magnetic fields and radiation.

The operation of a EcoHouse Santa Fe home is very uncomplicated, as there is no conventional heating system. Windows do not need to be opened as the HRV system ventilates the home much more efficiently than the homeowner could by opening and closing windows. Dust is virtually non-existent due to the fine filters in the HRV system. Every six month those filters need to be cleaned which is as easy as cleaning a cloth dryer filter.

Due to the extremely low energy consumption of bulding constructed by EcoHouse Santa Fe, the carbon and environmental footprint is exceptionally small. The home achieves this small footprint not by adding a huge solar or wind system to make up for the consumption but through true conservation and reduction of energy consumption to begin with.