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Color Country Hosts Wall Raising Party
Ivans, Utah volunteers install special wall panels on self-help homes.
Color Country Community Housing Inc. hosted a Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS) wall raising party at its Mutual Self-Help Housing program build in Ivins, Utah on March 10.
More than 50 volunteers, including staff from Utah’s USDA Rural Development area offices, Color Country, RCAC and self-help homeowners were at the Ivins site installing the SIPs panels on two self-help homes.
Crews gathered under the direction of Color Country construction supervisors to learn the appropriate construction methodology. Volunteers quickly mastered the art of lifting, gluing, nailing and installing the insulated panels, framing both windows and doorways. The volunteers’ efforts proved productive and the walls on the homes were raised in fewer than eight hours.
The SIPS homes are the first in a series of Color Country’s Mutual Self-Help Green Homes, which are part of the state of Utah's Green pilot program. The use of the SIPS panels is expected to reduce energy consumption by up to 54 percent compared with standard home construction.
Additional Green elements integrated into Color Country’s Green Homes include Passive Solar Design (solar porches, window placement, building orientation), Insulated (non-ventilated) attic with bonus truss for future home expansion, solar reflective roof tiles, a special Green gas furnace, heat pump water heater, compact fluorescent lights, Whispergreen bathroom exhaust fans as well as other energy saving Green components.
The first group of Green homes are expected to be completed in approximately nine months and will achieve Utah Green Checklist Level II Certification, Energy Star and Enterprise Green Communities Certification.
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