Hunzinger LEED Home is located in the Town of Merton, Wisconsin and was built by Hunzinger Construction Company. This USGBC LEED Certified Platinum and ENERGY STAR rated new home was designed by Johnson Design and Plunket Raysich Architects of Milwaukee. The landscape architect on the project was R.A. Smith National and the green rater was TJH Energy Consulting. This beautiful home set on Okauchee Lake is EPA Indoor AirPlus Qualified, IECC Climate Zone 6, EPA Radon Zone 1, HERS Index 57 and meets 2005 EPACT Energy Efficiency Home Tax Credit requirements.

A superlative example of adaptability design, the house meets HUD guidelines/USADA. The construction waste reduction was 77% and the demolition recycling site and building recycling achieved 90%. The home was built with exceptional windows – U-26 & U-28 rated, enhanced insulation that exceeds IECC requirements, 2 stage air cooled condensing units – 16.3 SEER, 2 stage fan coil units (AHU) with variable speed drives, 2-stage programmable thermostats, a combination water and space heating system – boiler 96% DOE/AFUE, an energy recovery ventilation (ERV) with vent control timer, an attic ventilation system with temperature and humidistat controls, whole house electronic air cleaner(s) – MERV 13, ultraviolet supply air treatment devices and dual flush toilets & low flow fixtures. The house’s exterior strives for sustainability as well with drought tolerant plantings – 90% and irrigation demand reduction – 53%.

The decision to pursue LEED certification under LEED for Homes was a great learning opportunity.  When we registered the project in November of 2008, the first edition of USGBC LEED for Homes Reference Guide had just been released. One of the basic requirements when following the LEED for Homes protocol is to employ a collaborative/integrated design and construction process.  This challenged us to investigate numerous details and consider many options.  The end result was higher design and a very comfortable living environment.  The entire experience was very instructive.

Jim Hunzinger, Executive Vice President, Hunzinger Construction Company