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Fireside Home Construction's Energy Efficient Home Earns First LEED© Platinum Rating in Michigan

Dexter, MI (PRWEB) November 15, 2007 -- When Bob Burnside, president of Fireside Home Construction, decided to build a new model home last year, his vision was to build the most energy efficient home in Michigan. Today, the 2,800 sq. ft. shingle style home features some of the most advanced solutions found anywhere in the U.S.

"When I became a builder more than 10 years ago, I dedicated myself to building the healthiest, most comfortable, durable and energy efficient homes possible," said Burnside. "I'm glad to see consumers and other builders are beginning to acknowledge green building as the right thing to do for us and our planet."

Fireside Home Construction (http://www.firesidehomeco.com)'s? new model home recently become the first "green" built home in Michigan to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Platinum certification from the US Green Building Council (http://www.usgbc.org). The home is only one of 12 in the United States to receive the top-ranked Platinum rating.

LEED for Homes is a nationally accepted rating system that promotes the design and construction of high performance, environmentally friendly "green" homes. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainable development by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health:

?sustainable site development

?water savings

?energy efficiency

?materials selection

?indoor air quality

Characteristics of the Fireside home that contribute to its environmental performance are its:

?Use of solar energy -- The home produces 2 kilo watts of solar energy to offset power from the electric company.

?Super Insulation -- The home is built with structural insulated panels (SIPs) from Insulspan, six-inch thick walls, 10-inch thick roof panels and insulating concrete form (ICF) basement walls.

?Heating and Cooling Efficiency -- The home's WaterFurnace Geo Thermal system is estimated to use only $520 annually for heating, cooling and hot water needs. Geothermal takes heat from the ground in winter to warm the home and reverses it in summer to cool it.

?Energy Saving Materials -- Inside, the home uses ENERGY STAR appliances and lighting (95 percent of the lighting is fluorescent), low flow water plumbing fixtures and energy efficient doors and windows.

?Improved indoor air quality -- A mechanical ventilation system controls moisture and makes the air healthier to breathe.

?Reduced Electricity Usage and Costs -- This is the only home in Michigan with a combined DTE net metering system for the solar panels and a time of day electric metering system for the Geo Thermal heating and cooling system. The net metering system measures how much electricity is generated by the solar panels. Any surplus electricity is "sold back" onto the electric company's grid. The time of day meter on the GeoThermal system measures usage at specific times of day to provide a better rate for the consumer.

To obtain LEED certification, a local, independent third-party, called a LEED for Homes Provider, works closely with the builder to ensure the home meets certain performance benchmarks within various categories. The LEED for Homes Provider then awards points for different aspects of environmental design. Projects are awarded Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum status, depending on the number of points received. Fireside's rater was Patrick Houle, from Diamond Environmental Solutions, Inc. in Whitmore Lake, Michigan.

"With the cost of energy today and the importance of indoor air quality for our health, our team is more committed than ever to building the very best homes we can," said Burnside. "Receiving Platinum Certification on this home is testament to our commitment to energy efficient and green building."

Fireside's model home is located at 7150 Donovan Road, Dexter, MI. The model is open by appointment, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

About Fireside Home Construction:

Fireside Home Construction has been in the business of building new custom homes and providing renovation services throughout southeastern Michigan since 1996. From the beginning, Fireside has focused on respecting the environment by incorporating green building and energy efficiency building technology into every home it builds. The company has received numerous national and local energy efficiency and green building awards and designations. For more information, visit Fireside Home Construction (http://www.firesidehomeco.com) or call (734) 426-4353.

About U.S. Green Building Council:

USGBC is the nation's foremost coalition of leaders from every sector of the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. Our more than 9,000 member organizations and our network of 75 regional chapters are united to advance our mission of transforming the building industry to sustainability. LEED® and Green Building Rating System? are registered trademarks of USGBC.

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