Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver is a leader in sustainable home construction.

Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver builds homes that are not only affordable for our homeowners to purchase, but also affordable to maintain.  Our homes save homeowners hundreds of dollars in utility costs each year.

In 2012, Habitat Metro Denver completed 30 new energy efficient homes, all of which were built to ENERGY STAR standards. Our commitment to sustainable building practices makes us one of the most energy-efficient homebuilders in Colorado, including for-profit homebuilders.

Click here to view our Responsible Building Practices Brochure.

For the past several years, the U.S. Environmental Program has recognized Habitat Metro Denver with awards for our continued leadership in protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency. In 2013, the EPA has given Habitat Metro Denver their highest award, the Partner of the Year Award for Sustained Excellence. Virtually all of our homes receive five-star energy ratings from E-Star and perform forty percent better than code requires.

Green Construction Design Elements

Heating

• Habitat homes are oriented to maximize south-facing window exposure and  take advantage of passive solar heating in the winter.

Location

• Whenever possible, Habitat builds homes in neighborhoods with close access to public transportation, schools, and places for employment.
  
• This not only facilitates a smaller carbon footprint, but also helps homeowners cut fuel costs and decrease commute time.

Indoor Air Quality

• Habitat homes are designed to have healthy indoor air quality by placing windows on opposite and adjacent walls to allow for cross-ventilation.
• Habitat homes’ crawl spaces have 50 cubic feet per minute of continuous-run crawl space fans.
  
• Habitat homes also incorporate non-toxic, low-voc primers and paints.

Efficiency Features
Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver homes include ENERGY STAR products such as:

• Refrigerators
• Front-loading washers
• CFL bulbs

To facilitate additional utility savings, HFHMD also incorporates features like:

• Tankless water heaters
• 90% efficient furnaces
• Low-flow toilets

While seeking out new opportunities to provide energy efficient homes for low-income families, we have completed several unique housing communities that focus on innovative ways to help the environment and our Habitat partner families. They include:

2010: Bails Townhome Community

This 24-townhome, transit-oriented development integrated green building strategies to reduce the negative impact on water quality, air pollution, global warming and the depletion of natural resources.

2009: LEED Homes

Habitat built two Platinum LEED certified homes.

2008: 11-Home Solar Community

Habitat developed a pilot program to test the cost-saving benefits of solar power by installing solar panels on 11 homes in Aurora.

2005: Net-Zero Energy Home

In partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Habitat built a home that produces more energy than it consumes.

Habitat is your source...

We hope that Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver will become a resource that the Denver community will use to learn more about sustainable building practices. We look forward to your participation and input into these and other important Habitat programs.