A fresh start: In Michigan, and elsewhere, the movement to build healthier and more energy-efficient houses is slowly gaining ground

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September 10, 2000

http://www.freep.com/realestate/renews/clean10_20000910.htm

A fresh start: In Michigan, and elsewhere, the movement to build healthier

and more energy-efficient houses is slowly gaining ground

BY PATRICIA ANSTETT

FREE PRESS MEDICAL WRITER

LINDEN -- After finding their dream property -- 2 1/4 acres of land

overlooking Tupper Lake -- the Tucker family had one top priority: to build

a healthy home.

In a two-part series starting today, Free Press medical writer

Anstett describes the growing movement to create healthier new homes, with

many new local and national resources.

On Tuesday, in the Free Press Body & Mind section, she will describe how to

allergy-proof existing homes and apartments, as well as how to keep new

homes clean.

Debbie Willing-Tucker, a onetime occupational therapist and full-time

homemaker, has asthma and allergies to pets, molds, smoke, ragweed, pollen

and grass. Her children, Cara, 11, and Zachary, 14, have seasonal allergies.

Debbie was diagnosed at 3, and she and her parents spent years carefully

following prevention strategies to minimize problems.

Debbie's three hospitalizations in 1997 convinced her and her family they

needed to do more.

They heard about a movement to create healthier homes and a demonstration

home called Health House. The on home was built by Carl Terwilliger, a

builder in that city. The Tuckers were so eager to learn more that they

videotaped the model house to capture details to incorporate in their new

home. " We were quite impressed, " says Debbie's husband, Tucker, a Flint

lawyer.

Then they hired Terwilliger, whose leadership constructing health-focused,

energy-efficient homes has earned him commendations from the State of

Michigan.

Every home he constructs holds a five-star rating, the highest available,

through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program. The

ratings are designated after a detailed inspection by private contractors.

They typically cost about $300, and are paid for by home owners or builders.

(See related story on Page 6H to find out more about the EPA program).

Since 1993, when the American Lung Association of Minnesota opened its first

Health House, the movement to build healthier, more energy-efficient homes

has steadily grown. Eleven states, including Michigan, have been

demonstration sites for Health House, a trademarked name that indicates a

home's compliance with nearly four dozen building and health features. (See

accompanying stories on this page for a look at some of the standards and

other resources).

K. Elliot Levinsohn, air quality manager for the American Lung Association

of Michigan, says six builders, including Terwilliger, have worked with his

office to meet clean indoor home guidelines -- the term the Michigan group

now uses -- since the first home was constructed in Northville in 1995.

" This movement will grow as more consumers ask about energy efficiency and

air quality, " said Levinsohn, who makes himself available to consumers for

consultation. " It's tough getting builders on board. Carl and the builders

we work with are unusual. They are champions of the cause. We don't need to

light a fire under them. "

An initial stumbling block to building a high-end healthier house is cost.

Compliance with guidelines to make a healthier home adds 3 to 5 percent to

traditional construction costs, according to Health House. But the payoff

begins immediately with a 30- to 40-percent reduction in annual utility

bills, according to the group.

Sarver, supervisor for technical assistance with the Michigan

Department of Consumer & Industry Service's energy office, agrees with

Levinsohn, saying: " Builders who are energy efficient are into this. But

they are a minority. Still, interest from consumers is there. People are

wondering about this stuff. They are looking for help and advice. "

Dr. F. Riegel Jr., an occupational medicine specialist who started a

Southfield company, Healthy Homes Inc., in 1991, says it is even tougher to

convince insurance companies and courts of the benefit of cleaning up mold

in homes damaged by flooding and sewer backups.

" Think of it, " he says. " If you have mold contaminating drywall and you

scrub it, how do you clean the other side? It's like a sandwich full of

mold. Eventually it will bleed its way through. "

Terwilliger says his top health goal is to eliminate mold in the home.

Eradicating dust is a close second, he says.

He accomplishes this with state-of-the-art heating, cooling, filtering and

air-exchange systems and a temperature-controlled thermostat that

automatically adjusts homes to a consistent temperature when a home is

warmer or cooler than desired. A central exhaust, humidity-control system

also immediately removes moisture and eliminates the need for exhaust fans

throughout the home.

For the Tucker home, Terwilliger added a central vacuum system; an airtight

gas fireplace rather than a wood-burning one; a high-energy particulate air

(HEPA) system; windows that crank open and clamp shut; and a thick plastic

wrap inside the exterior walls to minimize mold.

The Tuckers have done their part. There are no carpets or window covers in

their 2,800-square-foot home. Debbie dusts daily and thoroughly cleans the

home weekly.

The payoff: She has been able to gradually decrease some of the asthma and

allergy medicines she uses since the family moved into the home in June.

Her daughter, Cara, notices a difference, too. Usually, she'd begin feeling

allergy symptoms in late summer, as fall pollens and ragweed allergens

increase. " It does help, " says Cara.