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A front view of the five-star house. Open houses for the energy-efficient home will be from 1-5 p.m. Feb. 12-13, Feb. 19-20 and Feb. 26-27 at its location adjacent to Weaver Creek at 8780 E. 141st St., between Ind. 37 and Allisonville Road in Fishers.
A back view of the home.
Open houses are scheduled for Feb. 12-13, Feb. 19-20 and Feb. 26-27 from 1 to 5 p.m. Indiana Gas representatives will be on hand to answer questions and show visitors the house.
The Celebration Home was designed by Ball State architecture professors as part of a five-year, $100,000 partnership program between Indiana Gas and Ball State's nationally recognized College of Architecture and Planning.
Constructed by Gradison Building Corp. of Indianapolis, the house demonstrates energy efficiency, comfort and attractive design for a first-time home buyer while celebrating the 500,000th customer milestone for Indiana Gas.
Quality design and construction earned the home a five-star energy rating from the Energy Rated Homes Program. The rating is based on a test that determines how much outside air leaks into the house.
The home includes natural gas heat, water and other gas appliances. Many subtle construction features also will make the house more affordable through energy savings.
"We attempted to use all of the same ingredients and materials you would find in a typical new home construction, but it's where you place them and how you use them that makes the difference," said Michel Mounayar, interim associate dean of the College of Architecture and Planning.
"This demonstrates how by modifying simple components and using them in a well-designed way one can improve the performance of the house," he explained.
Energy-efficient features include raised-heel trusses that allow for better insulation where the roof meets the walls, a prime location for energy loss in many homes. Connections between the floor and the base of the walls also are sealed better.
Other energy savings result from the strategic placement of windows, doors and air lock entryways, plus a direct-vent fireplace that prevents heat loss through the chimney.
Open spaces and high ceilings allow for good air circulation throughout the house, and return air in each bedroom improves the indoor air quality, Mounayar said. Makeup air is brought in from the outside and integrated through the heating system.
The design also provides a large amount of natural light inside, reducing the reliance on energy-fueled artificial light.
Ball State's faculty design team for the Celebration Home included architecture professors Mounayar, Harry Eggink and Robert Koester, director of Ball State's Center for Energy Research/Education/Service; and landscape architect Jeffrey Hall, interim dean of the College of Architecture and Planning.
Indiana Gas Co. will fund the construction of two more energy-efficient demonstration homes over the next three years. They will be designed by a team of professors and students.
The next house will be built in the fall of 2001 on a lot just west of the Celebration Home and will incorporate more advanced design and energy features.
Over the next five years, the partnership between Indiana Gas and Ball State will provide a number of other creative and innovative programs. It will include support of Ball State student-sponsored projects, sponsorship of College of Architecture and Planning guest lectures, funds for library resource materials and $50,000 in minority scholarships.
By Ted Buck, Communications Manager
(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, contact Michel Mounayar at (765) 285-5859 or e-mail: mmounaya@bsu.edu.)
