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Can a "green" home ever be affordable for a moderate income family? Guilford Technical Community College seeks to answer that question as faculty and students construct a demonstration home that will eventually go on the market in a mid-priced neighborhood.

GTCC students build a home every year as part of their learning experience, but this time the college wants to focus on sustainable construction and renewable energy training as part of the N.C. community college system's "Code Green" initiative.

The college received a $164,576 grant from Duke Energy to help design and outfit a certificate program in solar photovoltaic installation and repair, and to help pay for the design, construction and landscaping of the home. The grant funds will be used to develop the curriculum; train faculty in the construction technologies, architectural technologies, HVAC and plumbing departments; purchase training and equipment; advertise for public tours of the green home; and pay for the cost of seminars and speakers to educate the public about renewable energy.

Today, six faculty members met to review the blueprints of an 1,800-square-foot, three bedroom house that will be built on a corner lot in a subdivision near Walmart off South Elm-Eugene Street. A 2,400 square foot house is currently listed in the neighborhood for $139,000 so that gives you an idea of the price range GTCC has to deal with. In contrast, most of the new green homes in this area that I hear about cost at least $200,000-$300,000.

"We're trying to price it so it fits into the neighborhood but it still provides an opportunity for our students to do a PV installation and solar thermal and do as much sustainable construction as we can afford," said Shanna Chastain, who oversees industrial construction and engineering courses at the college.

The faculty intend to pursue some type of green building certification for the house, preferably LEED. The house will include passive and active solar elements, as well as full insulation, eco-friendly materials,  rainwater harvesting, and outdoor native plants. Construction should begin on the house next year using modified student designs. Chastain said she hopes to get a donated PV system or at least offer one for purchase to prospective homebuyers.

Chastain said she used to live in a 4,000-square-foot passive solar house with solar hot water and her utility bills were half as much as what she paid when she moved into a typical house half that size.

"I feel strongly that medium income homebuyers really need energy efficiency in a home," she said. "And using that location as an educational tool is really a strong part of our grant commitment."

I plan to follow this project and write about it formally once construction starts.