Each year, The New American Home (TNAH) demonstrates that housing performance can be built into any home, anywhere, at any price. For the past five years,
Each year, The New American Home (TNAH) demonstrates that housing performance can be built into any home, anywhere, at any price. For the past five years, concrete wall systems have provided the energy-efficient building envelope for this official show home of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Located in Las Vegas city limits about 10-15 minutes from the Las Vegas Convention Center, the home debuted at the International Builders’ Show, January 20-23.
The exterior structural walls and basement foundation of this year’s home were built with insulating concrete forms (ICFs), supplied by ARXX Corp. of Cobourg, Ontario, and installed by Las Vegas-based Southwest Masonry. In addition to a high R-value derived from the foam insulation, the thermal mass of the concrete walls helps the home achieve a high level of energy efficiency.
Cosponsored by the National Council of the Housing Industry and the project’s leading suppliers, the net-zero energy home was built on a half-acre lot across the street from the 51-acre horse stables and pasture owned by Las Vegas Strip mainstay Wayne Newton. TNAH also incorporates concrete pavers from the North Las Vegas manufacturing facility of Bradstone (an Aggregate Industries Company); Cultured Stone from Owens Corning of Toledo, Ohio; and, a cementitious base coat acting as an exterior finish from West Warwick, R.I.-based Dryvit. Cemex was the sole ready mixed supplier on the project.
In addition to the abundance of concrete products used in its construction, TNAH includes active solar (photovoltaic cells) and passive solar design (orientation and shading), as well as a gas-powered mechanical HVAC system.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America program estimates the home uses about 70 percent less energy for heating and 61 percent less energy for cooling than a comparably sized wood-frame home in a similar climate. That level far exceeds the Energy Star requirement of at least 15 percent greater energy efficiency than a typical home. Builders of the house also are applying for Emerald status under the newly established NAHB Green Building Standard.