Murdock Residence
Location: off old Lystra Road, Chatham County, NC (2004)
Orientation: true South
Size: 2,221 SF heated; 484 SF garage; 396 SF workshop/storage; 132 SF covered walkway and entry; 168 SF E screen porch; 224 SF W screen porch; 433 SF South patio
Features: 12" AAC (Autoclave Aerated Concrete) block walls; R-38 roofs; northern low-e on South glazing; southern low-e on North, West and East glazing; 2'-6" overhangs; 694 cu.ft. concrete slab; recycled metal roof (Met-tile)
Heating: Radiant floor with solar collectors for preheat and propane gas back up
Cooling: electric air conditioner
"Second Certified NC HealthyBuilt Home Reaches Gold", March 2005. Featured in The NC HealthyBuilt Homes (HBH) Program which officially certified its second home, built by Paul Konove, founder and president of Carolina Country Builders in Pittsboro, NC. This passive and active solar home was the first to reach a Gold Certified level, and is also the first in the Piedmont to receive NC HBH certification.
Scoring more than 250 points on the HBH checklist, the Chatham County home, owned by Bob and Beverly Murdock and designed by architect Alicia Ravetto, achieved the Gold Certified level largely for its use of renewables, such as a solar hot water heater and photovoltaic (PV) system. The home is an example of the first steps necessary to become a "net zero-energy home" – a home that generates more power than it produces.
Not only did the home exceed Energy Star minimum requirements, but it also scored a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) score of 93, meaning the home, based on computer analysis, is 65 percent more energy-efficient than a house built to current NC Building Code. Forty percent of all walkways, patios and driveways were made from permeable materials and a whole house water filtration system was installed. Konove's company also used recycled content roofing material, as well as recycled content insulation, and the house insulation package exceeds code by 40 percent. Passive solar design provides solar heating for half of the home's heating needs and the active PV system provides at least 25 percent of the home's electricity.