Super House

Walton EMC  member's new home on cutting edge of technology, efficiency

Now that Dudley Trolinger's retired, the last thing he wants to do is worry about keeping up a home. He'd much rather spend time riding his Harley Heritage Softail or serving the 1,200 member Stone Mountain Harley Owners' Group as chaplain.

That's exactly why he built a Super House.

First, Troligner's home is virtually termite proof. From a poured concrete foundation to steel floor trusses to high-resin subflooring to Thermasteel® panel wall construction, there's nothing for the subterranean pests to eat until they reach the ceiling joists. By then they'll probably give up.

Steel construction makes the home easier to build. Steel floor trusses and interior wall studs are pre-punched to accommodate wiring and plumbing. The foam core wall panels also have pre-formed chases for wiring.

Steel construction also saves 40 to 50 percent in construction labor costs. On top of that, there's no fretting with warped or split boards. Every steel stud, joist or steel-foam panel is made to exacting factory specs. There's no worry with out-of-dimension lumber or expansion and contraction that causes annoying nail head pops.

The main building block is the Thermasteel wall panel. These panels use structural grade double steel framing bonded with a rigid fire-retardant expanded polystyrene to form the home's walls. "The panels provide four functions in one piece," says Thermasteel of Atlanta's Don Snyder "including insulation, framing, a vapor barrier and an infiltration barrier."

Thermasteel of Atlanta's Don Snyder holds a four by eight foot panel used for wall construction. The panel includes both structural members and insulation. It weighs about the same as one piece of gypsum wallboard yet is strong enough to pass the Southern Florida Hurricane Test for wind loading.

Trolinger won't worry about energy bills, either. The Thermasteel wall panels have an insulation value close to R-25. The typical home in Walton EMC's service area has a little over half that much.

To complement the wall panels, Trolinger installed triple pane argon-filled low-e windows. The low-e coating greatly slows heat transfer from the outside in during summer and inside out during winter.

A geothermal heat pump with over 6000 feet of piping connecting it to the ground supplies heating and cooling. Because the earth is a constant 65 degrees year-round, the system takes advantage of the ground's heat in the winter and coolness during the summer.

The geothermal heat pump's waste heat recovery provides free hot water in the summer. To store the free hot water and boost capacity in high use times, Trolinger has two super-efficient Marathon water heaters from Walton EMC. He knows that after heating and cooling, water heating is typically the second largest energy use in the home.

If all that's not enough, Comfort Home seals every nook and cranny that might be left in the Super House where outside air can leak in and waste energy. After the home is complete, they'll return and certify Trollinger's comfort and energy bills.

While the Super House saves energy, it also saves the environment. The steel framing comes from recycled autos. The expanded polystyrene insulation is made from recycled milk jugs. The heating and water heating equipment uses less electricity. And minimal use of wood requires fewer trees.

Finally, Trolinger's home has super security and communications features. EMC Security provides home security and an integrated structured wiring system. That means high-speed Internet and entertainment access as well as networking for computers, satellite TVs and home theater.

To top it off, Trolinger is eligible for several Walton EMC rebates, including Comfort Home, waste heat recovery and an underground service fee refund.

For more information on Comfort Home call Walton EMC at 770/267-2505. For security and high-speed communications wiring, contact EMC Security at www.emcsecurity.com or 770/963-0305. Finally, check out www.thermasteelcorp.com or call Don Snyder of Thermasteel of Atlanta at 404/886-9373 to learn more about steel and foam core panel construction.

Not only are the structural panels strong, they make construction easy. You can see the chase (hole) that extends completely through the panel to accommodate electrical wiring. Additional chases can be cut wherever needed with a hot wire knife.