“Pea
Pod Homes unveils its true colors – and they’re green”
By Kyle Ripple
Despite the decline of both home sales and new home
construction around the country, Pea Pod Homes LLC has found an area of the
housing market that is growing: Green construction.
This Sturgeon Bay, Wis., company specializes in the
production of prefabricated homes that capture the energy of the earth and
sun. This is accomplished through a
unique concept and proprietary energy modeling software.
Pea Pod Homes LLC made its debut in
Reduced nonrenewable energy requirements of Pea Pod homes
are achieved by the one-of-a-kind development of a circular air flow system
that surrounds the living space. This
convection system insulates and assists in the heating and cooling of the home.
In every Pea Pod home, one side of the house contains a
southerly-facing sunspace that consists of an outer wall of windows and an
inner wall composed of six-inch by six-inch pine logs. Sunlight passes through the windows and warms
the inner wall. This sunspace heats the
air in this space and causes it to rise to the roof. As the air cools it falls down the north wall
of the home to the space below the home where it
becomes the same temperature as the ground, only to return to the sunspace to
be warmed again.
“This flow of air creates an air temperature within the home
that doesn’t fluctuate much,” said Mark Rittle, head of Pea Pod Homes sales and
production. “Inside temperatures should
remain between the low and mid 70s on sunny days.”
The stored energy in the logs keeps the house heated during
the nighttime hours, according to Rittle.
“From our computer modeling, our 2,000 square foot home if
built in
Pea Pod homes are made from structural insulated panels. These
panels are composed of six-inch polystyrene panels that have an R-value of
22.
“Think about putting ice that remains in a sealed cooler
after a hot summer day,” said Rittle. “The cooler probably only has an inch of
polystyrene. Imagine living in a house
that has six inches of it.”
Besides keeping the home better insulated, SIP panels allow
for faster construction. Rittle
estimates that the walls of a Pea Pod home will be able to be put together on
site after manufacturing in less than two days and completely sealed with
windows and doors in only a week.
“Although a Pea Pod home will cost 10 percent more in
materials, the savings are immediate in labor,” Rittle said.
Materials costs will fluctuate between different regions of
the country, but it is estimated that a 2,200 square foot Pea Pod home will
cost $119,486.
Besides providing a home that saves energy, Pea Pod Homes
LLC has developed their homes in such a way that additions can be easily
made. There are a series of pods that
customers can choose from to make a house that fits their needs. If their needs change and they want to add a
great room on to their already constructed house, Pea Pod Homes has a pod that
will easily fit onto the home without requiring an architect.
Pea Pod Homes plans to market their building plans and
software nationally.
“Consumers are increasingly asking their home builders for
green option in their new construction,” said Rittle. “We hope to provide builders with this energy
saving choice in their portfolios.”
To find more information about Pea Pod Homes LLC go to www.peapodhomes.com.
Ripple is a UW-Madison student in the Department
of Life Science Communication.