By YVETTE SAARINEN
Of the News-Register

Even with construction going on all around, Dennis and Karen Carlson's home on Mount Mazama Street is so quiet they can almost hear a pin hit the floor.

The town's first certified Energy Star home, the two-story craftsman was built in the west hills by John Mead of Cellar Ridge Custom Homes in McMinnville.

Energy Star Homes is a program offered by the Environmental Protection Agency. It grew out of the Energy Star Appliance program, which offered various kinds of incentives for investing in the energy efficient models. In Oregon, the Department of Energy is the third-party agency which oversees certification.

Generally, Energy Star homes are built to efficiency standards that are 15 to 30 percent above code, according to John Morris, who heads the marketing division for the program's Northwest office in Portland. By building just 15 percent above code, it will have the same affect on carbon emission reduction as parking a car for two months out of the year or planting 200 trees a year, Morris said.

One Energy Star home can keep 2,070 pounds of greenhouse gases out of the air each year. That's equivalent to not driving 2,244 miles, he said.

The Carlsons were struck by how easy it was to keep the house cool in summer and now that fall is here, how quickly it can be warmed up. Most days just turning on the gas fireplace for a little while does the trick.

Now that they are retired, they are looking forward to the $200 to $400 projected annual savings on energy bills.

Double-paned windows and insulated doors were tested for leakage and show a minuscule leakage rate. Other features include a high-efficiency heat pump and an air recovery ventilator that brings in air from outside and preheats it before circulating it through the house. That takes care of the humidity problem - one family can introduce 18 pounds of water into a house each year, Mead said

An added bonus is that smells just disappear, Karen said. "The house always smells fresh," she said.

The hardest part, according to Dennis, is getting used to not opening the windows.

All of the systems are controlled at one programmable center in the house.

The Carlsons chose a home with strand bamboo flooring. It's made from shredded bamboo that is stacked and compressed with resin. It's 46 percent stronger that red oak and comes from a sustainable source.

Other floors are Marmoleum, which is a natural product made from linseed oil, jute and plant fiber. It contains no petroleum product and emits no volatile organic compounds. When it's outlived its usefulness in 20 or so years, it can be put it a landfill because it is biodegradable.

Attention was paid to the exterior as well, Mead pointed out. The back deck is a product called Trex and is made from recycled plastic. It is highly durable and requires far less maintenance. The Carlsons lived in Seattle for awhile and remarked that they won't miss having to refinish the deck every year.

Lawn was kept to a minimum, reducing the need for mowing. The owners instead opted for well-mulched gardens with low-growing plants and shrubs.

A showpiece of the house is the 6-by-28-foot front porch with three cultured stone pillars. The 1,820-square-foot home is in the $339,000 range, Mead said. Design features rather than energy-efficient components placed it in that category, he said.

Morris said Mead is a leader in the Energy Star market and is targeting consumers who want to have better homes. He said Energy Star homes have higher resale and longer term value.

For more information, call Mead at 503-560-2263 or Morris at 1-503-310-2987, or visit the website at www.energy star.com. Locally, information about Energy Star Homes also is available from David Christie, conservation manager for McMinnville Water & Light, 503-472-6158.

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