Stone House Development's newly constructed Overlook located at Hilldale Apartments, Madison, was honored with the ENERGY STAR title on November 22. This designation owes Wisconsin Utilities' energy efficiency and renewable energy program, and Focus on Energy for its financial incentives and technical support.
Marked as a certified green built property, the Overlook at Hilldale was unveiled in August 2011, featuring a 96-unit, multifamily building with 100% cost-effective housing community. It is located in the Hilldale neighborhood, proximal to the west side of Madison.
Guests at the event included the mayor of Madison, Paul R. Soglin, the vice president of Madison-based Stone House Development, Rich Arnesen, and the Director of Implementation for the Focus on Energy Multifamily Program, Abby Vogen-Horn. Others who attended the event included construction and design teams, and various members of Focus on Energy's Multifamily ENERGY STAR team.
With Focus on Energy’s support, the construction project designer worked hard to win the ENERGY STAR designation, by integrating several energy-saving components in this construction project. The features underlined in the event included radiant floor heating, ENERGY STAR windows and patio doors, solar tubes with day lighting controls, energy efficient lighting systems with automated lighting controls, ENERGY STAR appliances including in-unit washer and dryer units as well as high-efficiency heating and cooling equipments.
Apart from these energy efficiency projects, a considerable quantity of energy will also be conserved by implementing renewable energy systems. For better indoor air quality, improved ventilation systems were installed. The building was completely air sealed in order to minimize leakage in the building, thereby conserving energy. After construction, the building was analyzed and verified for its effective performance according to the intended design.