Case study
Making sustainable homes affordable for all
Learn how the nation’s first carbon-negative, net-zero energy use community used Uponor PEX systems
Location
River Falls, WI
Project highlights
- 18-unit, LEED® Platinum neighborhood
- Carbon-negative, net-zero energy use homes
- Solar, geothermal and rainwater harvesting
Products used
- Uponor AquaPEX for plumbing systems
- Uponor AquaSAFE fire safety systems
- Wirsbo hePEX radiant floor heating systems
Bringing sustainable building to the masses
Developed in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, the City of River Falls, the University of Wisconsin, Frisbie Architects and the St. Croix Institute for Sustainable Community
Development, Eco Village is a master-planned community featuring LEED® Platinum, carbon negative, net-zero energy use homes. Among the sustainable features in the homes, including solar, geothermal and rainwater harvesting, are Uponor’s PEX plumbing, fire sprinkler and radiant floor heating systems.
Started in the spring of 2012, the Eco Village project consists of 18 home sites and a community center on five acres of land that share renewable energy systems (solar and geothermal), walkways, community produce gardens, edible landscapes, green spaces and a proposed fleet of shared electric automobiles for the neighborhood.
As with all Habitat for Humanity projects, the homeowners donate time to constructing their own homes with the help of volunteers. From the groundbreaking in the spring of 2012 through the end of 2013, Uponor employees volunteered more than 1,500 hours at the project site with the help of the company’s paid volunteer time off (VTO) program.
“Four priorities guide Uponor sustainability efforts: conserve water, reduce waste, improve energy efficiency, and empower labor,” says Ingrid Mattsson, director of Brand and Corporate Social Responsibility for Uponor and a founding member of the company’s Sustainability Team. “Being an anchor partner in the Eco Village project, having our product in the homes and having our employees volunteer at the site is a perfect example of our mission.”
