Common wisdom has it that if you really want to know someone, pay attention to what he does rather than to what he says. Energy expert, Mark MaGrann, walks the walk as well as talking the talk. A 24 -7 kind of guy, his home in Medford, N.J. doubles as a demonstration site for best practices in residential energy and green applications, and he is quite happy to have high school and college students, environment groups, politicians, and potential clients troupe through his living room on their way to explore his home.
The South Carolina low country style home doesn't look any different from other structures of the type - what we in this area would call a Cape Cod - but looks can be deceiving. Although there was no certification program established for sustainable construction in NJ in 2003 when construction took place, the three bedroom, one-and-a-half floor, energy star certified house is much more efficient than a similar one built to code at the time, and its energy bills are predictably much less.
The family's mixed-use lifestyle wasn't planned, Mr. MaGrann explained. It just happened. They were intending to make a move, and when no suitable home presented itself, he decided to build one himself. At first he remembers having quite a fight on his hands because his family were very comfortable in their existing home, a not very energy efficient 75 years old structure. But the decision was made and Mr. MaGrann made a personal commitment to practice what he preached, incorporating the sustainable design practices he recommended to others into his own new house. Everything was updated. All the flooring was new growth pine from a sustainable forest, using water-based stains and sealers so there are no VOC glues and paints (volatile organic compounds). It has a central vacuum system, so much of the dust goes into the garage. Energy costs are lower, the house is more comfortable, it performs better in terms of energy use, and is much quieter. It is healthier house. And they are extremely happy living there.
"This house is green and sustainable in every way we could make it," Mr. MaGrann said. "Because of our sustainable design, we were able to have smaller heating and air conditioning units specifically designed for the house, with minimal sizing. Instead of 8 tons of heating and cooling equipment we have 6." When they analyzed their energy bills over the past three years they found the house was 40-50% more efficient than a similar one built to code, with energy bills that were 40-50% less. As a bonus, the MaGranns had managed to stay in their old neighborhood. They've never looked back.
Mark MaGrann grew up in a family insulation contracting business in West Berlin, N.J., a few miles from Moorestown where he is now located. After a brief stint as a teacher his dad became ill, and in 1976 he took over the business. Right from the start he was interested in the energy codes which were emerging at the time. He was also interested in the use of building diagnostics including infrared technology. In fact, he remembers being just about the only one he knew who was interested back then. This constellation of background and interests ultimately led him to develop his own code compliance computer program, which in turn allowed him to use building diagnostics to sell insulation.
As his business developed Mr. MaGrann found there was a market for experts in the energy, design and performance of new homes. It was a natural step for the company to move towards energy efficiency. Nonetheless opening MaGrann Associates in 1982 was a leap of faith because there was still not a great deal of interest in energy. But as energy costs appreciated, interest grew and his business grew with it. Green construction is sustainable construction, he says. It involves resource efficiency and that includes energy efficiency.
Is he saving the earth? As much as he is an advocate for green building, Mr. MaGrann notes that it is difficult to measure the impact of one house at one point in time. "How can we measure the impact of me using recycled plastic carpet instead of the normal nylon or wool variety?" he said. "We can measure the energy performance of any building but it's more difficult to measure the green and sustainable building practices that we incorporate into a building. Results are more readily measured globally than locally." That being said - there is no arguing with his heating costs.
MaGrann Associates is a residential engineering and consulting company based in Moorestown NJ (Philadelphia metro area). The company works to bring energy and resource efficiency to the home building industry in the mid-Atlantic region and beyond, supporting some of the largest utility sponsored programs for new construction and HVAC in the country. MaGrann Associates is a provider for HERS/ENERGY STAR Homes and LEED for Homes programs and performs professional engineering services direct to builders and architects.
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Jacqueline Herships is a publicist and communications strategist working to build public understanding of Sustainability, Green Building, Smart Growth, Community Redevelopment and the Environment. Her column "Spotlight on Green Builders" appears in the USGBC-NJ newsletter. For further information: jacqueline@jacquelineherships.com http://jacquelineherships.com
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