The Town of Westport and Sustainable Westport announced today that 24 Owenoke Park is the 2022 recipient of The Westport Green Building Award for Achievement in Sustainable Design and Construction.

Date: December 12, 2022
Owners: Keith & Kate Melnick
Architect: Jack Franzen
Builder: John & Steve Segerson, Pam Brennan, Segerson Builders
Interior Designer: Chrystal Toth

The Westport Green Building Award for Achievement in Sustainable Design and Construction recognizes residential and commercial projects that make, or have made, significant contributions to sustainability and Westport’s future as a Net Zero Community. This award is a collaboration between the Town of Westport and Sustainable Westport and it acknowledges noteworthy accomplishments that add benefit to the Westport community. 24 Owenoke Park is a stellar example of what is possible with sustainable design and construction in a residential project.

When moving to Westport, CT in 2016, the Melnicks’ goal was to incorporate the sustainable building features they had discovered while living abroad in Switzerland and Australia in their new home. Sustainable aspects of 24 Owenoke Park include an efficient building envelope, use of sustainable building materials, a solar photovoltaic system, and a geothermal heating and cooling system.

The building envelope includes double pane insulated glass with low emittance coating to reflect heat and keep it from penetrating the glass. This reduces heating and cooling demands on the home, as well as the size of the heating and cooling equipment.

The heating and cooling system is an all-electric geothermal heat pump, lessening the home’s reliance on fossil fuels. When heat is required, the heat pump draws heat from the ground; when cooling is required, the heat pump rejects heat back into wells drilled 535’ into the ground. Because the ground temperature is nearly constant year-round, less energy is required to extract and reject heat to the ground than to the air.

A 7.8kW solar array installation of Photovoltaic panels produces clean electricity, powering the home, and allowing it to send electricity back to the electric grid instead of pulling from it. The solar PV panels also power an EV charger for their electric car.

Ultra-High Efficiency Tankless water heaters have also been utilized. Tankless systems provide hot water only when there is a call from a sink or shower, eliminating the need to keep the water heated 24/7.

The interior of the home includes natural finishes and furnishings as well as paint that minimize Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). VOCs are chemicals typically found in building materials and interior furnishings that can cause health problems. The paint also includes cradle-to-cradle (C2C) certification that not only assures the health and safety of the end product, but also sustainable manufacturing practices.

All appliances are Energy Star rated. These appliances meet energy efficiency standards set by the US Environmental Protection Agency or US Department of Energy.

To learn more about what you can do to make your home more sustainable, refer to the Sustainable Westport Green Building Awards Program, and follow the link to Guidance for Applicants.

Photography by Jenaé Weinbrenner.