Introductory Comments for Jackie O’Neil

Introduced by Jill Kowalski (Delaware Valley Green Building Council)

Good evening.  The Philadelphia region is fortunate to be rich with passionate, entrepreneurial leadership committed to making positive change.  With the City of Philadelphia publicly announcing their Plan for Climate Change yesterday, and the fact that the construction and operation of buildings contribute 40% of green house gases, this next award is very timely. 

Every day we each make a decision to do things as we have before OR take the initiative to research and implement a better way.  People that have the motivation and courage to take the path less traveled, inspire others to do the same. 

A local developer took the opportunity of building her and her sisters homes and set out to create a prototype, zero-energy green home, that was affordable, feasible and beautiful.  The success of this project in the Philadelphia market has initiated a dialogue for future climate-responsive development in the region.    

With the support of her design team, she developed an integrated, compact, energy effective design. By optimizing the design through energy modeling, the home produces as much electricity as it consumes from roof-mounted photo-voltaic panels. 

Since I have been to this property I can tell you the results are impressive. 

• In addition to being the first LEED certified home in Pennsylvania,

AND the first gold rated home in the nation;

• The energy conservation driven decisions resulted in a smaller heating and cooling system.  Those savings were invested into a renewable energy system that provides 102% of the home’s electricity.
• The first home was built for typical mid-market custom home cost in the Philadelphia area ($167/SF) using conventional construction loan financing.  The second home, incorporating the lessons learned, saved $12/SF coming in at $155/SF. 
• There was a negligible premium compared to conventional construction and both homes have eliminated utility bill payments and receive an average payment of $50 from the energy company. 

Not only did this individual build a home, but she has also opened her doors to over 400 individuals including school groups, and has given several presentations to interested homeowners and professional audiences.  She has set an example, and assisted and encouraged others to do the same.