Green By the Water

In the old days, lake houses were more like camp cottages — simple, rustic structures in which hot water and electricity were luxuries. Today, we expect lakeside homes to be built for year-round living, with all the modern conveniences we’ve come to depend on. That makes energy efficiency not just smart but essential. All these trends come together at Point William, an attractive new community on Smith Lake.

John Hagefstration’s home offers a majestic view of Smith Lake
The green-minded design began with careful planning by Birmingham architects Shepard and Davis. Occupying a wooded, hilly peninsula, Point William offers 36 lots (including 20 waterfront ones) on 22 acres. The lots were sited to maximize views and preserve trees and common areas for recreation.
“We’re disturbing as little of the terrain as possible,” says Point William developer John Hagefstration, who owns one of the waterfront houses. “And we’re using natural materials wherever possible, including wood, stone and stucco finishes.”
The low-impact footprints and rugged terrain called for building up, not out. The houses have two or three stories, with cleanly detailed traditional exteriors and rustic-contemporary interiors that feature open-plan living areas, plank walls and bands of windows and French doors facing the lake.

The McCutcheon home on Smith Lake
“All the windows and doors have insulated, double-pane glass,” Hagefstration notes. “The houses have 10 inches of blown-in R-30 insulation in the ceilings, with R-13 insulation in the exterior walls. The houses are all-electric, with heat pumps for heating and cooling.” (Electric heat pumps extract heat in the summer and add it in the winter.) Ground floors are embedded in the sloping site, insulated by the earth that flanks them on one or more sides. Shade from the plentiful trees keeps the homes cooler in summer.
Savvy builders — and buyers — favor energy-efficient measures like those found at Point William. Among Alabama Power’s recommendations for newly constructed homes are double-pane, storm or low-E windows, insulated or storm doors, attic insulation of R-30 or greater, wall insulation of R-11 or greater, and floor insulation of R-19 or better over unheated basements or crawl spaces. Possible sources of leaks in the building envelope should be eliminated using caulking, weatherstripping or other materials. Ductwork should be insulated and sealed. The dominant source of heating and cooling should be a long-lasting electric heat pump, including geothermal and piggyback types (the latter uses additional heating or cooling as a backup system).
New-homebuyers can also take advantage of Alabama Power’s EarthCents program. Homes that earn the EarthCents credential feature high-efficiency water heaters and heat pumps (15+ SEER, or Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio), Energy Star lighting and appliances, airtight walls and ducts, and other energy-efficient qualities.
Beyond saving kilowatts and money, well-insulated, energy-efficient homes help us feel good — not just for being Earth-friendly, but actually, physically, good. They have better air quality and more consistent temperatures throughout. Another feel-good factor: They add to a home’s resale value.
You don’t have to buy a new home to enjoy the benefits of energy efficiency. Any of the above features can be retrofitted in an older house. And many other easy-to-implement improvements are worth doing, from replacing air filters and closing fireplace dampers to wrapping water heaters in insulation and using programmable thermostats, setting them a bit higher in summer, a bit lower in winter and at energy-sparing levels when the house is vacant. Ceiling fans can make a space feel cooler in summer or, rotating in reverse, warmer in winter. LED and compact fluorescent bulbs use less electricity and last much longer than old-fashioned incandescent bulbs.
Alabama Power offers free on-site and online evaluations of home-energy use, including advice on upgrades. The utility also provides financing for new heat pumps and home weatherization. “We even offer free water heaters to people building a new home or switching from a gas one,” notes Starla Curry-Hilliard, Residential New Market Program Manager at Alabama Power.
Technology gives today’s lake houses an edge unknown in the past. When Larry Watts isn’t managing his New Orleans bed and breakfast, the 1896 O’Malley House, he can be found relaxing at his house on Smith Lake, Cody’s Cabin (named for his dog). A remotely controlled thermostat (part of his ADT security/home automation system) allows him to have the temperature at a comfortable level when he arrives.
“I can program everything through my iPad or iPhone,” he says. “A system like this lets you turn lights on and off, check the status of the burglar and fire alarm, and monitor security cameras, from wherever you are.”
When he rents the house to vacationers, sensors shut off the air conditioning if doors are left open for long. “That really cut my electricity bills,” he says. “But most of all, the system provides peace of mind — it’s a great idea for houses that are sometimes unoccupied.”
While he likes his lake house’s energy-efficient features, what Watts prizes most is its beautiful location on a verdant, hill-framed lake in northern Alabama. “I love Colorado,” he says, “and this is as close to Colorado as I can get to in a reasonable drive.” Happily, he’s saving energy as well as gasoline.