Photo By Scott Sturkol | Some of the 56 new homes that were built in the South Post Housing area are shown July...... read more read more
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Fort McCoy’s South Post Housing area’s homes nearly doubled when the installation accepted 56 new homes from the contractor in early July.
The addition of the new homes brings the total to 113 available at the housing area. An Army Housing Market Analysis completed in 2010 determined Fort McCoy has a housing requirement of 134 units based on personnel needs for housing. A housing deficit was created when Fort McCoy discontinued a lease for 80 homes in Tomah, Wis., in 2011.
The new homes are single-Family ranch-style homes — similar to those that were already in place, said Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Housing Division Chief Ross O’Neil. The contract to build the homes was awarded in late 2014.
DPW’s Master Planning Division and Housing Division, the Army Corps of Engineers, and others have worked together to plan for new military Family housing at Fort McCoy as far back as 2006.
“Fort McCoy has been aggressive in the past decade at working to minimize our housing deficiency,” said DPW Master Planner Brian Harrie.
And now the new homes are here, and Harrie said the units are built to be energy efficient.
The homes include geothermal heat sources that provide all heating and air conditioning to the units. Additionally, domestic hot water is provided through high-efficiency, instantaneous tankless natural gas water heaters.
“Geothermal units greatly reduce seasonal heating and cooling costs while providing increased comfort to the Soldier and his or her Family,” Harrie said.
Geothermal home energy systems use the constant temperature of the earth as the exchange medium instead of the outside air temperature, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Though many areas of the United States, including Wisconsin, can experience seasonal temperature extremes such as high heat in the summer and sub-zero cold in the winter, the ground remains at a relatively constant temperature a few feet below the earth’s surface.
Harrie said although the geothermal systems are new to Fort McCoy, systems are quite efficient.
DOE statistics show the system life of geothermal home energy systems are estimated at 25 years for the inside components and more than 50 years for the ground loop. There also are approximately 50,000 geothermal heat pumps installed in the United States each year.
Military Families began moving into the new homes within days after they were accepted by the installation, O’Neil said.
The units also come with a two-car garage, three and four bedrooms, a full basement, and an in-home sprinkler system to protect against fire.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at www.mccoy.army.mil, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”
| Date Taken: | 07.26.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 07.26.2017 12:30 |
| Story ID: | 242615 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 1,197 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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