The 50,000 Green Homes Initiative: Project List

Home #1 

Remodel. We built our home in 2000 and used standard construction techniques. We used south facing windows for heat gain in the winter and add additional insulation in the attic. We added 3 kw solar array in 2006 and a 16'x10' solar thermal collector. Our utility bills have averaged 6 per month in the summer and so far this winter have been around 40 per month. We used Anderson low e, argon gas windows throughout. We added a forced air heater system to our thermal array. It heats the air before going into a standard forced air gas system and does most of the work in the spring and fall. Our solar PV system uses an OUTBACK inverter with maximum input flexibility. We can quadruple the battery storage and go off grid if need be. We also invested in an energy star refrigerator in 2007.

Estimated Cost: $31,000

Start Date: June 2005
End Date: October 2007

More info: We will be adding an additional 2-3 kilowatts in the near future and will go off grid with the electric with a gas backup generator.

Home #2

Remodel. We will be moving an existing 5 bedroom 1970 rambler onto a new foundation in a lot we own across the street and turn it into a split level to maximize ground insulation effect and space utilization. We would like to build a platinum leed home out of this existing one that is a similar design as featured on this web site so I am very happy to have found it. We will be recycling everything including fixtures.

The lot is a full acre with protected wetlands and will support two homes.

So one will be recycled and one will be new unless we can find a house to move onto it. The project is still in the planning stages but I've got a pretty good idea about what I want to do. I would like to use a heat pump due to shading issues but am hoping to find a way to add solar later. We will utilized passive solar by material selection and I am very interested in thermal mass. I have a stone/brick building that is super efficient and uses almost no energy during the winter, so I've got some real world experience with that material. 

Estimated Cost: $120,000

Start Date: 5/08
End Date: 10/08