Margie and Jim Lussier’s home in Bend, Ore., incorporates passive solar design, solar hot water, and solar electricity, while maintaining the architecture of the high-desert neighborhood.
All appliances are Energy Star qualifi ed. CFL and LED lights make
up 80% of the lighting system. Toilets, faucets, and washers are water-stingy. Drought-resistant landscaping, and a system that cap- tures and stores rain from the roof saves water in the high-desert environment. These features add up to savings: The Lussiers spent roughly $1,000 on their total energy bills in the fi rst year. The home’s southern exposure helps, but not every home site
Solar electric, or photovoltaic panels, also can make economic sense these days, thanks to incentives. A typical 2 kW system, like the one at the Lussier’s house, will trim power costs by only a quar- ter. But a mix of tax rebates and utility-sponsored programs cur- rently cut the $17,500 retail price by a whopping 90%, O’Neil said. And a new feed-in tariff –essentially a premium that utilities must pay customers who generate power from renewable energy–can create a positive cash fl ow from the system over time. To make solar work at the Lussier’s four-bedroom, 2,400-square- foot home, SolAire Homes started with the building shell. The walls are insulated to an R-30 value. The ceiling is R-49, and the slab is R-15. Seams and penetrations are sealed with foam or caulk. Win- dows are high-effi ciency. A whole-house energy recovery ventilator and fi ltration system keeps indoor air clean.
26 GreenBuilder October 2010
has optimal orientation. And sometimes, there’s a competing interest. Scenery won over sunshine in a nearby subdivision, where SolAire recently built a stunning, $1.1 million home next to a golf course. Views of the course and the Cascade Mountains led the owners to design a home with huge expanses of west-facing glass. But high insulation levels, a geothermal heat pump, and solar pan- els installed on a side roof combine to help give the home Platinum- level LEED certifi cation. The home’s out-of-sight solar panels underscore an important
consideration. Some homeowners are proud of their solar deci- sions and are happy to have highly visible panels. Others opt for more-subtle solar. Some homeowner associations and architectural review committees have rules covering panels, such as installing them fl ush to the roof. State solar access laws and local zoning
www.greenbuildermag.com
Please add: Photo courtesy SolAire Homebuilders
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52