Photovoltaic Systems and Home Solar Power News
Hufft Projects and Make Studios just announced this contemporary green showhouse in planning for the Roanoke neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri. The house was designed to standout and blend in at the same time. Cantilevered overhangs and clean lines captivate, while brick and ornamental iron work match elements of other homes in the area. The Showhouse will be Energy Star and airPLUS rated. A geothermal heating and cooling system is projected to provide a 50% efficiency gain over a typical…
This is a newly constructed contemporary home in Winter Park, Florida. It was designed for a family of four by John Drake of Green Apple Architecture and has 2,988 square feet, as well as terraces, courtyard spaces, and cozy family gathering areas. As a certified green home, it’s also a good example of the kind of home that can be built with proper planning, a decent budget, and the right team. Certified at the Gold level by the Florida Green…
Generally speaking, traditional construction can be inefficient and wasteful, while prefab construction can be non-local and expensive. Somewhere in between, you might imagine, is a potential sweet spot where homes can be built in a smart, green, approachable, and modern way. That’s what a Portland team is trying to do with Minimalist+ and their new SiteFab building process. Minimalist+ SiteFab homes have been designed to cost anywhere from $160-180 per square foot, which includes permitting and professional fees (assuming a…
This is the first Passive House certified new house on the West Coast (joining a California remodel in the Pacific Coast certification club). The traditional home, located in Salem, Oregon, was built with a number of green materials by Bilyeu Homes, Inc. It’s also airtight, ultra-insulated, and very energy efficient — as are other Passive Houses we’ve discussed in Utah, Kansas, and Louisiana. Owners Stuart Rue and Sarah Evans documented some interesting construction detail on their blog, 16th and Nebraska….
With 113.5 points, this North Carolina home is one of the greenest remodels ever certified by the LEED for Homes program, according to EcoHome Magazine. Architect Jay DeChesere led the Wilmington project which diverted 91% of construction waste and secured a HERS rating of 28 post-renovation. You’ll have to admit these are some stellar numbers! DeChesere made a few noticeable modifications (compare old and new above). The garage was converted to into a living space, a carport now extends from…
One of the entries this year in Project Playhouse, an annual fundraiser by HomeAid, is a net-zero playhouse called the Ocean Adventure Lab. The structure, designed by LPA Inc. and built by Turner Construction, will be auctioned off in early September. In the mean time, it’s on display at the Irvine Spectrum Center illustrating a number of sustainable elements. Ocean Adventure Lab was built with reclaimed and recycled materials, natural wool insulation, a composite wood structure, energy-efficient lighting and LEDs,…
This contemporary home just hit the market about a week ago and comes with Earth Advantage Gold certification and a 2.4 kW photovoltaic system expected to save the future owner about 30% on utilities. With three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, and 1,836 square feet, the speculative home at 5110 NE 17th Street also has bamboo flooring, tankless water heating, and energy-efficient appliances for $419,000, illustrating the fact that in progressive cities like Portland, stylish green homes are becoming…
This is the first Passive House in California and the first retrofit Passive House in the entire country, according to a press release issued by Solar Knights Construction earlier this week. The airtight retrofit was accomplished with, among other things, superior insulation, triple-glazed windows, and an energy recovery ventilation system. A Passive House, like ones we’ve discussed in Lafayette, Salt Lake City, and Kansas City, must be airtight, or have less than 0.6 air changes per hour with an air…
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