by jboullion | Nov 24, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a post on Tom Daykin’s blog at JSOnline:
A proposed nine-lot subdivision, showcasing homes with solar energy panels, geo-thermal heating and cooling systems, and other features designed to save energy, has received conceptual approval from the Port Washington Plan Commission.
Developer Mike Speas told me this morning that he plans to build homes with around 1,200 square feet, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, and sell them at around $200,000.
The houses won’t have finished basements, granite kitchen countertops and other amenities featured in comparably priced houses. But they will appeal to people looking to save a lot of money on their energy costs, Speas said.
The houses also will have a traditional arts and crafts bungalow design.
by jboullion | May 15, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Tom Daykin in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
A housing development proposed for Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood would produce the same amount of energy as it consumes, if the project goes forward.
The city Housing Authority is proposing the $40 million development, dubbed Eco-Bay, for the former Army Reserve site at 2372 S. Logan Ave.
Eco-Bay would feature 20 single-family homes and townhomes, which would be sold at market rates. It also would have 110 to 120 below-market rental units: 75 to 80 independent living senior apartments, and 35 to 40 assisted living senior apartments, the Department of City Development announced Thursday.
The Housing Authority would finance Eco-Bay with private investments, funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and federal tax credits given to developers of affordable housing, said Bobbi Marsells, the authority’s assistant secretary. Local developers that receive the credits agree to provide apartments at below-market rates to people earning no more than 60% of the Milwaukee area’s median income – $32,520 for a two-person household.
The authority is in the preliminary stages of obtaining financing, and it hopes to begin building the development in spring 2010.
It would be a showcase for sustainable construction.
The housing would include solar energy panels, geothermal heat pumps, and a plan to contain all storm water on the 5.6-acre site, according to the Department of City Development.
by jboullion | Apr 15, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Ixonia – Zero is the latest buzzword for green building – as in houses that generate as much power as they use. Although going green often is seen as more expensive than conventional construction, some homebuilders are trying to change that. Instead of granite countertops and fancy playrooms, the homes have solar panels and heat pumps.
Tom and Verona Chambers of Black River Falls recently moved into a new home that includes solar panels on the roof, a ground source heat pump and a gizmo that reuses shower water to preheat water coming in from the city.
“We don’t have a gas line into the house – zero cost for gas. We have an electric line, but the goal is to produce as much as we use so we don’t have any electric bill,” Tom Chambers said.
There’s a higher upfront cost to having a completely green home. But federal tax credits and grants from the energy conservation group Focus on Energy and a local utility, WPPI Energy, helped bring down that extra cost.
“The other side of the coin is the ongoing utility costs that we will not have,” Chambers said.
Closer to Milwaukee, developer Mark Neumann wants to take zero-energy construction a step further.
After touring a green home last summer, Neumann and his son began designing a house that would go beyond zero-energy.
The result: a home now under construction in Ixonia that will produce all the energy that would be consumed in the house – as well as the electricity that a plug-in hybrid vehicle would need for a daily commute.
by jboullion | Nov 18, 2008 | Uncategorized
The Web site awkwardly called the Database for State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency hosts two useful fact sheets for any individual or business considering a renewable energy installation.
Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit covers these eligible renewable enrgies and technologies: Solar Water Heat, Photovoltaics, Wind, Fuel Cells, Geothermal Heat Pumps, Other Solar Electric Technologies
Business Energy Tax Credits covers these eligible renewable enrgies and technologies: Solar Water Heat, Solar Space Heat, Solar Thermal Electric, Solar Thermal Process Heat, Photovoltaics, Wind, Biomass, Geothermal Electric, Fuel Cells, Geothermal Heat Pumps, CHP/Cogeneration, Solar Hybrid Lighting, Direct Use Geothermal, Microturbines
by jboullion | Oct 21, 2008 | Uncategorized
From a story by Sarah Rasmussen on WEAU News:
We’ve all heard of building energy efficient homes, but with a new grant, a Black River Falls couple is taking their plans to the extreme.
The Chambers’ are building a Green Max, net zero home that will produce just as much energy as it consumes.
Tom Chambers says the overall cost is $325,000 to build, but a $50,000 grant from Wisconsin Public Power Inc. and an additional $16,000 in energy incentives will help them complete this technological wonder.
After more than a year of planning and several blueprints later, the chambers are finally able to build their Green Max home.
“We always, both of us have been conscious of sustainability and conservation,” Chambers says.
Solar panels will help the home produce energy, but there are many other energy saving aspects in the home to help it break even.
“First thing you have to do is build a home that is isolated from everything exterior,” Chambers says.
“We’ve added additional foam insulation under the basement slab. There’s two inches of foam there. There’s two inches of foam on the exterior of the basement walls. You can see we’ve added an inch of foam all the way around the exterior of the wall,” says General Contractor Todd Paige.
He says they built the home using 2x8s instead of 2x6s to increase the amount of insulation in the walls.
Another interesting aspect of the home is the windows. For example, the windows on the west side of the house will be treated to let more heat from the sun in during the winter, while the windows on north side of the house have been treated to block heat from the sun during the summer.
The Chambers’ home will be heated by a geothermal heating system.
