As they prepared for a move into a new home in Exeter, Eric and Cammie Savage considered a lifetime of energy costs associated with a home in New Hampshire’s climate.

A typical oil boiler needs 200 – 300 gallons of heating oil just to make hot water all summer.

As a result, it sends about 6,200 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere, and between $600 to $1000 out the window. Typical electrical bills account for another $1500 and 10,000 pounds of CO2 annually.

The Savages asked ReVision Energy to collaborate with their construction team, including local green builder Chinburg Builders to integrate both solar hot water (SHW) and solar photovoltaic (PV) systems into the project. The closed-loop solar hot water heater is actually backed up by an electric element, which benefits from the energy generated by the solar electric. In the summer months, the 3.0 kilowatt PV array will produce enough electricity to send a surplus back into the utility grid for a net metering credit.

State and federal incentives for renewable energy contributed roughly 49% of the costs of the systems.

“The bottom line is, even without incentives, the solar hot water and PV systems cost less in the long-run (about 15 years) than using fossil-based energy” says NH Branch manager and technician Will Kessler, “It’s a pretty simple and environmentally sound decision.”

ReVision Energy wishes the Savages well in their new home!

The GO Home in Belfast, Maine is slated to be the first “Passive House” in Maine. ReVision designed and installed the solar electric and solar hot water systems.

Come see the new super-efficient GO Home — at a Talk-and-Tour at the Belfast Free Library on Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 7 p.m.

On track to become the first Passive House certified home in Maine, The GO Home is the affordable and super-energy efficient model for the 36-home Belfast Cohousing and Ecovillage slated to begin construction in the Spring of 2010.

Why Build A Passive House?

The GO Home is designed to solve the problems of energy consumption and greenhouse gases resulting from poorly built, drafty homes, which are increasingly more costly to heat and hazardous to the environment.

Among the energy efficient building elements of this remarkable home are triple glazed windows, doors with three air seals, foundation insulation and comprehensive air sealing – including sealing underneath the foundation and on the building envelope.

To offset what energy the GO Home does consume, GO Logic called in ReVision Energy to install solar electric and solar hot water systems. The solar electric system consists of 2.7KW of Canadian Solar panels, which will offset roughly 4,900 lbs. of CO2 emissions annually. The 60-tube Apricus solar hot water array is sized to meet the needs of a family of four, and will produce an estimated 14,200,000 BTUs of clean, renewable heat energy annually.

So far, we have received a report that in March the prototype has produced more energy than it has used. According to CMP we used 137KWH, and made 184KWH, with a surplus of 47KWH!

This Thursday’s event will feature an unveiling and discussion of The GO Home at the Belfast Free Library followed by a preview Tour at 83 Crocker Road, Belfast, on Saturday, April 10 at 11 a.m.

For more information, please contact Matt O’Malia or Alan Gibson at (207) 338-1566 or visit their website: www.gologichomes.com. To track construction and development on The GO Home, visit the prototype blog at: http://www.gologichomes.com/blog/category/prototype/.

What is a Passive House?

Similar to the LEED program, a Passive House (also known as the German “Passivhaus”) meets very strict requirements for building efficiency and performance, specifically regarding insulation values and energy consumption requirements.

More details of these requirements on the Passive House website.

Receiving the Leed for Homes Innovative Project Award
Photo courtesy Bright Built Barn blog

The Bright Built Barn recently won the prestigious 2009 LEED for Homes Innovative Project Award from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

The award recognizes projects, developers and home builders who have demonstrated leadership in the residential building marketplace.

Phil Kaplan from Kaplan Thompson Architects and Tedd Benson from Bensonwood went to Phoenix, Arizona to accept the award at GreenBuild, the USGBC Annual Conference, this past December.

A write-up of the event is available on the Bright Built Barn blog.

We also received this report of performance of Bright Built Barn‘s solar systems, one year later:

I’m happy to report that [BrightBuilt Barn] has exceeded all expectations.

On a subjective level, it has been a joy to live and work in – warm in the winter, cool in the summer, light and airy and lovely to look at all year round. I am also delighted to report that I have not had one minute of trouble with any of the systems – high praise indeed from a guy who hates maintenance and repair, and who has had his share of woes while living in a number of conventionally built houses over the years. The solar systems in the Barn are simple, with few moving parts, and highly reliable – so far, they just work.

BrightBuilt Barn Generated a surplus of more than 5000 KW/hrs in 2008-09

ReVision installed the solar hot water and solar power systems in this innovative, net-zero building.

In its first year, the home’s PV system generation a surplus of 5094 kilowatt-hours – or enough energy to power 5 conventional homes for a month.

Building owner Keith Collins goes on to say that “The Barn does, in fact, power my conventionally built main house (over 15 years old and no paragon of energy efficiency) which sits about 100 feet away, and has produced over 60% of that home’s electrical use.”

You can see real-time system performance of the Bright Built Barn online at brightbuiltbarn.com.

This Lincolnville, Maine installation has 90 evacuated tubes (at top) and
20 solar electric panels arranged between the skylights.

Cynthia Lao has taken a giant step away from fossil fuel energy dependence by converting almost every inch of her south-facing roof to solar energy collection.

At the peak is a 90-tube Apricus solar hot water collector array, which will produce roughly 25 million BTUs of clean, renewable heat energy annually.

This energy is stored in a 160-gallon solar storage tank with three inches of rigid foam insulation to prevent overnight heat loss. In fact, ReVision has tested the tank and found that heat loss is less than .5 degree F per hour, which works out to less than 6 degrees from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

When the sun is shining, the system will easily produce 100% of domestic hot water. Plus, during the early fall and late spring, the system will have excess heat capacity which will be used to heat the radiant floor system.

In the heart of the heating season, when less solar energy is available, the existing boiler will come on for space heat and domestic hot water as necessary to ensure there is a consistent supply of comfortable hot water, and a comfortably heated home.

Also installed is a 4.5 kilowatt grid-tied solar electric array below the solar hot water collectors and above the existing skylights.

The system is comprised of twenty 225-watt SunPower solar electric modules and one SunPower 4000m inverter. This system is expected to produce 6,150 kwhrs of clean, renewable electricity per year, offsetting roughly 8,200 lbs. of CO2 emissions annually.

With no moving parts anywhere in the system, grid-tied PV is the most reliable renewable energy technology.

This is why PV systems come with a 25-year warranty! When you combine the 30% federal tax credit and $2,000 state rebate, grid-tied solar electricity becomes an attractive investment opportunity because you can lock in your electric rate for the next three decades.

More Photos from Our Commercial Solar Photo Gallery:

For more installations, see our Solar Projects Map

The Country Inn in Camden, Maine is the first in the area to install solar panels

The Country Inn is the first hotel in Rockport to install solar panels and is one of only a few properties in the Camden-Rockport area to receive Maine’s Environmental Leader Certification.

Over the past few years The Country Inn has implemented a number of sustainable business practices, most recently the integration of solar power.

The 24 flat plate solar hot water collectors, pictured toe the right, provide approximately 60 percent of the Inn’s domestic hot water used on an annual basis.

More Photos from Our Commercial Solar Photo Gallery:

For more installations, see our Solar Projects Map

The Beachmere Inn in Ogunquit, Maine uses solar hot water to decrease oil use, and a solar electric system provides 5-8% of energy use

The Beachmere Inn, a family owned and operated business in Ogunquit, is certified as an Environmental Leader due to its ambitious green initiatives.

Under the direction of owner Sarah Diment, the Beachmere is using compact fluorescent bulbs and environmentally safe cleaning products facility-wide.

In the summer of 2008, ReVision Energy installed 3 active solar hot water systems and a 5 kilowatt solar electric system. In the first two months of service, the solar hot water systems reduced oil consumption by 34%.

The solar hot water system pictured is for the 32-room main building. The other two systems generate domestic hot water in employee housing buildings.

The 5kW solar electric system covers 5-8% of the Inn’s total demand.

According to their website, more than 6,331 kilowatt hours of clean electricity have been produced by the solar array, eliminating 10,763 lbs of CO2 in the atmosphere.

UPDATE: The Beachmere Inn was recognized by The Maine Innkeeper’s Association in 2010 for their environmental efforts!

See: http://www.revisionenergy.com/blog/beachmere-inn-highlighted-as-environmental-leader-in-hospitality/

More Photos from Our Commercial Solar Photo Gallery:

For more installations, see our Solar Projects Map

Flat plate solar hot water collectors installed for the Camden Riverhouse Hotel in Camden, Maine

More Photos from Our Commercial Solar Photo Gallery:

For more installations, see our Solar Projects Map

BrightBuilt Barn located in Rockport, Maine is a super insulated energy efficient prefabricated house designed by Kaplan Thompson Architects, a Portland based firm.

This home was created to be net zero, meaning it will be relying on its energy supply from renewable energy resources. The building is connected to the grid but is designed to produce as much energy as it uses over a year long average. The building is also seeking certification from the US Green Building Council to become LEED Platinum certified. LEED is an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED Platinum is the highest rating given by the US Green Building Council. If awarded, this will be only the second home in Maine to receive it. The first and currently the only LEED Platinum home in Maine is Cranberry Ridge designed by Wright-Ryan artitects located in Freeport, Maine.

ReVision Energy did the design and installation of the solar hot water and solar electric systems on this home. LED lighting around the base of BrightBuilt Barn are programmed to run in colors depending on the level of current energy use in the barn. Green means the house is producing more energy than its using, yellow means the home is producing about the same amount of energy as its using and red indicates that the current usage is exceeding its goal of net zero. This projects came together through a collaboration of efforts, with innovation applied to every detail. BrightBuilt Barn is working to raise awareness about energy usage, sustainability, and new building methods. See the New York Time’s published article at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/garden/15tools.html.