The Morning Sentinel reported on the new TerraHaus eco-friendly student housing at Unity College.

Beth Staples writes:

Belfast-based G*O Logic architect Matthew O’Malia and carpenter Alan Gibson designed and built the nation’s first dorm to meet passive house certification standards.

The standards, the highest international standards for energy efficiency, require that the dorm use 90 percent less energy for space heating than standard buildings.

… A solar hot water system installed by ReVision Energy of Liberty and Portland will provide hot water for showers and washing dishes.

Jesse Pyles, Unity’s sustainablilty coordinator, said 10 of the college’s 500-plus students were chosen by lottery to live in the cottage.

The lottery winners agreed to participate in educational programs, including giving tours of the one-of-kind dorm.

Read more at The Morning Sentinel.

Photos from Our Solar Project Gallery

SMCC’s SEA Director John Brautigam standing before a suite of solar energy systems recently installed by ReVision Energy.

ReVision recently wrapped installation of a suite of solar systems at Southern Maine Community College’s Sustainable Energy Alternatives (SEA) Center.

The SEA Center is a major part of SMCC’s efforts to become a regional center for education and training on renewable energy and sustainable building practices. The building is equipped with cutting-edge professional equipment and state-of-the-art educational tools designed to help students understand theories of building science including air infiltration, insulation issues, and thermal properties of building materials to help equip them for a career in energy efficiency and/or renewable energy.

To showcase the variety of solar energy installations likely to be encountered, SMCC had ReVision install two solar hot water systems, one with evacuated tubes and the other with flat plate collectors, as well as a modest photovoltaic (solar electric) array. All of the “guts” of the system – pipe run, tank, wiring, etc. – is on display and labeled so students can understand how it works and observe it in practice. The systems also feature robust web-based data monitoring options that will be viewable by both students and the public.

ReVision has had the pleasure of working with an SMCC Electric Engineering student, Melanie Janarelli, as an intern this summer, who helped install the system. Director John Brautigam is featured in one of our upcoming Solar Road Tour episodes, so stay tuned!

More Photos:

A strong state rebate for solar hot water and high oil prices have lead to a huge demand for solar hot water systems in New Hampshire.

We’ve been all around the Granite State – from Seacoast to the Massachusetts border, up to Lakes Region and nearly to Vermont. Below are some examples of recent work we’ve completed.

Nashua, New Hampshire

Since his awning mount solar hot water array was installed in early June, Lou Juris reports that hasn’t needed to use his backup system at all. Going solar for his hot water gives him peace of mind that as costs for energy increase, he won’t face any shocking gas bills.

Wolfeboro, New Hampshire

These 6 flat plate collectors installed in Wolfeboro arrived just in time for 15 guests! Our happy customer says that the entire time the party was there – showering, washing dishes, doing laundry – solar provided 100% of all the hot water.

Deerfield, New Hampshire

Maureen Quinn, who had us install a solar electric system last year, re-invested the proceeds from PV federal tax credit into a solar hot water system. The rebates were just too attractive to pass up, says Quinn, who also is looking forward to decades of hot water and electricity provided by a free fuel source in the sky – the sun.

Thanks to an Efficiency Maine Grant, the new learning center at the Bryan Pond 4-H camp will provide nearly all of its power from the sun!

Thanks to a grant from Efficiency Maine, the new year-round lodge at UMaine’s 4-H Learning Center will generate virtually all of its electricity by harnessing sunshine.

For over 50 years the University of Maine 4-H Camp & Learning Center at Bryant Pond (formerly the Maine Conservation School) has strengthened children’s relationship to the natural world with a combination of inspired outdoor fun, practical woods-wise skills, and “hands-on” conservation education. So when a grant became available to fund solar projects for the purposes of demonstrating PV technology to the public, the location seemed like a perfect fit.

The new 10.3kw grid-tied system will generate about 14,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, offsetting about 18,200 pounds of CO2 emissions from regional fossil fuel power plants. Equally important, it will be used as a learning tool for students who will use the facility year-round. Soon the solar array will feature web-based performance monitoring, interpretive signs, and a lobby computer display showing how much electricity the panels are generating at any given time (Maine Community Foundation has helped with the latter).

The project was showcased in the Lewiston Sun Journal:

The center will have a dining hall and a commercial-style kitchen and will hold 36 people… The lodge, which is still under construction, will incorporate as many “green” features as possible, including the solar panels and recycled-newspaper insulation throughout the building, said program Director Ryder Scott.

“Whenever possible, we’ve used local materials for construction of the entire building, within reason,” he said.

Eighty percent of the project cost is being funded through a $50,000 renewable resource grant from the Maine Public Utilities Commission. The remainder of the money was acquired through fundraising. The PUC grant, which is administered through Efficiency Maine, supports projects that use renewable energy technologies, specifically photovoltaic. The grants are funded by ratepayers who opt to support the program.

It’s a real honor to work on projects like these that help bring solar to the attention of the next generation. We look forward to being part of decades of learning!

Roughly 2/3 of the electricity used in the new Black Dinah Chocolatiers commercial kitchen will come from the sun!

“When you live on an island, it shapes your thinking,” says Steve Shaffer, one of the proprietors of Isle au Haut based Black Dinah Chocolatiers, “You learn that everything you carry in you must carry out. You have the think things through. And this characteristic has shaped everything about our business.”

It was quite a journey for he and his wife Kate from a co-op in California to a rugged island off the coast of Maine, where they now specialize in delectable chocolates made from fair-trade, organic, and local ingredients. While their business started with a great idea operated out of their home kitchen, the popularity of their creative chocolates soon outgrew their home-based set-up and it was time for the business to expand.

“We were eager to grow though we were also concerned about the long-term costs of running the new facility,” says Steve, “Our business’ single biggest liability was energy costs. On the island, electricity costs roughly twice what it does on the mainland, so offsetting our use with solar electricity made a lot of sense. Likewise, solar hot water would help keep our propane use under control.”

ReVision Energy helped Steve and Kate navigate the various incentives and rebates available for businesses as they designed their new commercial kitchen, including work on an ARRA grant that helped make the project more feasible. The new facility featured all new appliances – commercial dishwater, chest freezers, and convection oven – which, while as efficient as they get, still require lots of energy to work. We designed a 3.29 kw grid-tied solar electric system to provide about 2/3 of their electricity, and a 60-tube solar hot water collector array to preheat an on-demand propane water heater.

A Little Bit of Independence

“Our goal was not to get to net-zero, but to keep our energy bills around the same as when we were running the business out of our home,” Steve says. “So far, we seem to be on track. The solar electric production has exceeded our expectations and we’ve hardly needed to run the propane water heater.”

The solar energy systems give Steve confidence that his business is protected from rising costs of energy. It also plays right into the mission of their organization.

“When you spend so much time with food you develop a relationship with it. We love knowing the Peruvian co-op where we get our chocolate. We also love using local cream, herbs, flowers, fruits, and spices in our chocolates. So it only makes sense that we’d use local energy, too.”

About 70% of Black Dinah’s business is web-based, and you can shop their delights at www.blackdinahchocolatiers.com. Also stay tuned to their Facebook page which features news from their summertime cafe, events, photos, and more.

And… we couldn’t help it – below is a photo of their delicious local Farm Market chocolate collection (all with ingredients grown on an Hancock or Knox County farm):

More Photos from Our Commercial Solar Photo Gallery:

For more installations, see our Solar Projects Map

The new solar hot water system for Sunset Hill House will pay for itself in under 4 years!

For over 100 years breathtaking views and refreshing mountain air have attracted travelers to Sunset Hill House, nestled in the heart of Franconia Notch and the White Mountains. Over the decades it has seen both travel and travelers change – from an era of regal vacationing that lasted all season long to the advent of motoring, day-trips, and now eco tourism.

Since buying the inn in 2000, innkeepers Lon and Nancy Henderson have sought to maintain the historic charm and amenities of the inn while making thoughtful improvements. Many of these reflect an environmental conscience – putting a conservation easement on 70 acres of land, switching over to green cleaning products, introducing recycling and now: harnessing sunshine to produce solar hot water.

“Investing in solar was a win-win for us,” says Nancy. “We were able to further our Environmental Champion status within the state of NH and are doing our part to support the natural beauty of this region, all while keeping our costs under control.”

A 30% federal tax credit, 25% NHPUC cash rebate, and considerable fuel savings all helped make the economic case for solar as strong as the environmental case for Sunset Hill House.

The System

Heating water is one of the greatest energy loads of inns, and Sunset Hill House is no exception, with 22 rooms with private baths and a fine dining restaurant. Since the greatest need for hot water corresponds with the height of the summer season, solar hot water was a natural fit.

ReVision designed a system consisting of fifteen American-made flat plate solar hot water collectors which heat a custom-fabricated 650 gallon storage tank. On a bright summer day, the system will produce over 420,000 BTUs of clean solar energy, enough to provide close to 100% of the Inn’s domestic hot water demand for showering, laundry, dishwashing, etc. Backup hot water is provided by a Phoenix direct fired propane hot water heater.

With a predicted fuel savings of $7,360/year, the system is expected to pay for itself within 4 years after Sunset Hill takes advantage of all state and federal incentives. Meanwhile they will be saving over 79,000 lbs of CO2 each year!

“I love this system,” says Nancy, “It’s great to walk in in the morning and see that the tank temperature is 145°… for free! And when the temperature coming off the roof is 198°, I just grin all day..”

More Photos from Our Commercial Solar Photo Gallery:

For more installations, see our Solar Projects Map

Tom Southworth’s BEYOND net zero home will sell power to the grid each year!

Tom Southworth’s commitment to sustainability runs deep. Since 1974 he’s owned and operated a water-powered sawmill in Lancaster, New Hampshire, around which he built the successful Garland Mill Timberframes business. Tom imparted his passion to his son Ben, whose work includes turning a 1970s ranch house into a LEED Platinum, Net Zero showcase. So when it came time to build a home to retire in, Tom set his sights high: he wanted a house that would not only generate all of the electricity it uses each year, but also produce a surplus to sell to the grid.

New Hampshire Ups the Ante

“What got me started in this direction is when New Hampshire went beyond net billing and offered to write me a check if I produce more power than I use,” Tom says. “I took a hard look at my energy usage and determined that 8,000 kWh/year would allow us to meet all our needs and be a net exporter of electricity.”

Most impressive is that Tom both exports power to the grid and heats his home with electricity. While conventional wisdom is that electric heat is expensive, 21st century building standards challenge that assumption completely.

“While it’s not official yet, we built this house to meet German passivhaus standards,” Tom says. “This means an extremely well-insulated building envelope consisting of 12″ exterior side walls packed with cellulose sheathed with 2″ foam, and 40″ of cellullose packed into the truss system. We moved in on April 1st and so far have not used any heating whatsoever.”

Tracking Results

Tom Southworth’s solar thermal storage tank is tied into its own electric meter to track run time of the backup electric element

To keep track of his goals, Tom uses a decidedly analog but very effective method of monitoring his systems – an extra electric meter dedicated to tracking photovoltaic production, and a second dedicated to his hot water tank. In addition to the photovoltaic system, Tom had us install a solar hot water system tied into an existing 120 gallon storage tank with electric backup.

“Since we don’t really know much electricity our backup tank will use in the winter, we added the second meter so we could really understand it,” Tom says, “We expect to use only solar-heated water from May through September and will be closely watching how much the electric element is needed in the other months.”

Power While the Sun Shines

Now that everything is up and running, Tom says the system is so far “on target” for photovoltaic production.

“I’m 100% pleased with the system,” Tom says, “I look forward to enjoying my years of retirement knowing my energy comes from the sun.”

Forrest Lowe’s combination domestic hot water and pool heating system uses 6 flat plate collectors to deliver ample heat to his pool in the summertime (Photo courtesy Forrest Lowe)

When Forrest Lowe and his wife were seeking their perfect retirement home, they knew they wanted a quiet spot by the water. Longtime Brunswick residents, they fell in love with a house on Coffin Ice Pond, which years ago supplied ice for the town. What Forrest didn’t expect, however, was to also fall in love with the pool that came with the house.

“At first I was lukewarm about the pool,” Forrest says, “But ultimately it grew on me, though we knew we had to find another way to heat it because the propane heater that came with it was smelly, and extremely expensive to operate.”

A Better Way to Heat a Pool

While most pools are heated by propane, a small but growing cadre of pool owners are harvesting Maine’s abundant solar energy to open their pools earlier and keep them open longer into fall. The same solar thermal technology that heats domestic hot water can help heat a pool, as Forrest learned from his friend Rick Williams, who recently had ReVision Energy install a solar hot water system on his home in Yarmouth.

“Rick introduced me to [ReVision Principal and Engineer] Fortunat, who was great through the whole process. He helped me come up with a 5 flat plate solar hot water collector system, which I ended up expanding to 6. I wanted an overkill system because I wanted our pool to heat up quickly and stay hot longer.”

Hot Water, By Design

Part of the challenge of keeping Forrest’s pool warm is that he is reluctant to use a pool cover, which he finds cumbersome for one person to deploy. As such, the pool loses heat overnight, a reality that’s compensated by the outstanding performance of his solar water heating system. Whenever the sun is shining, Forrest’s flat plate collectors heat up his home’s 105 gallon solar storage tank before dumping excess heat into his pool.

“I am amazed at how effective this system is at heating the pool,” he says. “It only takes a little while to get the domestic hot water up to temperature and then starts dumping into the pool. On a nice sunny day you can feel the warm water pouring out the jets!”

A Great Solar Season

Forrest is thrilled at how the solar hot water combo system allows him to extend the season of his pool as well as enjoy it more during the season (there have been a number of days when the pool approached 90 degrees… balmy!). On a good sunny day he’ll see more than a 4 degree rise in the pool – no small feat considering the pool’s 25,000 gallon capacity. He loves the free fuel from the sun and the satisfaction that comes from clean solar energy. On the domestic hot water side, he notes that his boiler rarely fires in the summer, and estimates saving at least one oil delivery per season.

“To me this is not just about saving money,” Forrest says, “It’s about avoiding pollution and getting independent of fossil fuels.”

And, of course, enjoying his pool. Enjoy the sun, Forrest!