This solar hot water system will save an estimated 175 gallons of propane and 2,500 lbs of CO2 emissions annually.

Dr. Barry Rock has grandkids, as well a first hand knowledge of forest ecosystems as seen from space.  One of his areas of expertise at UND-Durham is the factors contributing to the changing climate and the effects of atmospheric CO2 pollution.

ReVision employee and NH branch manager Will Kessler recalls lectures at the university that had descriptions of the “atmospheric sewer” produced by the SO2 and NO2 emissions of the mid-twentieth century, and vivid accounts of NASA’s first missions using satellite imaging to map the chemistry of forest canopies from above.

Dr. Rock and his wife Gerrie have shown their commitment to the environment by adding an evacuated tube solar hot water system to their house.  By only calling on the propane boiler for rare backup water heating, the system is estimated to save about 175 gallons of propane, and roughly 2,500 lbs of CO2 annually.

For more installations, see our <a href=”http://www.revisionenergy.com/blog/maine-solar-power-projects/”>Solar Projects Map</a>

This passive solar house in Portsmouth, New Hampshire has a 3.4 kilowatt Sun Power photovoltaic (PV) array mounted on a 40-degree pitched roof, and a Sun Power 3000 inverter.

The solar electric array generates most of home’s electricity during the course of the year, averaging about 380 kilowatt hours each month.

This solar power system is grid-tied with no moving parts and smart inverter technology that allows the import of electricity to the electric panel on overcast days or when electric load is high. In clear sunlit conditions the array will export energy out to the electric grid, and credit is banked under New Hampshire’s net metering program.

Using solar power at home not only produces clean energy reliably, it reduces the strain on the electrical grid during times of peak demand.  Since solar energy has no emissions, this system will eliminate an estimated 6,890 lbs of CO2 from the atmosphere each year!

In addition to not burning oil in over a year, this house now generates 4.4 KW of grid-tied solar power!

This past week ReVision Energy installed a 4.4 kw grid tied photovoltaic system on a customer’s home in New Durham, New Hampshire.

The solar power array, comprised of 21 Sunpower modules, uses a Sunframe rail system which eliminates gaps between the panels and leaves a beautiful finish on the rooftop.

This customer already has in place a wood boiler and a flat plate solar hot water system. The solar electric array we installed completes his full suite of renewable energy systems.

He says he burns about 4 cords of wood a year and has not used any oil in well over a year!

More Images From Our Photo Gallery:

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.

The Redfern House in Portland, Maine Achieved a LEED Platinum rating

We were impressed when we heard that the designers of the Redfern House intended to build a home so efficient that it would not need a fossil fuel boiler (no oil nor gas) – even in Maine’s cold climate!

The finished product has exceeded everyone’s expectations, resulting in a Platinum rating from the US Green Building Council’s LEED for Homes Program.

LEED is an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and provides a set of standards for environmentally sustainable construction for new design or renovation.
Located on Victor Road in Portland, Redfern is another super-efficient creation of Catherine and Jonathan Culley of Redfern Properties in Portland.

The Culleys, who are refreshingly passionate about green design, set out to build a home that was both green and affordable.

Catherine explains that “green design doesn’t work if only a few people can afford it.  We wanted to make it so that it’s attainable for more people – so that sustainability is less ‘pie in the sky.”‘

Redfern Properties chose to work with LEED accredited architect Chris Briley to come up with the design of the home. Chris is the founding principal of Green Design Studio, based in Yarmouth.

Coming in at just under 2,000 s.f., the two-story, 3 BR, 2.5B Redfern House is built with resource efficient materials and incorporates low mass, high efficiency electric on-demand hot water heater which is powered by a 2 kilowatt grid-tied solar electric system.

Other features of this home include non toxic paints, cellulose insulation, a detached garage and resource efficient framing. Being located in the downtown region, it’s assessable to public transportation and to Greater Portland’s resources.

Horizon Residential provided consultation on insulation, ventilation, and heating performance. Horizon is also serving as the ‘rater’ for the home in a number of the LEED categories. Other sustainability partners that helped to make this project a success were Cuddledown, Furniturea, Green Designs, Ember Grove, Angela Adams, and Back Cove Yardscaping. Learn more at www.redfernproperties.com.

Since the April 2009 solar installation, Terry McIlveen has reduced his oil consumption by 83%. He is using a 120-tube Apricus solar hot water collector array to produce nearly 100% of domestic hot water and a significant portion of radiant space heating.

In the first half of 2008, as the price of oil started to rise without any sign of relief, energy consumption became part of our everyday consciousness

From driving to work to heating our homes to the cost of food, Americans across the country realized just how vulnerable we were to fluctuating energy costs. Long-term energy solutions were pushed to the forefront as we all re-evaluated our relationship with energy consumption.

Now, even though the price of fossil fuels has dropped, there are still numerous important reasons to consider renewable energy systems, including lower utility bills, a reduced carbon footprint, energy independence and control, a first-hand understanding of energy, how it is produced, and ownership over that process.

ReVision Energy is pleased to assist our clients as they move towards renewable energy, and we appreciate the various reasons why people do so. We also appreciate the feedback we receive from clients after an installation and were happy to receive the below from Terry McIlveen of East Waterboro.

In an effort to move away from oil dependency when prices reached record highs, Terry decided to install a solar hot water space heating system at his home.

Many thanks to Terry for sharing his story with us!

Tour this home during the Green Buildings Open House held October 3rd from 10am-4pm.

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

Ann Logan and Chris Eccles left England in 2006 to build a new home in Maine. Ann, a US citizen with family ties to Maine knew that Maine had attractive sunny summers, but that winters could be long and cold. Building a home with energy efficient systems in place would ensure low energy costs for years to come.

“Concerned about the effects of global warming, US dependence on fossil fuel and volatile fuel costs, we decided to build a solar home,” Ann says.  “We wanted to live a modern lifestyle in a value for money home that consumes less energy than the typical US household.”

The home was designed to be passive solar, utilizing the natural energy from the sun for heating purposes. The home is well insulated with good windows to provide for minimal heat loss. There is a wood burning stove that supplies some of the heat load when burning.

The homeowners have installed a solar active hot water and heating system, designed and installed by ReVision Energy, with a high efficiency propane boiler acting as the backup. They use energy efficient appliances and plan to install a solar electric system that is grid-tied in the near future.

The solar hot water array is made up of (3) 30 Apricus evacuated tubes heating a 160 gallon Stiebel Eltron solar hot water tank. This system generates enough hot water for all of the domestic hot water needs.

Excess heat from the system can go into the radiant floor heating system providing some of the space heating needs of the house.

This is most effective in spring and fall when modest heating is required, but even in winter it can contribute. On a sunny summer day, the system can heat 160 gallons of water from cold up to about 170 degrees F. In winter, it can reach about 115 degrees F in a day, which is more than hot enough for a shower or bath.

To learn more about the steps Chris & Ann took to build themselves an energy efficient home, visit their website: www.downeastsolarhome.com.