Tim & Lydia Jilek

4 Pennel Ln ~ Gray
View how a pellet boiler works to heat a home by visiting this Gray residence. The Jilek’s installed a Multi Heat boiler, Tarm’s signature pellet fed boiler. These boilers run up to 90% efficient, has multifunctional digital controls to provide simple operation with continuous various heat output from 30-100%.

This boiler does not require thermal storage. Solar hot water provides for their domestic hot water usage in the summer months and preheats their hot water tank in the winter months. Most recently the Jilek’s installed 7kW of solar electricity. We call this the trifecta of energy efficiency!

Tom Bosma & Marnie Coleman

156 Highland Avenue ~ Auburn
This home has a solar domestic hot water and pool heating system made up of three Apricus 30 tube collectors and a 105 gallon solar storage tank. The collectors are flush mounted to the south facing roof of the house. In the summer months, once the tank has been heated to its set point temperature, the system will switch and begin heating the pool. In the winter months the system is used for the domestic hot water with back-up coming from a high efficiency natural gas boiler.

Stew MacLehose

34 Hartford Ave. ~ Falmouth

This recently constructed home was built to Platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) standards. To receive a LEED rating, one needs to build to certain criteria that meet energy efficient standards rated by the US Green Building Council. This home features Energy Star appliances; recycled and non toxic building products; densely packed cellulose insulation.

There is radiant space heat provided on the first floor that is supplemented with a solar hot water system. Solar is also heating the domestic water needs of the home. There is a low mass electric boiler serving as the back up. No oil, propane, or natural gas is used in this home. The solar heating system consists of 90 evacuated tubes on the roof heating a 160 gallon solar storage tank.

Ellen Zimmerman

50 Goudy St ~ South Portland
Solar hot water collectors adorn this two story home. The two 4×8 flat plate collectors produce more than 18 MBtus of clean energy each year and offset more than 5,000 lbs of CO2. The collectors heat an 80 gallon dual coil solar hot water storage tank. The tank is also connected to a high efficiency wall hung gas boiler.

Whenever the sun is not able to heat the tank to its set point temperature the backup will turn on to ensure a constant supply of hot water.

Terry McIlveen

562 Townhouse Rd. ~ East Waterboro

This home features a solar hot water space heating system. There are 90 evacuated tubes heating a 160 gallon solar storage tank. Terry incorporated solar space heating to reduce his oil consumption.

He estimates he’s saved 150 gallons of oil since the system was installed earlier this spring. His total annual savings will be hundreds more. Terry’s home was featured in our September 2009 newsletter. Hear what he had to say about the reasons why he chose to install solar.

Deb and Jim McDonough

6 Minuteman Drive ~ Scarborough

This family home features 60 Apricus evacuated tube collectors and a 105 gallon Stiebel Eltron solar storage tank. This installation is designed to cover a majority of the domestic hot water for this family of six, allowing the boiler to stay off during the non heating months. Adding to the systems efficiency are boiler control options that help to make the boiler smarter. This is a retrofit installation on a standard construction house. This house also has retrofit radiant heat, and cellulose reinsulation.

The solar hot water system was installed in 2007. This past summer the homeowners added solar electricity to their roof. This will be the third year this home has been on the Solar Tour. If you’ve visited it before, be sure to go back and view their recently installed 3300 watt solar electric PV array, and the extensive vegetable gardens, which are the biggest solar collector on the property!

Fiona Wilson

12 Merganser Way ~ Freeport

Kaplan Thompson Architects designed this LEED-rated 1,800 square foot passive home with radiant floor heating. Two 4′x8′ solar flat plate solar hot water collectors heat the domestic hot water, with back up provided by a Superstor electric storage tank. On a sunny day the collectors will produce a 60-70 degree temperature rise in the tank eliminating the need for the electric element to come on unless the solar is not able to get the tank to its set point temperature.

This system will produce on average 16 MBtus a year, and offset over 5000 lbs of CO2 emissions. The home is built from energy efficient, low toxicity materials locally-sourced where possible, and all landscaping is done from native plants. This oceanfront home was designed to complement an existing cottage and provide a modern, sustainable addition to the neighborhood.

Gary Goodrich

764 Elmwood Rd. ~ Pownal, ME

Barry Saxe of New Horizons designed and built this unique, super-insulated home in Pownal, Maine. It is virtually air-tight and uses radiant heat only in the first floor – the building is so well-insulated that no heat is required on the second floor!

The radiant heat itself is provided mainly by the solar hot water system, which also provides domestic hot water, and a high efficiency gas boiler is installed to supply seamless backup. The solar electric system on the roof currently provides for about 85% of the home’s electric use, the solar hot water system provides roughly 70% of the home’s heating and domestic hot water.

The home currently uses only uses about 300 gals of propane a year for space heat, cooking, a heavily used gas dryer, and a lightly used gas stove. The solar hot water system, pictured right, is ground-mounted nearby the house for ideal solar exposure. There is also an attached greenhouse which provides passive warm air during the cold months.

William & Deborah Lord

189 Mills Rd ~ Kennebunkport (off of Rt 9)

The installations on this home have been featured in many national magazines. Built by Tim Spang and designed by Solar Design Associates, this home features a photovoltaic roof with a utility-interfaced photovoltaic system. There is a 1000 gallon storage active solar heating radiant floor system. This home has its own web site, www.solarhouse.com. This home is not to miss if you are in the Kennebunkport area.

Molly & Eli Chase

99 Quarry Road ~ Scarborough, ME

This home features a 60 Apricus evacuated tube collector array and a 105 gallon Stiebel Eltron storage tank with back up coming from an existing oil boiler. This system will cover the majority of the domestic hot water needs for this household allowing the boiler to stay off during the non heating months, and an Intellicon boiler control to increase the efficiency of the oil boiler during the shoulder seasons. Insulation has been added to the attic and eave space and foam insulation has been added to the basement. It’s been said that a lemonade stand may even be set up to quench your thirst from touring all these homes!

Taggart Construction

10 South St ~ Freeport

Taggart’s new 1000 sq.ft. office and show room features passive solar with thermal mass, and active solar hot water with a radiant slab. The building features recycled-content cellulose insulation, an energy efficient building envelope and recycled and environmentally friendly materials. Visitors will have a chance to see details of wall and roof construction as well as mechanical systems

Melissa & Eric Coleman

10 Cranberry Ridge Rd. ~ Freeport

Built in 2006 by Wright-Ryan Construction and designed by Rick Renner Architects (both of Portland), this home was designed with careful consideration to utilize non-toxic, environmental, recycled and local building materials whenever possible. Passive solar design, good insulation, and energy efficient appliances keep this home’s energy loads to a minimum.

This home features include: solar power; radiant heat; local birch, granite and slate; custom millwork; triple pane glass windows; and heat recovery ventilation to circulate fresh air through this well insulated home. There is a solar thermal system covering the domestic hot water load of the house with excess heat circulating through the radiant heat distribution and a 2kW solar electric system that produces over 200 kilowatt hours of clean electricity each month. Located within the beautiful Wolfe Neck area of Freeport, this Platinum LEED home is not one to miss.