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.

The Redfern House, a Gold LEED Certified Home, is Available for Viewing

A newly constructed home located in Portland is expected to receive a Gold 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.

Tours are scheduled for Saturday morning June 13th and Tuesday evening June 16th. Catherine Culley of Redfern Properties is organizing the tours and can be reached at 207-221-5746.

The Redfern House is utilizing resource efficient materials and renewable energy systems.

It is less than 2000 square feet, and has 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. It has been designed and built to be healthy, extremely efficient, highly durable, and ecologically responsible.

The home is constructed with FSC certified lumber, local materials and materials that are high in recycled content and low in embodied energy. It was built with passive solar design with south facing exposure to maximize thermal gain. Solar shades block sun heat but not light in the summer months. There is high R-value insulation and a tight exterior envelope.

A grid tied solar electric system provides for a portion of the homes electrical needs. Solar thermal evacuated tubes heat water for the domestic hot water supply of the home, as well as cover a portion of heat for the radiant floor heat distribution 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 accessible to public transportation and to Greater Portland’s resources.

The Redfern House was designed by LEED accredited architect Chris Briley. Chris is the founding principal of Green Design Studio based in Yarmouth, Maine.

ReVision Energy designed and installed the solar hot water and solar electric systems on the home. 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.

UPDATE: Read about Redfern earning the Platinum LEED Certification!

More Photos from Our Gallery: