2. Musser - McClister

We bought our home a year ago knowing it was a good energy fixer upper and we are just embarking on this journey. We are planners at heart and so started with a home energy audit to see where to start. That led us to our first upgrade – insulating the attic and the walls, which is worth its weight in gold. Insulation is such a simple thing and it pays dividends, not just in energy savings but in comfort. Next, we went big time with a geothermal system to replace the18-year old furnace and to provide AC.

Along with the geothermal, we upgraded the solar-thermal hot water system that had been in the house since the energy crisis during the Carter administration. It was in dire need of an upgrade. We also added an energy recovery ventilator to bring in fresh air (without losing the “energy”). The ERV has a HEPA filter as well, which has resulted in a lot less dust in the house (an added bonus). (Note: indoor air quality can become an issue when you tighten up your building envelope, so providing good ventilation is a must.)

In addition to the insulation and HVAC upgrades, we've made smaller changes ourselves – CFL and LED light bulbs, power strips on electronics (including a couple of “smart” power strips). We also got honeycomb style blinds for our living room and dining room, which provide insulation on the windows. We also are very conscience of turning off lights when we don’t need them.

Our wish list is long. In the very near future we will be upgrading our sprinkler system and cutting down the size of the lawn at our house. Eventually, we will redo the whole sprinkler system and trade out other water-hungry plants for more drought-tolerant varieties. We will also plant more trees. PV is a huge priority but unfortunately I learned that installers won’t put them on cedar shingle roofs, and our cedar shingle roof is only 5 years old (the prior owner replaced it in 2004 – crazy to put one on these days with the expense, and increased fire hazard, but to each his own). I'm secretly hoping for another huge hail storm so that the roof may go sooner than expected! Aside from the roof problem, our house is a prime candidate for PV – great south-facing space. The wish list goes on and on and I'm trying to be patient. This endeavor is costly and time-consuming at times, but very important. My hope is not only that our house will decrease our own carbon footprint but will also set a model for our friends and family to emulate.

Why do you think your house should be on the Tour?
I think our house is a good example on what you can do with older construction (1968). It’s also a good model for what to look for in a remodel. We purposely bought a house we thought had some good components for upgrading energy – south-facing roof, yard that could accommodate geothermal, solid windows (they are older but are in very good shape – which is great as replacing windows is expensive), overhangs off of south facing windows.

Tell us a little about you and the family that is living in the house.
My husband and I live in our house. We got married last summer and hope to start a (small) family soon. The house is too big for just the two of us (4200 sq ft), but should accommodate a family of four easily (with room for storage). Although the size of the house was a little bigger than we wanted, it was important to us to get enough room so that we could be in the house for a very long time. (Only time will tell, but we are planning on being here for the rest of our lives.) That way we know that the improvements we are making with the house are an investment in our future.

We just had a geothermal system installed and our solar thermal hot water system upgraded. The geothermal system replaced our gas furnace and the solar thermal upgrade replaced a solar-assisted gas hot water tank. We don’t know yet what the cost savings will be and it might be a little hard to calculate. We should have a significant drop in gas usage but will likely have an increased electric bill. Also, we didn't have AC before and now will be able to cool the house with the geothermal.

How did you become interested in the technologies you used in your house?
As cliché as it may sound, our original interest was sparked by the film An Inconvenient Truth. Living a “green” life is a high priority for us. We realize we have to protect (even repair) our planet so that future generations can enjoy it as well.

What could be better?
So much. We still need to replace some doors to improve leaks. One wall cavity could not be insulated because of how the fireplace was installed. We can fix this but have to replace the cabinets around the fireplace to do it. PV is key. I am conscious of our electricity usage. This will likely increase with the geothermal install, although our gas usage will decrease.

Anything else you would like to mention?
We are very passionate about greening our lives and would love to share our successes and frustrations with folks on the solar home tour. As we have ideas to share with them, I'm sure they will have ones to share with us.

Passive Solar
Sunspace

Thermal Features
R – 50 roof

Solar Hot Water
2 panels
80 gallon holding tank
Domestic hot water

Thermal Envelope / Thermal Comfort
Low – e windows
Ceiling fan
Ground source heat pump
Heat recovery ventilation system
Night setback thermostat

Lighting
CFL
Solar powered outdoor lights
LED

Construction Techniques
Low VOC paint

Transportation / Lifestyles
Car pooling four days a week
recycling
composting

Green Features
Cellulose insulation

Water Features
Low flush toilets
Low flow shower heads
Two button toilets
Low flow faucets