Features

Multiple Solar systems heat the radiant in floor hot water. A very large flat plate collector on the south roof and a high efficiency vacuum tube collector on the garage roof feed hot water into an exchanger in the house. The exchanger not only heats the hot water for the floors,it also heats the domestic hot water and snowmelt systems. The flat plate collector achieves maximum efficiency on clear sunny days,and the vacuum system works effectively even when it's cloudy.

Solar Photovoltaics generate electricity. A solar system on the garage roof creates electricity that is fed back into the electrical grid. Inside the garage a small all-electric car, perfect for use in the city of Aspen, indirectly runs on the electricity produced by the sun. The car uses 1KW of electricity to go 4 miles, and the photovoltaic system creates about 8KW of electricity on a summer day. The downtown location of this home, combined with the electric car for in town use,should eliminate most need for a full size gas burning vehicle.

Warmboard: An ultra efficient Warmboard radiant heat subfloor reduces the temperature required for in floor heat by up to 15%. Essentially plywood with an aluminum shell, this floor works by improving the efficiency of heat transfer horizontally and eliminates cold spots. This system runs on 115 degree water instead of the typical 130-135 degrees.

Automated Solar Shades; Cooling a home efficiently is also very important. This home is equipped with automated GREENGUARD Certified Solar Shades to help control any additional heat gain/loss on the major windows facing east,south, and west. In summer the shades eliminate heat gain from direct sunlight during the day and open at night. In winter the shades open during the day to bring in solar heat gain, and then close at night to help insulate the windows from night- time heat loss.

Energy use monitoring; All three of the solar systems can be monitored at the house or through an internet hookup and provides instantaneous data on what each system is producing at any time. The boiler also creates a digital record of how much it fires,so a complete energy data base will be available for the home.

Home Energy Rating (HERS). A standard new home has a HERS rating of 100,and this home received a 42 score. This means this home is estimated to use 58% less energy than a new home. The electric and heating bill combined is estimated to be $1887 a year.

American Clay: American Clay's Plaster system uses natural clays, recycled and reclaimed aggregates,and vibrant natural pigments to create an interior wall finish that is a green alternative to cement,gypsum,acrylic,and lime plasters. Heat

Recovery Ventilator: There are two energy efficient HRVs in this house. Both units exhaust stale, undesirable air while using it to heat fresh air which is distributed throughout the house. These units provide healthy ventilation while conserving energy.