Monday, February 21, 2011

A Net Zero Energy Day

When we first starting thinking about building a house, our plan was not to build the most efficient house in the world.  But as we got started with the design phase, we decided that we would let energy efficiency be the driving force behind many of our decisions.  Of course, we also decided that we were not prepared to live uncomfortably; what's the point of designing and building a house if you're not going to be able to enjoy it a little?  But as the process continued, we were able to include so many energy efficient features that we began to think that the house might actually end up "net zero energy."  We started monitoring our usage and production pretty closely starting on Jan. 1, 2011 and on February 15, we had our first net zero energy day!

The Sun Lights, Warms, and Powers our Home (Click image for more photos.)

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Winter Performance

For the past month or so, Carlisle PA has been pretty darn cold. High temperatures have been averaging in the upper 20s and low 30s and lows have been in the low 20s and into the teens. I'm not complaining - I know there are places that are far colder. But now that we've gotten into a routine with the masonry heater, this past month has given us an opportunity to get a feel for the winter performance of this house. In short, I'd have to say that the house performs as good as, and perhaps even better than, we were hoping.