Zero-Energy House Defies Northwest Climate |
Despite its location on the rainy Oregon coast, solar is the primary energy source for this award-winning home. |
By Marnie McPhee
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| Photo courtesy of Oregon Department of Energy |
Imagine living at the Oregon coast and producing the equivalent of all the energy you need for a year from just the sun and stable soil temperature — and maybe even getting a net-zero energy bill from your electric utility for the year! It’s not an easy challenge in any climate, but the prospect is particularly intriguing at the notoriously gray coast.
But is the coast really so gray, and so inhospitable to solar energy? The owners of a new home in Cannon Beach, on Oregon’s northern coast, are proving it’s not — especially when a hyper-efficient building is matched with the coast’s mild climate, the site’s superb solar exposure, a brilliant architect, savvy Oregon Department of Energy staff, experienced local builders and installers, and most of all, committed owners, willing to try new approaches to building an environmentally sustainable home.
The resulting home was named the 2005 Custom Green Home of the Year by the National Association of Home Builders. It also has earned a top-level Earth Advantage Platinum certification and a Home Energy Rating System rating of 94.0 (5-star-plus), and it is 58 percent more efficient than required by the Oregon Energy Code. More, it is a gorgeous, “green” retreat for the owners, and a wonderful legacy.
Marnie McPhee is a freelance writer based in Portland, Ore., specializing in energy issues. This article is based on an article published in Solar Oregon, which McPhee edited. Solar Oregon is the newsletter of the Solar Energy Association of Oregon, the American Solar Energy Society’s Oregon chapter.
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