Green Homes open houses Saturday

Cape Cod Area Participates in Green Buildings Open House
Saturday, October 1, 10am to 4pm in a half dozen cape towns

Participants will to able to tour several demonstration sites which showcase renewable energy technologies, energy efficiency and green building design.

Two examples of the homes open for the tour on October 1 from 10am until 4pm include this East Famouth home on a lake, and

this Couit home which demonstrates how the solar panels were not covered by last winter's very deep snow.

Race Point Lighthouse in Ptown is off
the power grid and uses a photovoltaic system to meet its power needs.

The recently completed Woods Hole Research Center is a state of the art facility, which serves as a model for healthy and sustainable construction.

The date is Saturday, October 1, 2005: Green Buildings Open House, presented by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association and coordinated for Cape Cod by Cape and Islands Self-Reliance Corp.

Several Cape Cod, The Islands and surrounding area green buildings will be open to visitors on that date. The Solar Homes/Green Building Open House will offer visitors the opportunity to tour a variety of unique properties, which utilize renewable energy resources and demonstrate environmentally friendly design. 

The following is a list of local demonstration sites open for the 3rd annual Green Buildings Open House.  Please see this website  for directions, times, and special considerations.

Eight easy places

Provincetown, Race Point Lighthouse
Race Point Lighthouse, listed on the Register of National Historic Houses, is off the grid and utilizes a photovoltaic system to meet its power needs.  There are some special considerations to be taken into account when visiting the lighthouse, please see the NESEA site for details.

Cotuit, 64 Old Shore Road
Here participants will be able to tour a home, which demonstrates passive solar design, solar and wood fired domestic hot water, solar firewood dryer, grey water drip irrigation and a composting toilet.  The home will soon be installing a 2kW grid tied photovoltaic system.

Hatchville, Alchemy Farm Cape Co-Housing
Alchemy Farm is a co-housing community, which uses green building techniques and renewable energy technologies to support a sustainable living style.  The homes and community buildings at Alchemy Farm demonstrate photovoltaics systems, passive solar design, heat recovery ventilation, sunspace, composting toilets, wind, radiant floor heating and solar thermal systems.  Also available for touring will be a renewable energy trailer, which demonstrates a photovoltaic system, solar hot water, and wind energy.  The trailer offers visitors the opportunity to see closely the materials that are used in renewable energy applications, and gain a better understanding of how they work.

East Falmouth, 22 Round Pond Drive
In 2003, an existing cottage was renovated and a sunroom as well as second story were added. The owner's goals were to build a low maintenance home in a sustainable manner on a limited budget The resulting home achieved the highest performance level for a residential unit on the "Vermont Built Green" scorecard utilized through the Cape Light Compact's Green Building Initiative. The resulting open layout makes great use of the south facing front with a bank of windows that allow sun to filter through the entire first floor with a view of Round Pond from all areas of the house. Domestic hot water and the radiant floor heating are supplied with solar panels on this well insulated home.  A two kilowatt photovoltaic installation was recently completed.
 
Orleans, 40 Bakers Pond Road
This home includes an Alternative Fuel Vehicle, Heat Recovery Ventilation, Masonry Stove, Passive Solar, Radiant Floor Heating, Recycled Materials, Solar Domestic Hot Water and dense-packed cellulose insulation in a modified double wall.

Truro, 24 Tom's Hill Road
This home includes a 1.5kW Solar Photovoltaic system as well as  passive solar: southern exposure helps warm the house in winter.

Wellfleet, 15 Edmester Drive
This home includes a 2.5 kilowatt photovoltaic system. In order to reduce the energy demands of this spacious contemporary, this home incorporated a number of design features: a hydro air system with 5 controlled air handlers for 7 individual heating and air conditioning zones; 3 stone fireplaces constructed with cold air entrainment in order to reduce open-hearth heat loss; compact fluorescent recessed lighting; and continuous-loop domestic hot water, delivering instant hot water for reduced water and energy use.

Woods Hole, Woods Hole Research Center
The recently completed Woods Hole Research Center is a state of the art facility, which serves as a model for healthy and sustainable construction.  Demonstrated here is a geothermal heat pump, day lighting, solar domestic hot water, photovoltaics, and heat recovery ventilation.  The building uses several renewable energy resources to meet its energy needs, as well as having used many environmentally conscious building products in its construction.

Please see this web site  for directions and special considerations.  The Green Buildings Open House is being held from 10:00am-4:00pm, but individual sites may only be open to the public at certain times.