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Article abstract •
• •
| 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
 |
| 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.
To read the entire article, order the January/February
issue: pubs@ases.org. Or
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