Green Buildings and Solar Tour

On Sat., Oct. 1, the public was invited to join a group tour for the Green Building Open House. Two morning and two afternoon tours will visit residential sites, businesses, and a school. Organized by the Putney Energy Committee, tours will leave from the PEC office, 120 Main St., Putney.
At 10 a.m., the residential tour will caravan to a owner-built home and three Putney Commons Co-housing homes.  Also at 10 a.m., another group will stop to view High Meadows Farm’s new 33 KW net-metered photovoltaic system on its way to a straw bale house and woodworking shop in Westminster.  These tours will return to the PEC office by 12:30 pm.
At 1:15 p.m., the residential tour will visit a new net-zero energy home and a home that features solar hot water and electricity.  The other group will tour the environmentally friendly Putney School campus and the energy-efficient West Hill Shop with its timber frame construction and new array of solar panels. Both afternoon tours will finish by 4 p.m.
All tours are free and open to the public. Participants are encouraged to arrive at the PEC office 15 minutes before the tours begin to form carpools and organize caravans. Parking is available in the Putney Town Hall lot across the street.
A detailed listing of sites in the Putney area will be available at the PEC office on Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-3p.m. Participants may visit on their own any of the ten homes and businesses, including two others not on a tour, throughout the day.
The Green Buildings Open House event is sponsored by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association. Over 500 sites around the northeast will be open 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. or as listed by state on the website, www.nesea.org/openhouse/listings.
#1 – Jonathan Klein & Ann Buckingham

VISIT: Group Tour only, 10:15-11:15 a.m.

FEATURES: 1300 sq ft. single family home, built 1987-1988. Super insulated, passive solar. Wood heat, less than 2 cords/yr. PV & solar hot water added in 2010.

DIRECTIONS: From PEC office, north on Rt. 5, 2.2 mi. Left onto Old Stage Rd. First left on Lower Cassidy Rd.

House is second driveway on the right.

 

#2Putney Commons Co-Housing Community

VISIT: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (Group Tour, 11:30 a.m.)

FEATURES: Tour three units, one-of-a-kind interiors, 1280 sq ft. semi-detached single family homes. Passive solar. heat recovery ventilation, instantaneous hot H2O.

DIRECTIONS: From PEC office, go east at Christian Square, turn right onto Putney Commons Way just past Community Center; follow signs to unit 6-3.

 

#5 – Harriet & Burt Tepfer

VISIT: 12:30.-4 p.m.  (Group Tour, 1:30 p.m.)

FEATURES: 2200 sq ft, single family home, built 2010-2011, grid tied PV, passive solar, air source heat pump, heat recovery ventilation, super insulated, day-lighting.

DIRECTIONS: From PEC office, go 0.1 mi. south on Rt. 5. Bear right onto Johnson’s Curve; go 0.8 mi. and turn right onto Houghton Brook Rd. Go 0.6 mi., turn left onto Sun Hill Rd. Go 0.4 mi. to Tepfer driveway on the right.

 

#6 – Paul LeVasseur

VISIT: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.  (Group Tour, 2:50 p.m.)

FEATURES: 1750 sq ft, single family home built 1989.

Wood heat, passive solar, solar hot water & electricity.

DIRECTIONS: From PEC office, go 0.1 mi. south on Rt. 5. Bear right onto Johnson’s Curve; go 0.8 mi. and turn right onto Houghton Brook Rd. Go 0.6 mi., turn left onto Sun Hill Rd. Go 0.7 mi., turn left, go to156 Plowden Rd.

#9 & #10 are Open House Sites with No Group Tour

# 9 – Sidehill – Steve Anderson & Jacquie Walker

VISIT:  1-4 p.m.

FEATURES: 1500 sq ft single family home. Energy saving retrofit: super insulation, new windows, Plexiglas storm windows, passive solar, day-lighting, Energy Star appliances, rain barrels.

DIRECTIONS: From PEC office, turn left at General Store under construction. Go 2 mi.. Turn left onto Joe Holt Rd. Uphill, first house on the right.

 

#3 – High Meadows Farm – Howard Prussack

VISIT: Group Tour only, 10:15-10:45 a.m.

FEATURES: 33 KW photovoltaic system (23 ground-mounted arrays), grid-tied net metering. Electricity used for walk-in coolers, water pumps, and greenhouse fans.

DIRECTIONS: Meet at PEC office at 10 a.m. or meet at the site at 10:15 a.m. Intersection of Westminster West Rd. and the south end of South Valley Rd. Drive past greenhouses to end of field. You will see PV arrays!

 

#4 – Gail Grycel – Twin Birch Woodworking

VISIT:  10 a.m.-4 p.m.  (Group Tour, 11 a.m.)

FEATURES: Owner-built straw bale house & workshop. Local & recycled materials. Plaster super insulated walls & roof. Tile floors, built-in cabinets & shelves.

DIRECTIONS: From PEC office, turn left at General Store under construction, go 6.5 mi. Turn left at Cross Rd. Go 0.3 mi., turn left onto Grassy Lane. Cross beaver pond, stay to the right. House is at the end.

 

#7  Putney School Field House,

VISIT:  10 a.m.-4 p.m.  (Group Tour, 1:30 p.m.)

FEATURES: 16,800 sq ft. indoor space built in 2009. Solar heat & hot water, earth sheltered, air source heat pump, alternate grey water, composting toilets, heat recovery ventilation, projected net zero energy yearly.

DIRECTIONS: From PEC office, turn left at General Store under construction. Go 1 mi., turn left at West Hill Rd. Go 1.4 mi., turn left onto Houghton Brook Rd. and turn left into school parking area. Walk to green field house.

 

#8 – West Hill Shop

VISIT: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. (Group Tour, 3 p.m.)

FEATURES: 2400 sq ft, built 2005-2006. Grid-tied PV, geothermal heat pump, radiant floor heating, solar hot water, day-lighting, non-toxic materials.

DIRECTIONS: From PEC office, go 0.4 mi. south on Rt. 5. Turn left, go down hill, across I-91. Turn right in front of Green Mountain Spinnery; continue to end of road.

 

#10 – Ken Field

VISIT:  10 a.m.-4 p.m.

FEATURES:  Composting toilet, masonry stove, off grid PV, solar heated, hydraulic ram thermal siphon off cook stove.

DIRECTIONS:  From PEC office, turn left at General Store under construction. Go 1 mile,, turn left on West Hill Rd. Go 2.3 miles, turn right on Putney Mountain Road and then left on Holland Hill. Go 3 Miles. Driveway is on the left, 1800 ft long, with deer fence in the middle