Solar Harvest Specifications

Thu, 03 Nov 2005 13:30:02 -0700

In an effort to be as transparent as possible about the methods and materials used in our net-zero energy homes, we dedicate this page to everything anyone might need to know about Solar Harvest. Scroll down to read news, milestones, and technical documents compiled through the last few years.

Quick Links:
Solar Harvest Major Specifications Solar Harvest Technical Poster Solar Harvest Brochure

2008 Documents

Net-Zero Energy Home Update: Solar Harvest, the first three years - published for the 2008 tour of Solar Homes, this update provides some of the latest findings and lessons learned at Solar Harvest

Performance Verification Update #1 - with our live data display online here and a year 1 trending summary available here, we are proud to publish our first performance verification update demonstrating Solar Harvest's operation as a net-energy producer.

Major Specifications: 2008 Update - our revised major specs sheets includes changes since 2005 and verified net-zero energy performance data

"The Showhouse that Sustainability Built" featured Solar Harvest in the New York Times, March 26, 2008. C lick here to watch the audio-visual slideshow that was created in supplement to the article.

2007 Documents

July 2007 Press Release - reflecting on the home's performance during this year's hotter-than average summer and rational for installing advanced cooling systems, electric appliances, and additional PVs

Energy Performance Monitor goes live! View live data display of Solar Harvest's energy systems and follow links to real-time graphs charting energy use for the past few hours.

Solar Harvest Poster, with 2007 updates - originally created for the Solar 2006 Conference, the printable poster graphically illustrates many prominent features of the home

2006 Documents

The Denver Post featured Solar Harvest in a 2-page article on October 25, 2005. Click here to view the online Interactive Graphic created in supplement to this feature.

2006 Major Specifications and September Press Release: a 2-sided summary of the home's unique construction and energy systems.

Solar Harvest: First Year Milestones - a graph representing amount of energy generated since the net meter was installed in April, 2006 and a chronology of significant events in the home's first year. Over 1,000 kWh of electricity generated & fed to the grid by October!

Solar Harvest was awarded the 2006 Renewable Energy and Sustainable Design in Buildings Award from the Colorado Renewable Energy Society on July 10, 2006. Click here to read the CRES Awards Press Release to learn more about Solar Harvest and other award winning energy efficient buildings. Eric's award acceptance presentation to the Solar 2006 Conference in Denver is available for viewing in our "Educational Materials" page. Click here to view this and other presentations given by Eric this year.

2005 Documents

Technical Specification Brochure - first released for the national tour of solar homes, this booklet details the diverse methods and materials used in building Solar Harvest. Click here for a printable version.
Virtual Tours - a collection of Eric's "Virtual Tours" - presentations about Solar Harvest in PDF format from various conferences and lectures
Energy Star Certificates and Test Results - Energy Star Certification test results completed by Lightly Treading of Denver verify Solar Harvest as the highest rated home in Colorado
1887 Orchard PV Return on Investment and Payback Calculation: an excel spreadsheet calculating how many years will pass before the home's 6.84 kW PV system "pays for itself" at 4 different rates of energy rate increase.
Building Load Summary, Domestic Load Survey and Energy Use Analysis were all tools used by engineers to predict anticipated energy use and support that Solar Harvest does not need a back-up heat system.

Can't find what you're looking for? Contact Ali Ray at Ecofutures to request supplemental information or tours of Solar Harvest.

Boulder's Leading Green & Zero Energy Home Builder - Brochures & Technical Documents

Solar Harvest Specifications