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John Sellers — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 21:32:40 +0000

Your bloggist, John Sellers, with his wife, Kristi.

4 Jan 2012: Check the “Lighting” and “Home Automation” pages for latest.

We’ve doubled the living space of our 1899 bungalow, while cutting energy use in half. Our energy savings derive from a five-part strategy:

Make efficient use of existing space. This meant expanding into an unused attic.
Insulate to keep heat where it belongs – inside in winter, outside in summer.
Use efficient heating and cooling appliances.
Regulate temperature in occupied areas and relax the conditioning elsewhere.
Get energy from the sun.

This highlights some of the green features of the renovation.

I created the overall design, produced the drawings, and did the insulation, gas, plumbing, wiring, solar array, and custom cabinetry. Ginger Bihm collaborated on the architecture. Mark Jennings at Target Building Systems did the framing and trim. Landscaping by Arterra.

This is the 1780 sq ft house we bought. See "Architecture" for before and after drawings. We liked the look of the house and wanted the street view to remain almost unchanged.

This is the 3350 sq ft house we have now - about double the original living space. This house used an average of 535 Kilowatt hours of electricity over the last three months. The original house averaged 1041 KwH over the same period.

We gained living space by making use of the empty attic. Here I'm cleaning up and removing some electrical circuits.

This is the same viewpoint as the shot above.

The day after the renovation began in earnest. The original joists and rafters were unable to support living space. Just before tear-off, we replaced a sagging beam in the basement. See "Basement Beam Replacement" and "Demo And Framing". In case you wondered, yes, we were still living in the house.

The energy plan included Ultratouch insulation made from recycled denim. Each floor has its own furnace and air conditioner. The house also has an evaporative cooler and will soon have a sealed gas fireplace. Check the "Energy" section to see how these work together.

Our garage has a photovolataic array to produce roughly 50-75% of our electrical needs. This system uses Enphase microinverters to maximize efficiency and minimize the effect of shadowing from a nearby power pole. See "Solar Electric". Click the link directly below to see a real-time display of our power generation.

http://enlighten.enphaseenergy.com/public/systems/EzrH2428
I let my data collection lapse for a few months, but the tracking system is up and operational again (20 Sep 2011).

Landscape plan minimizes water use by careful plant selection and small turf areas. Drip irrigation takes water right to where it's needed. See "Xeriscaping". Other water saving features include low flush toilets, front loading washer, and an instant hot water recirculation system.

Denver Green Renovation

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