Solar heated home

The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) has an annual green building tour that included this renovation in Medford, Mass. This slideshow will feature photos from this house and a new construction in Concord, Mass., which show many of the same techniques for achieving a very low-energy house. The average gas bill for this house last year was $75 a month for two apartments and the electricity bill, including air conditioning, was $41, according to owner Kevin Ring.

The main green building features are the solar hot water panels seen on the right and a very tight and well-insulated building envelope. The solar panels are used for both hot water and for radiant floor heating.

See related story, On the road to a low-energy house. Note, this house is not discussed in that article.