Neighbor News
Wolfworks to offer tours, information at 'Net Zero' house
Presentations at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and tours in between will explain how a modest existing home can achieve net zero performance.
The Avon residential design/build firm Wolfworks will host an “Open Wall” Open House Saturday, Nov. 15 at a 1960’s Cape style home in Farmington that is receiving what the industry calls a deep energy retrofit. Presentations at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and tours in between will explain how a modest existing home can achieve net zero performance.
“People who have attended our previous open houses respond enthusiastically and ask, ‘Why isn’t everyone doing this?’” designer Jamie Wolf said.
Wolfworks won the grand prize in the 2012 and 2013 CT Zero Energy Challenge competitions, which recognize projects that demonstrate the ability to produce as much or more energy than they use on an annual basis. Those projects involved new construction but their current Farmington project is the first existing home at which Wolfworks has reached the net zero goal.
“The project will reduce total energy use by 50 percent and by adding an 8KW solar system on the roof, the house will achieve net zero energy performance,” Wolf said. “It will be able to produce all the energy the house requires on an annual basis, including hot water, lights, and appliances.
The house has large south-facing, high-performance windows that capture more energy than they lose and invite in the light, he said. Added to the outside of the house, super insulation and air tightness slow heat loss to a trickle. The homeowners were also able to harvest oak and hickory from trees on their property that Wolfworks is using to construct a post and beam screen porch and provide trim for the interior of the home.
“This home and others we have built redefine what a great home can be,” Wolf said. “Local energy. Local wood. A design that provides just enough space to live fully and thrive in an established and comfortable neighborhood. We call these homes ‘future friendly’ for good reason. They respond to the challenges of climate change and energy independence with confident vision.”
For more details and directions to the Open House, visit homesthatfit.com/blog.
