The team that initiated the first Zero Energy home sold in NorthWest Crossing last year has now launched another due to overwhelming positive feedback. The home, which is under construction right now, will be complete in time for the 2012 COBA Tour of Homes in July. Situated on a bright corner lot at 2334 NW Frazer Lane, the home is being constructed by SolAire Homebuilders and underwritten by investors and environmental activists Joe Emerson and Ann Brayfield. It is listed for sale jointly by The Garner Group Real Estate LLC and GoBend Realty.
“We got a lot of feedback from the first Zero Energy project, especially during the 2011 Tour of Homes,” explained David Sailors, GoBend Realty broker. “As a result, this home has a more elegant and spacious floor plan. It will accommodate a different segment of the market.”
With 1,878 square feet of floor space plus a 160-square foot unheated flex room, this year’s Zero Energy floorplan is a few hundred feet larger than last year’s project. The three-bedroom, single-level home uses advanced green construction techniques, mechanical systems and energy monitoring technology to achieve Zero Energy status.
Neal Huston & Associates Architects of Bend designed the home to be simultaneously beautiful and livable. A signature element of the floor plan is a large south-facing courtyard recessed into the structure. Screened from the street, it provides a comfortable and private outdoor living space.
The home’s exterior architecture is prairie style with a low profile, wide overhanging eaves and stone accents. “The interior has more of a contemporary feel,” described Alison Mata, broker with The Garner Group. She enumerated features that include coffered ceilings in the living and dining rooms, bamboo floors, tile countertops and bathroom finishes, custom cabinets and a gas fireplace.
The Zero Energy concept focuses on energy conservation and generation measures that are modeled to bring consumption of electricity from the power grid to zero when seasonal utility demands are leveled out over the course of a year. A computerized home energy monitoring system gives the owner real-time consumption data and calculates the debit or credit status.
Construction methods and mechanical systems insulate the interior and control temperature, airflow and air quality. Elements include 12-inch exterior walls, triple-glazed windows, zero-VOC finishes and insulation, a ductless “mini-split” heat pump with a flush ceiling register in the living room, and a sophisticated ventilating and air filtration system.
Solar panels provide electricity and direct hot water heat. The new home will employ a 7030-watt solar array, greater than the first home because of its increased size.
The first Zero Energy home was featured on the 2011 COBA Tour of Homes and won for SolAire Homebuilders the Green Building and Best Architectural Design awards in its price class. Situated at 2328 NW Dorion Way, it was sold last fall.
As realtors, Sailors and Mata are schooled in green building concepts and techniques. Both have earned the Green Broker designation from the National Assn. of Realtors Green Resource Council, awarded upon completion of classroom training and testing in fundamentals of green building practices, consumer awareness and marketing of homes built to green standards.
Michael O’Neil, President, Cindi O’Neil, Vice President, Peter Grube, Sustainable Building Advisor, SolAire Homebuilders. 593 NW York Dr., Bend, OR 97701, 541-383-2140.
