Green & Solar Tour 2015 Hosted by The Environmental Center of Bend

(Photo courtesy of Jim Guild Construction)

On Saturday, September 26th 2015 at 10:00 AM, 1629 NW Scott Henry Place in Saginaw Sunset is featured in the 2015 Green and Solar Tour in Bend, Oregon. The 2015 Green and Solar Tour is being hosted by The Environmental Center of Bend, who is heading up the Bend Energy Challenge as Bend is among the 50 finalists for the Georgetown University Energy Prize.

Builder Jim Guild (Jim Guild Construction) has been a resident of Bend and has developed, built and remodelled homes for the past 30+ years. Both Jim and his wife Nunzie Gould have a passion for building green, sustainable, eco-conscious homes of superior detail and craftsmanship.

1629 NW Scott Henry Place in Saginaw Sunset

A development with a serious commitment to urban in-fill, designed by Neal Huston & Associates Architects Inc. with a “Preliminary Energy Performance Score” of 56, is a model home featuring 2+ Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths, 2105 Sq Ft (for sale) in the Saginaw Sunset subdivision. It is the first of what will be a 20-home development of high-performance custom homes.

Each home will meet at least Earth Advantage Platinum standards and include features such as staggered stud framing, super-efficient HVAC systems, Energy Star appliances, extra insulation, solar power production, and water conservation. This home’s power is supplemented by a grid-tied solar system that is also backed up with batteries – meaning that the home will still have electricity when the power goes out.

The finishes in this home include (local) EcoCrush countertops throughout, renewable cork flooring, and long-lasting Italian tiles. The white oak cabinets were of course milled locally.

Set amid native Ponderosa pines, this home sits on a steep lot with limited access for construction, showcasing the developers’ commitment to filling in vacant urban property and is landscaped with deer and drought in mind. The vision for these properties is that homeowners will be able to age in place which is why this split-level home features an elevator.

The Bend Energy Challenge is a national competition where the main goal is reducing energy use. The competition is named by The Georgetown University Energy Prize, which is currently underway. More than 50 cities and counties across the U.S. are competing for the $5 million prize which will be awarded later in 2017. Bend (Oregon) is among the final 50 competitors, the front-runners if it comes to reducing carbon footprint.

The Bend Environmental Center is heading up Bend’s representation in this competition. The group of locals is committed to sustainability and seeks to build a community in Bend that meets human needs equitably, lives within the planet’s ecological limits, and builds a prosperous economy for all.

“Achieving sustainability is not an easy task. It takes planning, knowledge and there are many things that need to be monitored closely to solve problems such as climate change and the loss of biodiversity. It can seem overwhelming to solve such issues, but that’s what keeps us moving and inspired. We cannot deliver a solution, but we can be a part of it.”