Southwest-style home on this year's solar tour

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

Jim Paul, rector at St. Peter's Anglican Church, finds that renewable energy fits well with his faith.

"God put us on the earth to be stewards," he commented. "We're supposed to take care of creation, not ruin it."

The home owned by Jim and Mary Anne Paul, located northwest of Fort Collins, will be featured on this year's Northern Colorado Solar Tour set for Oct. 3, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tour will include six homes in Fort Collins, plus the Northside Aztlan Center, Bethke Elementary School in Timnath and the Burr Oak office building off Harmony Road and Oak Ridge Drive.

The Paul home, which sits on four acres, was built in 2003 as a passive solar structure. The modified Southwest design features Saltillo floor tile from Santa Fe, N. M., an open floor plan and stucco exterior. There are views of foothills and fields from every window in the 1,950-square-foot home.

The sunroom has two heat collectors, a cement slab topped with tile and a trombe wall - cement block filled with cement. Builder Dennis Sovick designed the home for both solar gain and the wonderful views.

The Pauls have heated with wood for 25 years, and a cozy wood stove in the living room is their primary heat source in the evening.

New systems added

Last April, the Pauls decided to install two alternative energy systems for their home. They added photovoltaic solar panels for electricity and a geothermal system for heat. To make the project affordable, the couple took advantage of three favorable factors: construction costs were reasonable due to the recession, there was an Xcel Energy rebate of $4.50 per watt on the solar system, and the 30 percent energy tax credit had just gone into effect.

"We hit the Trifecta," said Jim Paul, commenting on the fortuitous timing of their project. As a result of the savings, the actual cost to the Pauls of the solar system will be about 35 percent of the price tag, with payback in about seven years.

Paul sees the project as an excellent long-term investment. He has been told that for every $1,000 investment in alternative energy, the home value goes up about $20,000. In addition, the long-term energy savings will be large. Paul pointed out that Xcel's electric rates went up more than 13 percent last year, and energy will only get more expensive.

But the motivation wasn't just financial. Children of the '60s, the Pauls have strong environmental values.

"It was the right thing to do," Jim Paul said. Savings to the environment are already apparent. According to the solar system's computation program, the system has already saved 123,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.

Excess power

The Pauls' solar array, which sits on the ground outside the home, is a 9.46-kw system, which Paul says is the second largest residential system in Larimer County. The system has already generated an excess 2,600 kilowatt-hours of electricity, which Xcel will pay for at the end of the year.

Since the solar system was installed, the Pauls have had no electric bills. In fact, they expect to have no energy bills at all except for gas used by the kitchen range.

The geothermal system uses heat from the earth to warm the Pauls' home in the winter. It taps into the ground temperature, which in this area is a constant 56 to 57 degrees,

The heart of the system is an Envision "water furnace." A pump sends water into 2,400 feet of pipes, which are buried 6 and 8 feet deep. The water absorbs heat from the earth, and when it comes back to the furnace, that heat is extracted and compressed, producing a higher temperature.

Once the heat is removed from the water, it's piped back outside for another "heat run." Paul noted that a geothermal system heats a home more slowly, but the heat is steadier than with a forced-air furnace.

In the summer months, the system operates in reverse, absorbing heat from the home and releasing it into the ground. Thus, it acts like air conditioning. Any excess heat in the system is used to preheat water in the home's water heater.

Other energy-saving and sustainable features in the home include bamboo flooring, 2-by-6 exterior walls and a skylight that opens, helping hot air to escape in the summer months.

There's also a timer on the water heater pump, causing it to circulate warm water throughout the system during hours when the couple is home. This saves water and energy, since the Pauls don't have to run a faucet for several minutes to get warm water.

The solar tour, presented by the Northern Colorado Renewable Energy Society, costs $5 per person. The guidebook serves as a ticket. Available at Café Ardour, 255 Linden St. in Fort Collins, guidebooks can be purchased in advance or on the day of the tour