Solar Ready or Solar Now

With building heating and cooling energy needs reduced up to 90%, your building is Low-Energy with a small energy bill. When adding renewable energy, your building is in a much closer position to becoming Zero-Energy, creating enough energy to cover all building needs, or Net-Energy, creating more energy than your building needs. Net-Energy buildings are “regenerative”, improving our planets health, by reducing our need for carbon fuel consumption to meet other energy needs like powering electric or hybrid vehicles. Solar electric (photovoltaic) and solar thermal (solar water and air heating) systems can be sized to generate clean, green renewable energy to meet building energy needs. On-site photovoltaic is the most energy-efficient because it minimizes utility line transmission losses. "Solar Gardens" or "Solar Farms" are great investments for homes that have enough solar access for Passive House to work, but not enough for cost effective photovoltaic which can be hampered by shading. Solar thermal is always onsite to minimize energy losses and is typically smaller so it may be easier to find a spot with good solar access. Solar thermal is more forgiving of intermittent shading. Wind energy works very well at the utility level where you see the large wind turbines in wind farms, but “Small Wind” can be typically less cost-effective. There are some areas that see significant steady breezes, but often not in urban areas. Most cost-effective "Small Wind" installations have towers that are 75-200 feet and taller.

Anderson Sustainable Architecture designs very energy efficient buildings where natural solar energy and active photovoltaic and thermal panels can work together in a system to efficiently and effectively meet building operating energy needs while providing a beautiful architectural expression.

Anderson Sustainable Architecture can help you review your site or potential site for Passive House, photovoltaic and solar thermal access.
​                                                                                                                                                                                                        REMEMBER: "You don't need to burn gas to power something that doesn't move" © Anderson Sustainable Architecture, Inc.