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Residential Case Studies
Up one levelPassive Solar Sunspace
This community of 15 homes is one of Oregon's oldest solar projects and first co-housing communities. All the homes in this development are designed for solar using an attached sunspace.
Solar Pool Heating
Installed in 1997, this solar heated in-ground swimming pool is heated by two 8 x 12 foot rubber hose type solar water heaters on the roof of the adjacent house.
PV, Solar Hot Water, Passive Design
This hillside home built in 1980 features a beautiful combination of sunspace and solar direct gain.
Solar Pool Heating
This solar heated in-ground 40 x 20 foot pool was built in 1975 by Apollo Pools and was purchased by the current owner with the pool and solar heating system already installed.
Solar Hot Water & Ideas
These owners are walking their talk, step by step. When they merged their families they decided to make "green" improvements incrementally.
PV, Passive & Hot Water
Pioneer and engineer Doug Boleyn supports solar design, and keeps proving it over and over again.
Passive Solar Heating, Cob
This beautiful contemplative space was built of clay-rich soil, sand, straw, hemp and water in a process called cob construction. Sunlight enters through the south facing windows, and solar heat is stored in the insulated earthen floor.
PV, Hot Water & More
This home in SE Portland has turned off their water heater for the summer and used only 1.7 Kw per day (Portland average is closer to 30 Kw per day) for the month of September.
Passive Solar Design
This wonderful hillside home is a great example of early solar ideas that still work - and beautifully.
Passive Solar Design
This 870-square-foot house in the Brooklyn Neighborhood was built in 1904 on a small lot with west facing street frontage.
Solar in a Traditional Neighborhood
The Cunningham/Piñon home demonstrates how practical it can be to use energy from the sun in our cloudy Portland climate, but also that passive solar design can be inexpensive and blend aesthetically with traditional architectural styles.
Affordable Housing with Solar
Nestled into a slim 1/3-acre rectangular lot near SE 122nd Avenue and Division Street, Douglas Meadows creates its own mini-community. A path meanders past the eight two-story three- or four-bedroom Craftsman-styled units, community garden beds, bioswales and children's play area.
PV and Efficiency Throughout
Kerr Residence 2003 tour These dedicated environmentalist home-owners have made every attempt to do without any "brown" electricity. "Brown" electricity comes from non-renewable resources.