This 870-square-foot house in the Brooklyn Neighborhood was built in 1904 on a small lot with west facing street frontage. Being an old house with historic character worth preserving, the opportunities for a complete passive solar make-over were limited. Eliminating west-facing windows, significantly increasing south facing glazed area and adding mass were not realistic options. Purchased in 1991 as a fixer-upper, the owners have implemented many energy efficient and ecological improvements maintaining the charm of the existing home and culminating in a small addition that increases the house size to 1,030 square feet.

To improve the energy efficiency of the home they installed blown-in cellulose insulation in the walls, double glazed, low-e replacement windows and a few new south facing windows to increase sun-tempering. A Sun Family solar water heater was owner-installed in less than a weekend to pre-heat supply to the hot water tank. The solar water heater is a small batch unit that uses evacuated tubes, like long Thermos bottles, for the collectors. The vacuum prevents any heat from being lost, so these tubes are effective solar collectors. The solar water heater is connected to a high efficiency gas water heater; it also provides hot water to a radiant floor system. A solar-powered attic fan provides ventilation and cooling for the attic and a heat-recovery ventilator saves heat while providing ventilation.Water usage was cut 35% through efficient and low-flow fixtures, rain barrels, and reduced lawn area. Materials were conserved, recycled, salvaged, and incorporate environmental products. Indoor air quality was also considered.

System Details
System Type: Solar Heating
Solar Water Heating
PV Fan
Sustainable Ideas
Home: Built in 1904
Solar Dealer: Mr. Sun Solar
Appliances: Energy efficient appliances, water
Heater, lights, lamps
Funding: State of Oregon Tax Credit
City of Portland, Office of
Sustainable Development, Grant

Energy Performance
Saves about 38% of electricity and 34% on gas usage.

Assistance on energy savings estimates from Stellar Processes