Tour Two Clean Energy Homes
June Focus: Fossil Fuel Free Neighbors
Register HERE.
Can you picture your home completely disconnected from fossil fuels? Well, come to the June Clean Energy Home Tour and see two households who have done just that! These are NOT swanky LEED certified designer houses. Rather, these are normal homes where the owners have taken steps over time to transition to clean energy. And both households officially capped their natural gas lines! The two homes are connected to the electrical grid; however, both households signed up for Acton Power Choice GREEN and both households have solar panels, so their use of the grid relies on renewable sources. The owners look forward to speaking with you about their journeys!
There will be a morning tour (11am) and an afternoon tour (1pm) for each household, so that you can see one home or both. You can indicate your choices when you register. You are also invited to a light lunch at noon. In between these two neighbors are a set of recently installed solar carports. For those who can stay to eat with us, Jim Snyder-Grant, Acton Select Board member and a founder of the Acton Clean Energy Coach Program, will give guests an orientation to these new structures and their contribution to the grid. All are welcome free of charge.
Register HERE.
House #1 Details
Duplex with 1200 sq feet of area
- Solar panels
- Air source heat pump mini-splits (Fujitsu—one single head and one multi-head)
- Air source heat pump hot water heater (AO Smith 50 gallon)
- Air source heat pump clothes dryer (Miele T1)
- EV and EV charging
- Induction stovetop (Kenmore)
- Whole-house electricity monitoring (Emporia)
- Electric Lawn Mower
House #2 Details
2400 sq feet built in 1996
- Geothermal Heating and Cooling System (2024)
- Solar Panels : 10 kW PV array on roof
- Solar Battery Storage : 18 kWh Generac battery
- Solar hot water panels on roof
- Greenhouse heat transfer system
- Clivus toilet composting system
- 4-stage reverse osmosis water filter
- Induction Cooktop
- EV and shared EV charger
- Rechargeable electric mower
The owners write, “Don’t try to do everything at once, but make a plan and follow it (Zero Carbon Over Time). Don’t agonize and try for perfection. Very good and sooner is better than perfect and later.”
EnergizeActon.org is a joint project of the Town of Acton Sustainability Office and the Acton Climate Coalition.
Interested in joining us? We welcome your involvement in any way, large or small. The team meets the first and third Wednesdays of the month at noon. Or just write us to share your ideas. The email address is EnergizeActon.org@gmail.com.