Tour the Clean Energy Home(s) of the Month
June Focus: Two Fossil Fuel Free Homes
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 this year! 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! Please register HERE.
This event has a special treat. In between these two neighbors are a set of recently installed solar carports. At noon, in between the two sessions, Jim Snyder-Grant, Acton Select Board member and an Acton Clean Energy Coach, will give guests an orientation to these new structures and their contribution to the grid. A light lunch will be served.
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.”
Our monthly tours are part of a broader campaign called “PlugIN,” running from February through July 2024 and coordinated with groups across Acton and the region to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The new movement for electrification—based on renewable energy sources and high-efficiency home heating, cooling, and appliance use—is part of Acton’s commitment to reach net zero emissions as soon as possible. To find out about efforts in other PlugIN towns—Wayland, Framingham, and Natick–click HERE.
Upcoming PlugIN talks and events include the following.
May 2: PlugIN “Our Actions Shape the World—Create a Multi-Year Plan to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint”
June 8: Climate Resilience Festival sponsored by the Acton Sustainability Office
June 15: PlugIN “Clean Energy Home of the Month Tour: Fossil Fuel Free Homes”
June Talk: PlugIN Talk – Homeowner Panel on Heat Pumps: Benefits and Tips
July: PlugIN Clean Energy Home of the Month: Energy Monitoring and Solar
July: PlugIN Picnic: Celebrating Collective Action!
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.