Our firm, Bouler Architecture, P.C., was hired to design a house in Eastport that would be used renewable energy prototype.  We are a high end residential architectural firm, located on Long Island, NY, and in the Hudson Valley in upstate New York, specializing in renewable energy architectural designs, incorporating green architecture components and construction.  One of our primary goals and the goal of the client was to design a residence that would fit into a traditional vernacular, yet still perform as a renewable energy building.  The predominant vernacular in Eastport is shingle style, so that became the design direction.   The orientation of the building is important to have as much roof as possible facing solar south.  In our case, this was also the view I was trying to take advantage of, so the house wound up having a porch that will also carry PV (Photo voltaic) solar slates facing south.  This also become a passive solar architectural technique, as the roof blocks the more vertical summer sun and allows the more horizontal winter sun to passively heat the residence.  It is important to note that the roof shingles or “Solar Slates” are integrated into the roof, and are not the planes of panels protruding from the roof.  These shingles are designed to resemble typical residential roofing shingles, and, according to the manufacturer, this is the first house in Eastern United States to have these particular “Solar Slates” installed.

 We designed an octagonal entrance area that becomes an air chamber that tempers the amount of cooling or heat loss as people come in and out of the main entrance door.  The windows are arranged, as they are in a southern “shotgun” fashion, so there is air flow though the house in a linear fashion, in the spring, early summer and fall months when the outside temperature and humidity is comfortable.

Though energy efficient the house has all normal conveniences: laundry/mud room by the garage entrance; large walk in pantry by the kitchen entrance, four bedrooms, three baths, dining room, large kitchen, a roof balcony that is accessible from the master suite, etc. 

A misconception is that renewable energy will be too complicated to operate, this is not the case. It is a mechanical system to heat and cool a residence, just like you need in any residence, but inherent in its design is the difference.  It is using, as a powering mechanism, renewable energy or energy that is available all the time (the warming or cooling of the earth below the surface, the sun) and converting this to energy that is used to power the residence.  Additionally, it is using energy (such as bio-diesel which is typically a corn product) that can be grown over and over, hence the term renewable. 

Renewable energy was at one time an option for those who wished to conserve energy.  It is no longer an option.  As the natural resources dwindle, the effort to retrieve these fossil fuels has a financial and environmental cost as well as a political cost.  We are here to show that the technology is available, which not only means that we can preserve the earth for future generations, it also makes good economic sense and will significantly reduce the ever rising cost of living on Long Island and for that matter, living in any part of the United States.

I have listed a few of the mechanical aspects of this particular residence below.
           

• The home is heated and cooled by geothermal heat pumps, as outlined    under Renewable Energy.  The first floor is a single zone (as it is essentially a single room) with a 7 day-programmable thermostat controlling an independent 3-ton geothermal unit. 
  
  
• The first floor features an automatic humidifier, to keep indoor air conditions at an ideal state.
  
  
• The second floor features three independent zones (South, North and Bonus Room), each with their own 7-day programmable thermostat.  These zones control a 3 1/2 -ton split geothermal heat pump through an intelligent zoning computer, which prioritizes heating demand automatically.
  
• Groundwater is fed to the geothermal heat pumps by a variable speed, frequency driven pump that delivers only as much water as is needed, and conserving electric. 
  
  
• All ductwork on first floor is rigid sheet-metal for long-lasting durability.  All mainline trunks are acoustically lined for the first 15 feet, to reduce blower noise.
  
• Home has 200-amp service, plus 100-amp Renewable Energy Sub panel, in essence giving it a 300-amp service capacity.
  
  
• Pex Piping is used for all home run plumbing.  Individual baths have independent shut-off ball valves for ease of servicing.
  
  
• 240 gallons of hot water capacity, with a solar-thermal roof system providing  90% of the homes annual hot water needs.
  
• The Sun Slates provides 8000 watts of power to the residence.

The residence features 2 fireplaces.  A wood burning fireplace is located in the dining bay of the living room area.  The fireplace we selected is the most efficient wood-burning fireplace on the market, with an overall efficiency of 73%.  It is also EPA certified as a low emission unit.  This fireplace is capable of heating the entire first floor of the home, and features a powerful fresh air blower which circulates hot air.   The second fireplace is located in the Master Suite and is gas unit.  While mainly for aesthetics, the unit has a significant heat output and is capable of heating the entire suite easily.

To meet the strict criteria set forth by LIPA’s Conservation Services Group, Energy Star and the EPA, the house features many unique features to make it as tight a construction as possible, with only controlled air-infiltration.

James Bouler, Architect,  A.I.A.