Meadowlark Energy To Show Off A 'Deep Green' Energy Refit
ANN ARBOR -- It is just a typical home built in 1988 in a typical Ann Arbor neighborhood -- but inside, this home is jam-packed with energy-efficient upgrades that make it a lean, green, energy-saving machine.
When the homeowners looked at this home in 2010 it was in good cosmetic shape, but it had persistent basement water issues, it was under-insulated, drafty, and its furnace and water heater were in need of replacement. The homeowners were looking to make improvements that would not only result in greatly reduced energy consumption, but also would make their home more durable, more healthy and add property value.
The owners were interested in living with the lowest carbon footprint they could muster. American buildings are the country's largest energy consumer by sector, and retrofitting an existing home takes a comparative energy hog and turns it into one that can sip energy into the future. Since this home needed new systems and work on its exterior, it was a great candidate for their goals.
Meadowlark Energy worked with the owners to make a plan for bringing their energy consumption down as low as it could go. Insulation, air-sealing, geothermal heating and cooling, low-energy lighting, and solar panels were all on the list. In addition, healthy air in the home and easy to use control systems were priorities for this remodel. A low-energy home does no good if it makes the homeowners less healthy or is not easy to operate.
"If you are looking for the latest in home energy upgrades, this home has everything," said Meadowlark general manager Brian Cameron. "From the geothermal system in the basement to the solar panels on the roof to the electric car charging station in the garage -- this home is future ready and energy smart."
This home will be on tour along with 14 others during the Remodelers Home Tour sponsored by the Builders & Remodelers Association of Greater Ann Arbor on Sept. 28-30 in Ann Arbor.
For more information go to www.bragannarbor.com/se_remodelers.cfm.
More about Meadowlark at www.MeadowlarkEnergy.com.
