The Maddaluna home was built to very high energy efficiency standards. You can see the Solar panels on the rear elevation. This house's energy bill is less then $100 a month.

The Parker Vaughan home is a blend of country farm house and contemporary architecture with state of the art energy efficiency and solar power. The home is 3,000 square feet on a little over 5 acres with 3 bedrooms, 2 ½ baths, screen porch and 2 car garage. The master suite features a spectacular spa like bath with roof top deck free standing tub and a fireplace. The home is a custom new home by Sustainable Design Group designed to be completely energy independent, charge the owners 2 electric cars and have no energy bills. It is also designed to provide the most healthful indoor environment for the occupants.

The owners of this inner- SE Buckman beauty wanted to reinvigorate the home's historic 1913 charm while tastefully balancing clean, contemporary design with deep energy upgrades. Green Hammer met the challenge with an expanded gourmet kitchen, fine woodwork, reclaiming the attic for a bedroom suite and yoga space with views of the Portland skyline and all the accouterments of a great Green Hammer project like heat recovery ventilation, comprehensive energy and weatherization upgrades, and a rooftop solar array. Photo: Bill Purcell

Photo: Margot Hartford Photography © 2016 Houzz
Example of a trendy living room design in Amsterdam

Bill Holtz and Luigi Martino
Living room - cottage living room idea in New York

Quiet and comfortable, these all bills paid efficiencies provide an excellent return on investment for the developers. Built using Solid Green Systems roof and wall panels, the panels provide superior insulation for heating, cooling and sound barrier, reducing the need for energy by over 50%.

Bill Holtz and Luigi Martino
Inspiration for a cottage exterior home remodel in New York

Bill Holtz and Luigi Martino
Example of a cottage entryway design in New York

Bill Holtz and Luigi Martino
Farmhouse exterior home photo in New York

This beautiful Jupiter is finished outside with hardie plank siding. All of our houses also come with double pane, low-e insulated glass windows, making our homes energy efficient and saving our owners money on utility bills!

Honeycomb Duette shades aren't just stylish, they're efficient too. These shades are engineered to trap air in distinct pockets in both cold and warm climates to create insulation that lowers your energy consumption (and bills)!

Adon Complete Property Solutions
Traditional exterior home idea in Dallas

Add a splash of style to your exterior by choosing weather-resistant, energy-efficient Graber Exterior Solar Shades. In addition to superior sun and heat protection for your outdoor living spaces, sunlight is blocked before it gets inside, lowering heat gain and cooling bills.

Photo by Eron Rauch
Inspiration for a transitional light wood floor eat-in kitchen remodel in Los Angeles with shaker cabinets, green cabinets, quartz countertops and stainless steel appliances

Situated on a 3.5 acre, oak-studded ridge atop Santa Barbara's Riviera, the Greene Compound is a 6,500 square foot custom residence with guest house and pool capturing spectacular views of the City, Coastal Islands to the south, and La Cumbre peak to the north. Carefully sited to kiss the tips of many existing large oaks, the home is rustic Mediterranean in style which blends integral color plaster walls with Santa Barbara sandstone and cedar board and batt. Landscape Architect Lane Goodkind restored the native grass meadow and added a stream bio-swale which complements the rural setting. 20' mahogany, pocketing sliding doors maximize the indoor / outdoor Santa Barbara lifestyle by opening the living spaces to the pool and island view beyond. A monumental exterior fireplace and camp-style margarita bar add to this romantic living. Discreetly buried in the mission tile roof, solar panels help to offset the home's overall energy consumption. Truly an amazing and unique property, the Greene Residence blends in beautifully with the pastoral setting of the ridge while complementing and enhancing this Riviera neighborhood.

Bill Holtz and Luigi Martino
Inspiration for a cottage kitchen remodel in New York

Bill Gregory
Example of a mid-sized arts and crafts l-shaped medium tone wood floor open concept kitchen design in Los Angeles with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, dark wood cabinets, granite countertops, multicolored backsplash, mosaic tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

The owners of this inner- SE Buckman beauty wanted to reinvigorate the home's historic 1913 charm while tastefully balancing clean, contemporary design with deep energy upgrades. Green Hammer met the challenge with an expanded gourmet kitchen, fine woodwork, reclaiming the attic for a bedroom suite and yoga space with views of the Portland skyline and all the accouterments of a great Green Hammer project like heat recovery ventilation, comprehensive energy and weatherization upgrades, and a rooftop solar array. Photo: Bill Purcell

Lincoln Farmhouse LEED-H Platinum, Net-Positive Energy OVERVIEW. This LEED Platinum certified modern farmhouse ties into the cultural landscape of Lincoln, Massachusetts - a town known for its rich history, farming traditions, conservation efforts, and visionary architecture. The goal was to design and build a new single family home on 1.8 acres that respects the neighborhood’s agrarian roots, produces more energy than it consumes, and provides the family with flexible spaces to live-play-work-entertain. The resulting 2,800 SF home is proof that families do not need to compromise on style, space or comfort in a highly energy-efficient and healthy home. CONNECTION TO NATURE. The attached garage is ubiquitous in new construction in New England’s cold climate. This home’s barn-inspired garage is intentionally detached from the main dwelling. A covered walkway connects the two structures, creating an intentional connection with the outdoors between auto and home. FUNCTIONAL FLEXIBILITY. With a modest footprint, each space must serve a specific use, but also be flexible for atypical scenarios. The Mudroom serves everyday use for the couple and their children, but is also easy to tidy up to receive guests, eliminating the need for two entries found in most homes. A workspace is conveniently located off the mudroom; it looks out on to the back yard to supervise the children and can be closed off with a sliding door when not in use. The Away Room opens up to the Living Room for everyday use; it can be closed off with its oversized pocket door for secondary use as a guest bedroom with en suite bath. NET POSITIVE ENERGY. The all-electric home consumes 70% less energy than a code-built house, and with measured energy data produces 48% more energy annually than it consumes, making it a 'net positive' home. Thick walls and roofs lack thermal bridging, windows are high performance, triple-glazed, and a continuous air barrier yields minimal leakage (0.27ACH50) making the home among the tightest in the US. Systems include an air source heat pump, an energy recovery ventilator, and a 13.1kW photovoltaic system to offset consumption and support future electric cars. ACTUAL PERFORMANCE. -6.3 kBtu/sf/yr Energy Use Intensity (Actual monitored project data reported for the firm’s 2016 AIA 2030 Commitment. Average single family home is 52.0 kBtu/sf/yr.) o 10,900 kwh total consumption (8.5 kbtu/ft2 EUI) o 16,200 kwh total production o 5,300 kwh net surplus, equivalent to 15,000-25,000 electric car miles per year. 48% net positive. WATER EFFICIENCY. Plumbing fixtures and water closets consume a mere 60% of the federal standard, while high efficiency appliances such as the dishwasher and clothes washer also reduce consumption rates. FOOD PRODUCTION. After clearing all invasive species, apple, pear, peach and cherry trees were planted. Future plans include blueberry, raspberry and strawberry bushes, along with raised beds for vegetable gardening. The house also offers a below ground root cellar, built outside the home's thermal envelope, to gain the passive benefit of long term energy-free food storage. RESILIENCY. The home's ability to weather unforeseen challenges is predictable - it will fare well. The super-insulated envelope means during a winter storm with power outage, heat loss will be slow - taking days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. During normal conditions, reduced energy consumption plus energy production means shelter from the burden of utility costs. Surplus production can power electric cars & appliances. The home exceeds snow & wind structural requirements, plus far surpasses standard construction for long term durability planning. ARCHITECT: ZeroEnergy Design http://zeroenergy.com/lincoln-farmhouse CONTRACTOR: Thoughtforms http://thoughtforms-corp.com/ PHOTOGRAPHER: Chuck Choi http://www.chuckchoi.com/