National Tour of Solar Homes

New Hampshire

Southern NH

Auburn Massabesic Audubon 26 Audubon Way

Contact Name: Ian MacLeod Phone #: 603-668-2045 email:

Directions: Take exit 1 off of 101 east just outside of Manchester. Go south on bypass 28 for 1.9 miles. Turn left on Spofort road. The entrance to the Audubon Center is the first left off of Spofort Rd.

Solar Features: 1.2 kw array of 4 pv panels on barn. The inverter is hooked up to a computer in the center. The computer will be available during the tour to look at the readings.

Concord Society for Protection of NH Forests (SPNHF)

Contact Name: Paul Leveille Phone #: 603-224-9945 x 309 email: leggsoid@aol.com

Directions: To the Society for the Protection of NH Forests take Interstate 93 North or South to exit 16. Follow Brown and White Conservation Center signs to 54 Portsmouth Street. Conservation Center is located from the road in the woods.

Home Information: Property Name: Conservation Center
Architect: Stuart White, AIA
Builder: Trumball - Nelson
Construction and Renovation costs: $550,000 Compared to Conventional Construction: 10 % higher
Size: 7000 sq. ft. Year Built: 1980
Building Style: Contemporary Office Building
Location: Suburban

Solar Features: Earthberms, local materials, monitoring system, eutectic salts, solar water tubes, wood-chip gasification for heat, passive solar envelope design, solar greenhouse with gray water, solar hot water. 4 kw utility-tied solar electric. 80 % solar heated, back-up fuel cost $500 per year Offices are filled by many environmental groups including the NH Project Learning Tree, NH Wildlife Federation, NH Rivers Council. This building serves as the main office for SPNHF.

Dublin Windmill Hill Rd.

Contact Name: Carolyn Demorest Phone #: 603-563-8804 email: solarflaire@earthlink.net

Directions: From Keene: Take Rt. 101 east towards Dublin. When you pass Dublin Lake on your right look for the “solar house” sign and take Upper Jaffrey Road to the right. At this point you’re 1.8 miles from my house. At the fork, take a left onto a dirt road, Windmill Hill Road. At the next fork stay left, don’t go down Parson’s Rd.
Pass a house with natural shingles on the left, start down a short, steep dip with a driveway on the right, and take the dirt driveway that’s the next left with yellow “Posted” signs on the trees. Can’t see the house from the road

From Peterborough: Take Rt. 101 west towards Dublin. Pass intersection of Rt. 137 (*) (Carr’s Store), continue uphill, and take a left at the sign for Phoenix House on the left. Go about a block, and turn right at the stop sign onto Pierce Rd. Go to the next stop sign and turn right onto Windmill Hill Road.
My driveway is the fourth on the right, after a pale yellow stucco house on the left and a horse field on the right. There are yellow "Posted” signs on the trees on either side of my driveway. You can’t see the house from the road.

From Jaffrey: Take Rt. 137 north to Dublin. At Rt. 101, go left and follow directions from (*) in directions from Peterborough above.

Home Information: Architect: (Designer) Hank Huber
Builder: Howard Chittenden
Construction Cost: $105,000
Compared to Conventional Construction: Higher because of building the "house within the house" and having a semi circular shape.
Size: 19-20,000 sq. ft.
Year Built: 1980
Building Style: Semi circular, vertical siding, 3 story, greenhouse on south side Location: Rural

Solar Features: Greenhouse; Southern orientation; Super-insulated walls are R30 and the ceilings R40. Summer cooling- 6' high trapezoid-shaped doors in the sides of the upper greenhouse walls can be swung out to let any rising hot air out in the summer. Back up heat propane hot water heater combined with an air-to-air heat exchanger to bring hot air heat to the envelope and to the inner house. In 1999, switching to an energy efficient refrigerator, washer and all fluorescent bulbs cut a third of the electric bill. I can be mostly off grid in the summer. Nice to have battery and generator backup in case of ice storms and outages. Sunlight falls on the solar panels and the molecular reaction creates electricity on the spot-no pollution and, no hazardous nuclear waste worry about or global warming. The greenhouse is full of plants and flowers to cheer us during all seasons. It's a good feeling to come downstairs on a chilly morning and not have to start the wood stove because the house has stayed warm overnight. Envelope Construction.
1999Photovoltaic System: Beam-mounted 2.4 kW photovoltaic array (20 120-watt modules), 16 6 volt batteries, and a 6kW propane generator. A 4kW inverter allows
net-metering or off-grid use.

Jaffrey 18 Bullard Rd

Contact Name: Robin Boyd Phone #: 603-532-5647

Directions: From the intersection of Rtes 202 & 124 go west 6 miles on Rt 124 or from the intersection of Rts. 101 & 124 go east 6 miles on Rt. 124 to Bullard Rd. Bullard Rd is the last dirt rd in Jaffrey that turns south off of Rt. 124 and is midway between Jaffrey and Marlborough.
Park in clearing opposite Doug Clayton’s at 50 Bullard Rd. Do not attempt to drive up driveway as it is difficult to turn around when congested.

Home Information: Designer: Doug Clayton
Builder: Doug Clayton
Construction or renovation cost compared to conventional construction: lower, around $70,000
Size 1100 sq ft
Building Style: Saltbox
Year Built: 1994
Location: rural
Utility Information: 1 cord Firewood/yr back-up heat electricity averages $24/mo-Propane $24/mo (DHW & cooking) Built from lumber from trees milled on site with portable saw mill. Air-to-air heat exchanger with hydronic coil in conjunction with DHW tank is capable of providing back-up heat but is seldom used.

Solar Features: Passive Solar, super-insulated, integrated sun space.

Jaffrey 50 Bullard Road

Contact Name: Doug Clayton & Kyung Kim Phone #: 603-532-7321

Directions: From the intersection of Routes 202 and 124 go west 6 miles on Rt 124 or from the intersection of Rtes 101 and 124 go east 6 miles on Rt 124 to Bullard Rd. Bullard Road is the last dirt road in Jaffrey that turns south off of Rt. 124 and is midway between Jaffrey and Marlborough. 50 Bullard is 0.2 miles from 124 on the right.

Home Information: Architect and Builder: Doug Clayton
Construction and Renovation Costs: $30,000 Compared to conventional construction: Lower, owner built from lumber from trees on site and many recycled mateials.
Size: 1200 sq. ft. primary living space plus shop & other secondary spaces.
Year Built: 1983 (ongoing)
Building Style: Combination Cape and Salt Box Location: Rural

A part of the small (100 acres, four leaseholds) Land Trust at Gap Mountain. The Clayton/Kim leasehold has many “permaculture” features, e.g. integrated design with rain water cistern, gray water recycling, owner designed and built “composting” toilet, root cellar, etc. Edible landscape with large annual and perennial gardens, hundreds of fruit & nut bearing trees, shrubs and bushes, other herbs and medicinal plants, etc.

Solar Features: Well insulated passive solar design with wood back-up, two integrated greenhouses, batch solar domestic hot water with wood and electric back-up.

Lyndeborough Rte.31/Forest Rd.

Contact Name: Mark P Weissflog Phone #: 603-654-2568 email: solarflaire@earthlink.net

Directions: From Milford going west on 101- At set of lights by Wilton business district go rt. on Main St. Go straight thru Wilton which turns into Rte.31/Forest Rd. Proceed on Forest Rd. for approx 4 miles until ctr. of Lyndeborough--pass Village Store and then 2.6 miles on right is house. Steep driveway--green metal tile roof.

Home Information: Architect: Ronald Ravenscroft, PA
Builder: KW Management
Construction cost: $200,000, $30,000 more than conventional,+$14,000 utility rebate
Size: 3400 sq. ft.
Building Style: Custom
Year Built: 2000
Location: Rural setting on mountain slope

Solar Features:3.9KW Solar Array, mostly Astropower panels. 4KW Dual Trase sw40/48 inverter, 560 AH Battery Bank, Solar Hot water, Geo Thermal Heat pump system. Energy Crafted walkin-walkout earth beamed 3400 sq ft home, R-28 wall insulation and R40 ceilings, simulated Dutch clay tile metal roof and brick exterior. Fluorescent lighting throughout the home

Rye Seacoast Science Center 570 Ocean Blvd

Contact Name: Steve Miller Phone #: 603-436-8043 x 28 email: solarflaire@earthlink.net

Directions: Directions and map are @ www.seacentr.org

Home Information: Size: Approx 10,000 sq ft
Building style: Addition to a pre WW II era house
Year Built: Full structure completed 1992
Location: Oceanfront Rural
Utility Information: Monthly usage of over 20,000 Khw to run office equipment, aquariums, etc. Seacoast Science Center is located within Odiorn Point State park. Parking is available. Let the attendant at the gate know you are with Solar Homes Tour.
Participants will be allowed into the center without admission. Donations are appreciated. They must check in at the front desk and wear the sticker provided. They will be allowed to come in Saturday Oct. 13, only, between 10am and 5 pm.

Solar Features: Grid connected Solar panels

Central NH

Andover Proctor Academy 204 Main St

Contact Name: Nelson Lebo Phone #: 603-735-6283 (w) 603-735-5625 (h)

Directions: site is only open for viewing from 10am to noon. Please park in front of Carriage House on west end of campus. More information available on the Proctor Academy website.

Home Information: Architect: Chris Williams
Builder: Bruss Construction
Construction or Renovation cost compared to conventional construction: $80 sq ft
Size: 7400 sq ft
Building Style: Dormitory
Year Built: 1998
Location: Rural

Solar Features: Passive Solar, super insulated dormitory. PV system on separate building (2kW grid-intertied with Advanced Energy inverters).

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