Based on an open floor plan, the kitchen looks out to both the family room and the dining area, which opens to the outdoors. The design allows Bromfield — who loves to cook and says an hourlong prep is a quick one for her — to brew up dinners while Jake and Orpin can be engaged and nearby, or just playing with their rescued Brittany spaniel, Dexter.
THE SPECS: 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 3,000 square feet, $320 per square foot, $960,000 total
THE MECHANICS:
Twenty solar panels provide 80 percent of the house’s annual electrical needs. Federal grants and tax credits softened the initial cost of $32,000 to $9,000.
A natural gas boiler delivers hot water to the main floor’s radiator system. The wall-mounted European-style flat-plate radiators allow the family to control the temperature in each room. Orpin — not a fan of forced air — says the system is less expensive than radiant heat, which he also does not love. The system goes on at 5 a.m. and off by 8 a.m. If the house cools too much in the evening, they light a wood stove in the family room. The stove, with a closed-combustion firebox, does not pull any air from the interior of the house.
Domestic hot water is heated by two additional solar panels. If needed, an exchange system with the main boiler kicks in. After tax incentives and credits from Ecotrust, this price tag dipped from $8,100 to $3,800.
Rainwater collection barrels are in the basement. Not burying them allowed Orpin and Bromfield to go with four less expensive 1,000-gallon food-grade tanks. The system filters water four times and can collect up to 6,000 gallons during the rainy months. They switch to city water in the summer if they run low. Cost was around $6,000 and Orpin predicts a 15-year break-even point.
See and read more at: http://www.oregonlive.com/hg/index.ssf/2012/03/well-organized_home_design_kee.html
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