Home of Pamela Burton & Jeremy Smithson

    5308 Baker Ave NW (Phinney Ridge)

    Seattle, WA  98107

Solar designer: Puget Sound Solar

Website: www.pugetsoundsolar.com

Telephone: 206-706-1931
 

SYSTEMS

Active solar

       photovoltaics -

       hot water

Passive solar design

Alternative/innovative building envelope/exterior walls

Energy efficient windows/daylighting

Radiant heating

Rain barrels - rainwater catchment

Water use reduction/conservation - Drought tolerant planting

Vehicle: 1997 Solectria Electric Car

Size of project: house is 1900 square feet  - Year completed: home Sept 05/ garage 08

Kilowatt Hours Produced in last year:  6000kWh/1500 kWh

Description:
This 1908 house has been remodeled to conserve energy. Polyiso foam boards and 2X4 insulated walls brought up the insulation factor to R-34 and attic insulation to R-57. Reclaimed low-E, Argon-filled vinyl windows were installed. Extensive use of reclaimed lumber and trim both inside and out, reclaimed cedar siding, stone, cabinets and millwork. Red brick from the furnace chimney, that was removed, was used to build flower planters. Broken concrete was used to build planters and excavated soil was used for terracing yard. Rainwater is gathered in (24) 55 gallon recycled food waste drums that are integrated with rain-gutter system. Two 12 feet long teak benches were acquired from Earthwise. Most of the building materials came from Re-Store and Second Use. Second hand hanging ceiling lamps were purchased from these 3 stores. Front stairs were UW belcher benches.

Recycled solar equipment include a Thermomax hot water collector (30) tubes and 60 gallon storage tank. A 6 kW net metered system, made up of 32 Sanyos 190 watt panels and two Xantrex inverters, was added in Sept 2005.

We took delivery of our 1997 Solectria "Force" in April of 2006, the same day as the birth of our third granddaughter having made a successful bid on E-Bay. We got into a bidding war with 3 other parties and thought we had overspent by paying $15,000. It had to be shipped from Kansas at a cost of $800. We have since seen these cars go for as low as $8,000. The cost is largely dependent on the life left in the batteries.

Like the EV-1 owners in the film "Who Killed the Electric Car" we love driving an electric car, we love plugging it into its charging station at night and we really love contributing to a cleaner environment. It drives fast enough to go on the freeway and it holds 4 people. The body is a GM Metro. It was produced as part of a fleet of vehicles produced by the Solectria inverter company for a New Jersey Department of Transportation program. With old fashion lead acid batteries the range is 30 to 35 miles, and a full charge costs less than 80 cents.

The real beauty is using the homes photovoltaic system to charge a car. One kilowatt hour of electricity runs the Solectria 3.3 miles. A 1 kilowatt solar system runs a car like ours 3,500 miles per year or 73 cents a galloon. Using a solar electric system to charge a car makes the cost of a solar electric system even more of a sound investment. Making this happen in the future for all the grandchildren is a mandate.

Directions to Site:
From Fremont take 3^rd Ave NW to NW 55^th St. Turn right and go up 55^th. Turn right onto Baker Ave., first street on the right. Drive to dead end. From Phinney Ridge near the Woodland Park Zoo take NW 55^th St down the hill until you come to Baker Ave NW. Make a left and drive to the dead end.

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