National Solar Tour, Central Maine
October 3, 2009
10am - 4pm
Tour Contact:
Curry Caputo
317 S. Hunts Meadow Rd., Whitefield, ME 04353
(207) 446-7924
currycaputo@earthlink.net
Building #1:
Curry Caputo and Andrea Lani, 317 S. Hunts Meadow Rd., Whitefield
Directions: Take RT 126 toward N. Whitefield, then take right (if coming from Gardiner/Pittston), or left (if coming from N. Whitefield) onto S. Hunts Meadow Rd. Go 1.5 miles to a dirt driveway on right, with white mailbox, yellow sun and #317. Follow drive to end. There will be event signs at road.
Description: Owner-design and built 1400 sq. ft. salt box with passive solar gain, daylight basement, metal roof, radiant floor heating, all natural wood and floor finishes, minimized northern exposure--no northern glazing; roof-mounted 1.9 kW photovoltaic array; 8 kW Kohler propane-fired generator; high-efficiency fridge (Conserv), washer (Kenmore front-loading), heating system (Propane-fired Polaris); high-density spray urethane foam insulation throughout.
Building #2
Bill and Rosey Guest, 68 Bluebird Hill Road, Jefferson
Directions: from Caputo house, return to RT 126, and head east (right turn) towards Jefferson. Pass intersection with RT 218, and continue another 4 miles. Take a left onto RT 215 North. Follow for 2. miles to the stop sign and take a right onto RT 32 South. The Guest's home is on the left, about 1.2 miles—Bluebird Hill Road.
Description: This is a cape style home with passive solar design and is situated on a mountaintop. The Gust family has been using solar power for over 21 years. The home is off-th-grid, and is powered by a medium size photovoltaic system (16 Kyocera 53 watt modules @ 24VDC) and AIR 303 wind turbine. They also utilize a sun time solar water heater with a closed loop freon system.
Building #3:
Lester Sheaffer, 71 Pine Crest Lane, Whitefield
Directions: From Gardiner: Cross the bridge, take a right (south on Rt.9), take left on Rt. 194. Follow through Pittston village into Whitefield. Take a left at the church onto the Townhouse Rd. Driveway will be on the left and carries up through the field. From Rt. 17: Turn onto the Cooper Rd. at Mazie's Restaurant. At next intersection, take a left onto 126 (at St. Denis church) then first right onto Townhouse Rd. Driveway is on right just beyond the golf shack. From Wiscasset: take Rt. 218 toward Alna and continue into Whitefield. Continue on Rt. 194, turn right at the church onto Townhouse Rd., then take first left up through the field.
Description: Home is a 32 x 48, 1, 3/4 story cape. It is a stand alone 48 volt system. I have 12 panels and 32 trojan t105 batteries with a generator backup.
Building #4:
Dave and Marylin Tilton, 2 Hagar St., Richmond
Directions: Take I-295 to Richmond, exit 43, three miles to town via Rt 197 which becomes Main St in town. From Gardiner or Topsham by Route 24 which becomes Front St in town. From the intersection of Main St (Rt 197) and Front St. ( Rt 24) go S. on Front Street past Fort Richmond Park about 0.4 miles. Turn right on Hagar St., home is on the corner of Hagar and Front Streets on the left, with green steel roof, gray "stucco-like" plaster, and yellow trim. It is across the street from a "gothic Victorian.”
Description: Home is a timberframe, strawbale, passive and active solar (PV with net metering, and H2O), full radiant floor including 2-bay garage, heated by a Baxi-luna propane-fired condensing boiler, and wood stove back-ups. Thermotech triple-glazed windows are used in main part of house; all spaces are handicap-accessible (principal doors are 3 ft wide with lever handles, no thresholds, all differences in elevation between levels from garage to living space ramped.) Home is on a town sewer and water systems, yet Sun-mar compact composting toilets are used. Two bedrooms, two baths, two lofts, with open concept kitchen, dining, living and growing space within a fully revealed timberframe. Windows are inset in 18-inch thick strawbale and plaster walls with curves above.
Building #5:
Maple Hill Farm Bed & Breakfast, Owner: Scott Cowger, Innkeeper & Former State Representative, 11 Inn Road, Hallowell
Directions: from either Central Street in downtown Hallowell or the Whitten Road in Augusta, follow the signs for Maple Hill Farm B&B. Take Central Street over the hill (approx. 2 miles). Pass througth blinking yellow light, soon road bears hard to the left, in another half-mile, the road bears sharp to the right and up a hill (dangerous intersection) this is the Outlet Road. Continue for approx. one mile. Maple Hill B&B on right. Directions are available on our website www.MapleBB.com.
Description: A full service inn and conference center with a heavy demand for energy. As the first DEP certified “Environmental Leader” green lodging establishment in Maine, in 2003 the owners decided to decrease energy costs as well as their carbon footprint by installing a large 10 kW Bergey wind turbine atop a 100 foot tubular steel tower on the high point of their land, 1000 feet from the buildings. In 2006, they added extensive solar electric and solar hot water systems to the property. One of the largest solar power arrays in the state, it has 15 kW of electrical generating capacity, and there are 202 vacuum tubes for domestic hot water production with 320 gallons of hot water storage in the basement. As a grid-intertied system, any power generated and not used immediately goes out to the grid and a credit is recorded for use at a later date under Maine's "net metering" law. Their system saves a tremendous amount of fuel oil (for hot water production) and offsets about half the electrical needs of the facility. You can monitor the output of the solar electric system, as well as view details of all the system components, on their web site at www.MapleBB.com.
Building #6:
Tom Bartol and Barbara Moss, 310 Meadow Hill Road, Manchester.
Directions:Take RT 202 west from Augusta about 2.7 miles (from I-95). Turn left (south) on Pond road in Manchester (at the gas station). Go 2.5 miles south on Pond road to Meadow Hill Road (on left or east side). Go 1.6 miles east on Meadow Hill Road. Continue for 0.1 miles after the road turns to dirt. Home is #310, the first driveway on the left (north) side.
Description: Their off-the-grid home is a 2-story salt box, wood frame, with environmentally friendly components & finishes. The PV system consists of a 1000 watt solar array & an Outback inverter. A small, back up generator is run about 30 hours a year. An Air-X 400 watt wind turbine supplements the electrical power. AC & DC circuits are wired throughout the house. We have compact fluorescent lights along with LED lights throughout the house. Energy efficient appliances include a Sunfrost RF-12, 24vDC refrigerator and a Staber washer. Solar collectors produce domestic hot water, supplemented by a water loop through the wood stove and an on-demand propane hot water heater for back up. The home is heated by passive solar with wood stove back up. We have also installed a simple solar hot water radiant floor heating system in the basement. Except for seeing the solar panels, one would hardly know this home is off the power grid. A solar chicken coop was added in 2008 giving the laying hens an independent power system! We live aware of the sun and our environment. We do much of our cooking and canning in a solar oven. Much of the food we eat is grown in a 2600 sq. ft. organic garden. Our two boys, ages 8 and 3 have never lived on the power grid.
Building #7:
Weston Farm, Owner Ann Weston, 419 Stevenstown Rd., Litchfield.
Directions: From Gardiner take Rt.126/9 west. WEST on OLD LEWISTON RD toward
COBBOSSEE RD (0.3 mi). Turn SLIGHT LEFT onto LEWISTON
RD/ME-126/ME-9 (3.4 mi). Turn LEFT onto BOG HILL RD (1.1 mi). BOG
HILL RD becomes DENNIS HILL RD (0.2 mi). Turn LEFT onto STEVENSTOWN
RD (2.0 mi). 419 STEVENSTOWN RD is on the RIGHT.
Description: The Weston farm resides midway on an upward gentle slope and is about a mile northwest of Pleasant Pond. It is a small to medium size dairy farm that produces over 75,000 gallons of milk a year. There are 50 milking stalls in the main barn with a herd of 91 cows. The main barn is approximately 3000 SF. The hay storage barn is two levels and is approximately 2500 SF and the milk house is approximately 200 SF. In a 2007 energy audit the Weston Farm consumed approximately 19,900kWh (valued at $3,185.00 per year) to generate hot water for their dairy operation by the use of an electric hot water heater. After installation of an on-demand propane hot water heater and a 90-tube double evacuated solar thermal system the Weston's are now experiencing a savings of 10,500kWh's (valued at $1,700 per year) to generate hot water in the dairy operation. Prior to the changes the Weston's have made to their farm they were hovering just below the 20KW threshold for the demand charge from Central Maine power at a rate of 17.56. Now, with these changes this has given the Weston's the option of growing the herd a little and a safety net for a demand charge. Their current demand charge analysis is now below 13KW. In the summer months the farm has been experiencing water temperatures from the solar thermal system to pre-heat the water before it enters the on-demand system at or above 135 degrees. With a temperature rise from the well to the propane system of at least 80 degrees! Now that is a lot of clean energy! The expected payback for the Weston's energy investment should be within 5yrs or less.
October 3, 2009
10am - 4pm
Tour Contact:
Curry Caputo
317 S. Hunts Meadow Rd., Whitefield, ME 04353
(207) 446-7924
currycaputo@earthlink.net
Building #1:
Curry Caputo and Andrea Lani, 317 S. Hunts Meadow Rd., Whitefield
Directions: Take RT 126 toward N. Whitefield, then take right (if coming from Gardiner/Pittston), or left (if coming from N. Whitefield) onto S. Hunts Meadow Rd. Go 1.5 miles to a dirt driveway on right, with white mailbox, yellow sun and #317. Follow drive to end. There will be event signs at road.
Description: Owner-design and built 1400 sq. ft. salt box with passive solar gain, daylight basement, metal roof, radiant floor heating, all natural wood and floor finishes, minimized northern exposure--no northern glazing; roof-mounted 1.9 kW photovoltaic array; 8 kW Kohler propane-fired generator; high-efficiency fridge (Conserv), washer (Kenmore front-loading), heating system (Propane-fired Polaris); high-density spray urethane foam insulation throughout.
Building #2
Bill and Rosey Guest, 68 Bluebird Hill Road, Jefferson
Directions: from Caputo house, return to RT 126, and head east (right turn) towards Jefferson. Pass intersection with RT 218, and continue another 4 miles. Take a left onto RT 215 North. Follow for 2. miles to the stop sign and take a right onto RT 32 South. The Guest's home is on the left, about 1.2 miles—Bluebird Hill Road.
Description: This is a cape style home with passive solar design and is situated on a mountaintop. The Gust family has been using solar power for over 21 years. The home is off-th-grid, and is powered by a medium size photovoltaic system (16 Kyocera 53 watt modules @ 24VDC) and AIR 303 wind turbine. They also utilize a sun time solar water heater with a closed loop freon system.
Building #3:
Lester Sheaffer, 71 Pine Crest Lane, Whitefield
Directions: From Gardiner: Cross the bridge, take a right (south on Rt.9), take left on Rt. 194. Follow through Pittston village into Whitefield. Take a left at the church onto the Townhouse Rd. Driveway will be on the left and carries up through the field. From Rt. 17: Turn onto the Cooper Rd. at Mazie's Restaurant. At next intersection, take a left onto 126 (at St. Denis church) then first right onto Townhouse Rd. Driveway is on right just beyond the golf shack. From Wiscasset: take Rt. 218 toward Alna and continue into Whitefield. Continue on Rt. 194, turn right at the church onto Townhouse Rd., then take first left up through the field.
Description: Home is a 32 x 48, 1, 3/4 story cape. It is a stand alone 48 volt system. I have 12 panels and 32 trojan t105 batteries with a generator backup.
Building #4:
Dave and Marylin Tilton, 2 Hagar St., Richmond
Directions: Take I-295 to Richmond, exit 43, three miles to town via Rt 197 which becomes Main St in town. From Gardiner or Topsham by Route 24 which becomes Front St in town. From the intersection of Main St (Rt 197) and Front St. ( Rt 24) go S. on Front Street past Fort Richmond Park about 0.4 miles. Turn right on Hagar St., home is on the corner of Hagar and Front Streets on the left, with green steel roof, gray "stucco-like" plaster, and yellow trim. It is across the street from a "gothic Victorian.”
Description: Home is a timberframe, strawbale, passive and active solar (PV with net metering, and H2O), full radiant floor including 2-bay garage, heated by a Baxi-luna propane-fired condensing boiler, and wood stove back-ups. Thermotech triple-glazed windows are used in main part of house; all spaces are handicap-accessible (principal doors are 3 ft wide with lever handles, no thresholds, all differences in elevation between levels from garage to living space ramped.) Home is on a town sewer and water systems, yet Sun-mar compact composting toilets are used. Two bedrooms, two baths, two lofts, with open concept kitchen, dining, living and growing space within a fully revealed timberframe. Windows are inset in 18-inch thick strawbale and plaster walls with curves above.
Building #5:
Maple Hill Farm Bed & Breakfast, Owner: Scott Cowger, Innkeeper & Former State Representative, 11 Inn Road, Hallowell
Directions: from either Central Street in downtown Hallowell or the Whitten Road in Augusta, follow the signs for Maple Hill Farm B&B. Take Central Street over the hill (approx. 2 miles). Pass througth blinking yellow light, soon road bears hard to the left, in another half-mile, the road bears sharp to the right and up a hill (dangerous intersection) this is the Outlet Road. Continue for approx. one mile. Maple Hill B&B on right. Directions are available on our website www.MapleBB.com.
Description: A full service inn and conference center with a heavy demand for energy. As the first DEP certified “Environmental Leader” green lodging establishment in Maine, in 2003 the owners decided to decrease energy costs as well as their carbon footprint by installing a large 10 kW Bergey wind turbine atop a 100 foot tubular steel tower on the high point of their land, 1000 feet from the buildings. In 2006, they added extensive solar electric and solar hot water systems to the property. One of the largest solar power arrays in the state, it has 15 kW of electrical generating capacity, and there are 202 vacuum tubes for domestic hot water production with 320 gallons of hot water storage in the basement. As a grid-intertied system, any power generated and not used immediately goes out to the grid and a credit is recorded for use at a later date under Maine's "net metering" law. Their system saves a tremendous amount of fuel oil (for hot water production) and offsets about half the electrical needs of the facility. You can monitor the output of the solar electric system, as well as view details of all the system components, on their web site at www.MapleBB.com.
Building #6:
Tom Bartol and Barbara Moss, 310 Meadow Hill Road, Manchester.
Directions:Take RT 202 west from Augusta about 2.7 miles (from I-95). Turn left (south) on Pond road in Manchester (at the gas station). Go 2.5 miles south on Pond road to Meadow Hill Road (on left or east side). Go 1.6 miles east on Meadow Hill Road. Continue for 0.1 miles after the road turns to dirt. Home is #310, the first driveway on the left (north) side.
Description: Their off-the-grid home is a 2-story salt box, wood frame, with environmentally friendly components & finishes. The PV system consists of a 1000 watt solar array & an Outback inverter. A small, back up generator is run about 30 hours a year. An Air-X 400 watt wind turbine supplements the electrical power. AC & DC circuits are wired throughout the house. We have compact fluorescent lights along with LED lights throughout the house. Energy efficient appliances include a Sunfrost RF-12, 24vDC refrigerator and a Staber washer. Solar collectors produce domestic hot water, supplemented by a water loop through the wood stove and an on-demand propane hot water heater for back up. The home is heated by passive solar with wood stove back up. We have also installed a simple solar hot water radiant floor heating system in the basement. Except for seeing the solar panels, one would hardly know this home is off the power grid. A solar chicken coop was added in 2008 giving the laying hens an independent power system! We live aware of the sun and our environment. We do much of our cooking and canning in a solar oven. Much of the food we eat is grown in a 2600 sq. ft. organic garden. Our two boys, ages 8 and 3 have never lived on the power grid.
Building #7:
Weston Farm, Owner Ann Weston, 419 Stevenstown Rd., Litchfield.
Directions: From Gardiner take Rt.126/9 west. WEST on OLD LEWISTON RD toward
COBBOSSEE RD (0.3 mi). Turn SLIGHT LEFT onto LEWISTON
RD/ME-126/ME-9 (3.4 mi). Turn LEFT onto BOG HILL RD (1.1 mi). BOG
HILL RD becomes DENNIS HILL RD (0.2 mi). Turn LEFT onto STEVENSTOWN
RD (2.0 mi). 419 STEVENSTOWN RD is on the RIGHT.
Description: The Weston farm resides midway on an upward gentle slope and is about a mile northwest of Pleasant Pond. It is a small to medium size dairy farm that produces over 75,000 gallons of milk a year. There are 50 milking stalls in the main barn with a herd of 91 cows. The main barn is approximately 3000 SF. The hay storage barn is two levels and is approximately 2500 SF and the milk house is approximately 200 SF. In a 2007 energy audit the Weston Farm consumed approximately 19,900kWh (valued at $3,185.00 per year) to generate hot water for their dairy operation by the use of an electric hot water heater. After installation of an on-demand propane hot water heater and a 90-tube double evacuated solar thermal system the Weston's are now experiencing a savings of 10,500kWh's (valued at $1,700 per year) to generate hot water in the dairy operation. Prior to the changes the Weston's have made to their farm they were hovering just below the 20KW threshold for the demand charge from Central Maine power at a rate of 17.56. Now, with these changes this has given the Weston's the option of growing the herd a little and a safety net for a demand charge. Their current demand charge analysis is now below 13KW. In the summer months the farm has been experiencing water temperatures from the solar thermal system to pre-heat the water before it enters the on-demand system at or above 135 degrees. With a temperature rise from the well to the propane system of at least 80 degrees! Now that is a lot of clean energy! The expected payback for the Weston's energy investment should be within 5yrs or less.