December 10, 2011

Where? 

Ballard Parks

RSVP for address

What time? 

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

For more information, contact 

Eric Thomas 646-260-3734

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Open House and Press Tour

Saturday, December 10, 2011

3 pm to 4 pm, followed by a party for friends and family.

Beer, wine, and light refreshments will be served.

Eric Thomas and Alexandra Salmon will be offering tours of their new home, the first in Seattle to produce more energy than it uses. On hand to answer questions will be Ted L. Clifton, the designer of the house, and Ted W. Clifton, the builder, as well as the suppliers of some of the house’s key energy-saving components.
With its air-tight shell, structural insulated panel (SIP) construction, numerous south-facing windows, highly efficient heat pump, and 6,000-watt solar panel array on the roof, this one-of-a-kind house has no electrical bills and costs nothing to heat. No oil, natural gas, or other fuels are used. The home sends power to the city’s electrical grid when the sun is out and draws it during the night or on cloudy days. (Contrary to popular belief, the Pacific Northwest is an excellent place for solar.) Averaged over the entire year, the panels produce more power than the house uses.
Not only will Thomas and Salmon not pay any energy bills for as long as they own their house, which saves hundreds of dollars a month at today’s rates, but Washington State’s incentive program will pay them nearly $1,000 a year for the next nine years. They’ll also receive a 30% federal tax credit for their solar installation at the end of this year, equal to about $9,000.