Technology

The House that Jack Built

Jack wanted to have the most sustainable house that he could afford and grow into. He lives on farm land and wants to farm. He kept the old historic home and outbuilding to refurbish in the future. He is a steward of the land, with a great respect for nature and history.

Ultimately, Jack would like to be off the grid, with his home operating completely self-sufficient one day.

Basic Structure: The basic structure of the house was built using today’s typical construction methods of engineered 2" x 4" lumber, vinyl siding, low E and low maintenance doors and vinyl clad windows, blown-in fiberglass insulation, energy efficient appliances and ceiling fans, granite countertops, and ceramic tile and hardwood floors throughout.

Upgrades: Geothermal heat with a super deheater heater will provide him approximately 70% of his hot water off the geothermal heat pump.

Jack chose to install a Marathon super energy efficient tank water heater that is also pre-plumbed for future solar attachment. He can go three days without power and still have hot water.

Jack installed a 7,000 gallon cistern to help with farming and landscape maintenance in the front of the property.

Jack put in PV panels that capture the sun’s energy through a grid-point (a quasi-generator), which will keep him up and running during power outages while creating excess energy he can sell back to the public utility company.

Jack put in an ENERGY STAR® wood-burning fireplace that will offset the geothermal heat in the cold months.

Jack’s house, a typical construction with some energy efficient upgrades, received a HERS (Home Energy Rating System) rating of 46 which is one of the lowest HERS (Home Energy Rating System) ratings in the state of North Carolina.

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