The welcome mat is out at Shore's 'green' buildings
Open house event Oct. 7 will showcase sustainable features
BY KATHY HALL
Correspondent

The Knowlton home in Fair Haven has solar panels on the roof. The house is one of the Shore-area buildings on the Green Buildings Open House tour to be held Saturday.

Jersey Shore home and business owners who use renewable energy sources will open their doors to the public as part of a Green Buildings Open House on Saturday, Oct. 7.

The free event, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., is sponsored by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA).

The open house will showcase more than 400 buildings throughout the Northeast and offers the general public an opportunity to learn about clean energy and green building practices directly from people who live with them every day.

A chapter of the American Solar Energy Society, NESEA serves the northeastern United States from Washington, D.C., to Maine and is the leading regional membership organization devoted to promoting the understanding, development and adoption of energy conservation and nonpolluting, renewable energy technologies.

Monmouth County homes and businesses will offer examples of grid-tied photovoltaic systems, solar hot water and pool heaters, "passive" solar heating, super insulation and air sealing, and wind-generated electric power. Some homeowners also utilize highly efficient appliances and alternative fuel vehicles.

In September 2001, Steve Knowlton of Fair Haven was among the first people in the state to install a grid-tied photovoltaic system at his home. The Sierra Club member benefited from a state rebate program that provided $11,000 of the system's $22,000 cost.

"I had a couple of window air conditioners, lived alone. It would supply all my energy needs except the air conditioners," Knowlton explained. "My electricity bill for the year was about $300."

Knowlton's system allows him to access utility-generated power when he needs it and to sell any excess power back to the utility. He explained that New Jersey is requiring utilities to provide 20 percent of their power from renewal sources by the year 2020. Renewal sources include solar, wind and biomass.

His system will pay for itself over a 13-year period. The current BPU payback program's goal is 9.6 years under ideal conditions, according to Knowlton.

When Knowlton married, he expanded his home to 2,500 square feet. He reinstalled the original photoelectric panels and added two additional solar heating panels that supply an 80-gallon hot water tank in 2006. During the renovation, additional fiberglass insulation and new windows were added along with a dual flush toilet, a high-efficiency gas furnace, bamboo flooring, and sprinklers for fire suppression.

Although there is no state subsidy for solar hot water, there is a federal tax credit for systems placed in service between Jan. 1, 2006, and Dec. 31, 2007.

Other houses on the tour include David and Cathy Sims' residence in Wall Township, which they say is one of the top renewable energy residences in the world, thanks to a combination of photovoltaic, wind and geothermal heating and cooling systems among other technologies. Another residence on the tour is Patrick Hossay's Cream Ridge home built to take full advantage of passive solar heating. Hossay also owns a vegetable oil-powered truck and oil recycling system.

For a dramatic demonstration of how solar power can lower energy costs in a conventional home, visit Brett Alexander Boye's 1,600-square-foot colonial in Atlantic Highlands. According to the Solar Tour Web site, Boye installed a photovoltaic grid-tied system this year and reduced his monthly electric bill from $156 to "basically zero." Boye also uses an electric lawn mower and recently purchased a Sun Frost refrigerator, which can be used with wind, hydro or solar power.

Mitchell Kushner's 5,800-square-foot house in Freehold includes a 15-kilowatt photovoltaic system, one of the largest in New Jersey, and solar hot water heating for an indoor pool. Eileen and Robert Trunbull's home in Beesleys Point, Cape May County, features both co-generation and daylighting. William Foy in Neptune City lives in a home, which is earth sheltered, Energy Star rated, and employs both grid tied photovoltaics and passive solar.

Private homes with grid-tied photovoltaic systems participating in the open house include those of John Nesci of Freehold, Robert Levine of Howell, John Olsen of Englishtown, Peter Ptak of Red Bank, and Jeanette Bishoff of Red Bank, who also uses a solar pool heater. Businesses include Ultimate Tan in Matawan and Sea Bright Solar.

For a complete listing of addresses of homes and businesses on the tour, including directions and contact information, visit the Web site http://www.nesea.org/buildings/openhouse/listings.php.