Having a home built on Natural Solar principles starts with a dream of a better place to live for yourself and your loved ones as well as showing the respect for the earth that we live on.  This page is a resource and summary of those principles.  We invite you to join us in this dream.

Summary-the dream:
Imagine being only 15 minutes from the Airport. Think of getting to shopping in 20 minutes in several directions and having access to all of Colorado Springs culture (500,000 people but without traffic jams) while at the same time your daily life is quiet and serene on your own secluded 5 acres with clear open prairie all around you. The stars are bright at night, the sunrises are brilliant and the sunsets over Pikes Peak are just gorgeous.

You have the best of both country quiet and city convenience in this natural solar community. The lots are south slopping so you can have a south walkout while the north side is wrapped in a blanket of constant temperature provided by the earth. With your longest wall facing south your passive and perhaps active solar home is comfortable all year round. It has the right amount of thermal mass to moderate the heat and cold, the correct overhangs to shield from summer sun, and the correctly designed windows all around to maximize light and minimize heat gain and loss.  Your utility bills are very low or maybe zero. There is electricity and telephone available on your lot. Your own well provides your water. An on site septic system means you have no water, waste water or sewer bills.  If you choose to put in active solar photovoltaic panels then you can have a very low electric bill or you may be paid by the grid if you produce more than you need.   All this in a home that you love, find comfort in every day and which is surrounded by nature.  The small animals and birds are raising their little ones in your trees in the spring and you hear their songs and watch their antics and enjoy the feels of nature. 

South Slopping Lots.  With a gentle south slopping lot you have several benefits. 

• You have the option to build a home that takes advantage of the benefits of passive and active solar.
• You have a clear view over your neighbor’s treetops of any homes to your south. 
  
• Each lot has a beautiful view of the south horizon that shows the majestic Spanish Peaks 98 miles away. 
  
• You sit on your porch and enjoy the cool evening breeze as you watch the sunset over Pikes Peak 28 miles to the west. 
  
• Your view will never be obstructed because the open prairie to the west is state owned. 

Active Solar: Colorado Governor Ritter signed a bill on 26 Mar 2008 that allows you to sell back excess electric that you generate with your home solar system for the same price you pay.  This ‘net metering’ allows you to generate excess electricity during the sunny days (and there are over 300) and use electricity when you need it.  You essentially use the electric network as your battery bank.  This allows you to install a smaller photovoltaic system and you are blessed to have the option of having your own batteries or using the grid to 'bank' your power.

Stock Passive Solar House Plans
http://www.sunplans.com/html/home_page.php3  a very nice web site with stock passive solar plans.  Some of my favorites are Canyon View, Forest View 2, and Half Moon

Take a look at the photo’s http://www.sunplans.com/html/house_photos.php3
They provide customization of their plans, start here http://www.sunplans.com/html/custom_design.php3

This is the north view of Forest View 2, You'll find some wonderful plans on this site

Passive Solar Documentation:
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has produced a document to help you learn more about the principles of Passive Solar Building.  You can read the document here http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy01osti/27954.pdf or archived on this web site here.

A good overview of Passive Solar Principles .http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/PassSolGuide1-2.html

Solar Water Heater http://www.coloradocountrylife.coop/energy/index.cfm?energyID=43 
Thermal Mass http://www.coloradocountrylife.coop/energy/index.cfm?energyID=37

Buildit Solar - A Renewable Energy site for Do-It-Yourselfers http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/SolarHomes/solarhomes.htm

An E-Book teaching the principles of solar building. http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/SolarHomes/PasSolEnergyBk/PSEbook.htm

For a good overview of passive solar principles see http://www.sunplans.com/html/basic_principles.php3

Your south slopping lot is perfectly suited to a passive solar home.  You can orient you home so the longest wall is facing south.  You can build with sustainable materials such as concrete, concrete block, or adobe and insulate the outside and cover with stucco.  These sustainable materials are also very effective thermal mass energy storage so you stay more comfortable year round.

Colorado Springs at 38.9 degrees north and with over 300 days of sunshine has a great climate for solar building. 

The below diagram shows the angles of the sun during the months of year, and times of day.  The diagram on the left is closest to this climate.  The bottom line is labeled 1 on the left for January 2 for February and so forth.  You can see that the sun is at a 30 degree angle in the winter and is only in the sky from about 7:30am to 4:30 pm.  The good thing is that it rises at 30 degrees to the south and so is shining in those south facing windows all that time till it sets in the evening.  With south facing glass 7% or more (up to 12% with plenty of thermal mass inside the home) you have a comfortable home warmed by the sun.

Diagram from http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/SolarHomes/PasSolEnergyBk/Appendix1.pdf

These homeowners built a very conventional looking home with passive solar principles and saved 50% or more on their energy bills.  http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/SolarHomes/CrumeSolarTodaySeptOct2005.pdf

You could possibly save more than that considering you will have no water or sewer bill.  The cost of drilling the well and creating a septic system is included by the construction contractor in the total cost of the home.

Passive Solar for you Animal Companions

Before we leave the principles of Passive Solar design we’d like to suggest the idea of building a Passive Solar home for your animals.  Consider that the same design features that make you comfortable in your home will make you horse stable or dog house comfortable also.  By building your horse stable with the same thermal retaining materials (adobe, concrete or concrete block), facing the long wall south with south facing windows and maybe clearstory windows, and a roof with appropriate overhang so it doesn't’t heat up in the summer, you will have a wonderfully designed barn/stable/home for your animal that stays comfortable in winter and summer. Of course the exterior of your animal home will match your homes exterior.

When you live in and enjoy a passive solar home, you have done your part to treat mother earth with respect, you have saved money on utilities and you have a home that is comfortable year round with low recurring cost.

A few favorite additional resource links

http://www.thesolarguide.com/  an excellent resource for understanding solar

http://www.durangosolarhomes.com/ Durango Colorado Architect with 25 years of practical solar building experience. 

http://coseia.org/Calendar.html COSEIA Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association has resources, events calendar, information on net metering, local businesses to support you, opportunity for membership and much more.  Check out their membership directory with 250 members for local solar experts

http://www.pueblocc.edu/ Pueblo Community College just a hour away is now teaching Green courses in their Energy Maintenance Technology Associate Degree and Certificate Program. You can call Tom Elliot at 719-549-3243

http://www.green.colostate.edu/index.aspx Colorado State University is The Green University.

http://www.greenbuildingconference.org Boulder County Colorado Green Building Conference products and Service Fair

http://www.harvestenergy.org/ Colorado Harvest in Energy Network is a resource for many renewable energies including Wind, Biofuels, Solar, Geothermal and Conservation

Another good resource to check out is DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewable's and Efficiency.) Despite the name, it has information not only on state and local incentives, but about federal incentives, too.

http://www.cres-energy.org/ Colorado Renewable Energy Society (CRES)

http://www.climateactionproject.com/ Presidential Climate Action Project

http://greeninnovations.ca/ Green Innovations is a resource for green parking and driveway options called Porous Paving that let the water and grass through and ensures that you don't sink in. The picture shows a fire lane that is an artistic garden while it meets fire code without concrete pavement.  Yes you could drive across that.  Would that astonish the neighbors to see that you don't have a driveway to your garage.  Colorado Springs GreenSource, LLC can be contacted at 719-337-5197 or GreenSourceLLC@aol.com

And one other Green Parking/Paving option calld Grasspave2 or Gravelpave2 from http://www.invisiblestructures.com from Golden Colorado 800-233-1510 or 303-233-8282

We look forward to you joining our earth friendly natural solar community.