Visit The Site – Tour Opportunities being Organized Now
By Charles Juris – July 1, 2016

Welcome to the start of the renovation of 1212 Oronoco Street in Alexandria, which will be Energy House 14. The home owners were interested in the home due to its proximity to the metro, but upon inspection and the collaboration with the Energy House, it was determined that the home could be so much more.

1212 Oronoco is intended to be the first Net Zero renovation in Alexandria. See other articles on the website for an in-depth explanation of how that is to be accomplished.

This unique project will soon be opened for tours as it goes through its remake to become the most energy efficient renovation project in Alexandria. Like all the other Energy House showcase homes, we will be opening the house to neighbors, customers, potential customers, city officials and energy enthusiasts to see how making an energy efficient home is easy and not very different from any other renovation process.

The difference with Energy House 14 is that by tying in all the systems, like design, permits, equipment, and materials, we can end up with a home that will never have an electric bill. This holistic approach has been applied by the Energy House team to make “The Net Zero Difference”. Rather than LEED, Energy Star and other designations, Net Zero is our goal.

The upcoming tour schedule will be completely different than any other Energy House in the past. Tours will be conducted throughout the renovation process for our followers to be able to see each and every stage of the energy upgrade of this property.

Tours will be on a first come first to register basis, they will be limited to one day only and no more than two tours on a given day. Sign up quickly to reverse your spot.

This ongoing tour program of a working project was suggested by many of our repeat visitors so they would be part of the actual process and see firsthand how things were done to make this highly energy efficient home come together.

Tour Schedule – to be announced two weeks in advance – notifications will be sent out to our emails list, as well as announced on Facebook and Twitter.

Tour #1 – Demolition – During the tour, you will hear how this home was planned (Energy Efficiency begins on the drawing boards) and how it changed once the permits were in hand and the walls were opened. In addition, we will explain how the homeowner is going to get a potential $10,000 tax deduction by working with NOVA Appraisal and the non-profit Community Forklift from DC to donate their unwanted materials to the non-profit and take advantage of a Federal Tax program. This tax deduction can help homeowners recoup money spent on demolition and other costs of the renovation.

This tour not only allows you to visit site open and exposed, but will also allow you to speak directly with the appraisal company that does the paperwork, as well as Community Forklift to learn more about their non-profit.

Tour #1 – Saturday Date TBD

Tour #2 – Framing & Energy Star Windows & Doors – Energy Star Advanced Framing – PWD Windows – Date TBD

Tour #3 – Insulation & Zip Board – Meet Max Insulation – Over Insulated Exterior Walls – R25 Exterior Walls – R49 Attic – Huber Zip Board – Outsulation – Date TBD

Tour #4 – Mechanical – Willis AC – Advanced 5 zone Mini Split Ducted and Non Ducted Systems from Willis – Exclusive Mini Split Equipment Offered by the Energy House First in the DC area – Date TBD