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Net-zero neighborhood takes root in north Boulder
Realtor Matt Podskoch walks through the dining area of the SpringLeaf model home. Eventually, the SpringLeaf neighborhood, which sits across the street from Lucky s Market in north Boulder, will have 12 homes, all of which will be zero-energy. Photo by Cliff Grassmick.
Zero-energy homes have been popping up in Boulder for years. Often they’re built by die-hard greenies or, more recently, those with large pocketbooks and an eco-conscience.
But now, Boulder’s getting it’s firs net-zero neighborhood, where all 12 houses will produce as much energy as they use.
The SpringLeaf "eco-community" across from Lucky's Market.
From the Daily Camera:
Local developer Ron Monahan stood outside the first of 12 homes he and his business partner plan to build in a new north Boulder subdivision and talked about his vision: “We’re bringing this to the masses.”
“This” is a zero-energy home. It’s a house built with less lumber and more insulation; with recycled countertops and bamboo cabinets; with a geothermal system and a 10-kilowatt solar array. And it’s built in what will become the first zero-energy neighborhood in Boulder, and likely, one of the first in the country.
Monahan and co-developer Terry Britton worked with architect George Watt and Silver Lining builders to construct the model home for the planned SpringLeaf “eco-community,” which will sit across Broadway form Lucky’s Market.
The systems installed in the nearly 4,000-square-foot house are designed to create more energy than the average homeowner will use over a year — but it’s also designed to be easily replicated at SpringLeaf and on other lots in Boulder, which the developers say will bring down the cost of building zero-energy homes.
“We’re bringing this to the marketplace, and we can deliver it at a good price point,” Monahan said.
Monahan and Britton expect to sell the model home for somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.2 million, which would break down to just more than $300 a square foot. But they believe they can drive the cost down to below $200 a square foot for the other zero-energy homes, five of which will be single-family houses and six of which will be smaller, attached townhouses.
Read the full story at DailyCamera.com.
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