Category Archives: End Use

Today is the CRES 2011 Denver Area Solar and Green Homes Tour. Here are the project team members who will be onsite today to answer any questions: Design- Build Firm Donna Merten, President Robert Ross, Project Architect Pete Grant, Project Manager Merten, Inc. 2917 17th Street; Boulder, CO 80302 720.304.0011 www.merteninc.com GeoExchange System Warren (Trey) Austin, [...]

Come see the project for yourself! The Denver Highlands Sustainable Home project is one of 12 homes selected for the CRES 2011 Denver Area Solar & Green Homes Tour. The date is Saturday, September 24th from 9 to 4. Our’s is one of several homes in the neighborhood on the tour, so consider seeing them [...]

The HERS Index was developed by Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET). A HERS Index of 100 represents the energy use of the “American Standard Building” while an index of 0 (zero) indicates that the building uses no net purchased energy…a lower value is better. A projected HERS Index is based on the proposed or intended design prior to construction. [...]

We extended the kitchen exhaust hood from our dual fuel gas range to include a single induction cooker in the counter. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the efficiency of energy transfer for an induction hob is 84%, versus 71% for a smooth-top non-induction electrical unit, for an approximate 13% saving in energy for the [...]

  We have enjoyed being in our new house for over two months. Although we are glad to be complete with construction, we’ll miss working with the Merten, Inc. team. In all ways, this project has been a huge success. These wonderful photos were taken by Daniel O’Connor Photography & Digital Media. Daniel spent several [...]

We received our first Excel Energy bill reflecting one full month of living in the house. We used a total of 532 kW – $63.98 to keep 4,293 SF of finished space cool and to run our electrical appliances. I should note our Solar Photovoltaic (PV) System is not yet installed. Once the 4.9 kW [...]

Composting is a part of our overall plan to use less energy and create less waste. After researching online, we decided to try the ComosTumbler system. The 68-gallon barrel rotates with a side crank allowing the material to mix. Vents keep air flowing and excess water draining. For our first batch, we used weeds, grass [...]

As a part of our Final Permaculture Landscape Plan, we included a conventional raised bed area for summer and fall vegetables. We moved in just in time to plant tomatoes, squash peppers and eggplant. The raised beds are positioned for southern exposure and are also sitting at the lowest point of our site. Rain water [...]

Even with the sun high in the summer sky, our first vegetables appear to be receiving enough light and heat in our Greenhouse / Dining Room. We started out with cucumbers and a cherry tomato plant. The tomato plant in the greenhouse is twice the size of the one I planted at the same time [...]