Jason Peacock has plans for a solar-powered cluster of compact homes on a plot of land in Wiscasset, northeast of Portland, Maine. The first house is complete — the Souler House — and it’s a 950-square-foot contemporary abode covered with a grid-tied 3.6 kW array. Peacock designed and built the home, and he’s also renting it out on VRBO for anywhere from $700 – $1000 per week, depending on the season.
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I recently read about an impressive, three-unit residential building in Portland, Maine through an article by Seth Koenig in the Bangor Daily News. After a little digging, I learned the project is spearheaded by Paul Ledman and Colleen Myers, as owners and developers, Mike White of Island Carpentry, the general contractor, and Kaplan Thompson Architects, the architectural firm. Ledman wanted a future-forward building and ended up with something that doesn’t use fossil fuels.
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The hottest building standard on the block, Passive House, moves to the realm of student housing in a new residence hall at Unity College called TerraHaus. TerraHaus is expected to be the first student residence in the country with Passive House certification and will house 10 students.
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Of all the beautiful homes in the most recent issue of Dwell, I must say this one made the greatest impression on me.  In “Worth the Wait,†Amber Bravo writes about The Porter Cottage in Ragged Island, Maine. The self-sufficient home – roughly 480 square feet including a screen porch – is both off-pipe and off-grid and made with durable and green materials.
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This month, Modular builder Keiser Homes and architecture firm Kaplan Thompson Architects launched the net zero energy series of modular homes called the "Modular Zero Collection." These homes have been designed to use the smallest amount of energy possible and, if purchasers opt for solar hot water and solar photovoltaics, can produce as much energy as is consumed on an annual basis.
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G•O Logic, a design-build collaboration of architect Matthew O’Malia and builder Alan Gibson, has been working on a prototype home with considerable aspirations. When complete, Gibson and O’Malia hope the net-zero energy home receives both Passive House and LEED Platinum certification. The Belfast home has about 1,500 square feet of space and could go on the market for a price as low as $225,000, according to The Maine Public Broadcasting Network.
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