The Organ Mountains stand tall in the Eastern view of this Soledad Canyon Earth Builders masterpiece of a home. With an official HERS rating of a 36, this home beats all odds in relationship to its size. At 5,705 sq. feet of heated area (1,300 sq. ft. of it a walk-out basement) it is a testament to the benefits of building a home with a high energy efficient building envelope, efficient HVAC equipment, and Energy Star Appliances. Technically speaking it is a hybrid home. The walk-out basement and the living space above it is a ten inch frame wall, with the remainder of the home rammed earth walls. The frame walls are insulated with open cell spray foam insulation, as well, the ceilings are a spray foam insulation. With the addition of a 5 kilowatt photovoltaic system (and the local utility company paying for the energy produced by their system) the utility bills for 6 months (January-July 2013) were a total of $25.06, an average of $4.18 a month. This includes water, sewer, gas and electricity.Enjoy the beauty of this home knowing the real beauty in its contribution to a sustainable environment in our built world.
