Charles Barr Residence 

Building this active solar heated home for Rockford architect Charles Barr was a pivotal commission for me.

In 1979 the country was wrestling with an “energy crisis” and it became clear to me that Earth’s resources were not limitless.

I became an environmentalist, targeting my business toward energy conservation and sustainability.

Over the past twenty nine years a lot of opportunities to change things for the better have been lost.

I sincerely hope our time of procrastination is behind us.

About The House:

See picture below:

Blending a traditional saltbox profile and a contemporary plan, this northern Illinois house gets about 40 percent of its heat and all of its hot water from an active solar heating system. 

Unlike many such systems, however, this one makes economic sense.  Federal tax credits, a local mortgage discount, and a design using off-the-shelf components help the system pay for its costs.

In contrast to passive systems, active solar heating systems are made up of mechanical devices. 

The cost of such active systems▬$10K to $20K▬is an average range▬and is rarely justified by the utility savings alone.