NTREG Member Projects - The Renner Residence

Mike and Elida Renner started working on their energy-efficient home many years ago, before it was the "in" thing to do. Today, their home is a marvel of energy efficiency and solar energy equipment. Mike has personally installed 4,500 watts of solar panels, solar radiant heat, a 10,000 watt Bergey wind generator on a 100' home-built tower, and three solar hot water systems on their home and greenhouse. One solar hot water system on the house provides hot water for domestic use (dishwashing, bathing, etc.), while a second system is used for in-floor radiant heating in winter. The third solar hot water system heats the greenhouse in cold weather. Their solar electric system has battery backup, so they always have electricity, even when the utility power fails. A large rainwater capture system with more than 7,000 gallons of storage rounds out their system, saving water and energy by reducing the amount of water they need to pump from their well.

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Mike and Elida provided many more photos of their home than could easily be viewed on our website. A PDF photo-journal of their home is available here. (1.7 MB)