The Bright Stuff
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The Damianos’ house, located in Denver’s Highland neighborhood, runs completely on solar energy. -
An array of solar thermal tubes crowns the garage, and photovoltaic panels extend like wings over the third-floor deck. “If we were going to make a big architectural move, we had to have reasons,” Moore explains, referring to the conspicuous placement of the panels. -
Before plopping panels on your roof, consider other ways to conserve electricity, like switching to CFL or LED lightbulbs and replacing inefficient electrical appliances like old refrigerators. “Conservation is the leanest means to reducing electrical use and fossil-fuel consumption,” Moore says. “PV panels require a lot of energy to produce, ship, install, and dispose of.” -
In their previous life, the boards were bleachers for a school sports stadium. -
The house that came with the lot had suffered years of neglect, but its old bricks were readily salvageable. Moore combined these with others taken from local demolition yards, piecing together beautiful, two-tone walls flecked with brightly painted pink, orange, lime green, and white bricks salvaged from a Denver elementary school. -
Moore has been using the so-called beetle-kill pine in his projects for years. In the Damianos’ house, he lined the floors, ceiling, cabinetry, and walls of the second-story living area, white-washing the planks “to let a little more sunlight bounce around the room.” -
While the design of their house automatically promotes energy efficiency, John and Paige can streamline their consumption even more by controlling their lighting and appliances remotely from their smartphones. -
On all three aboveground levels of the house, outdoor spaces feature as prominently as indoor ones. The backyard is lined with tiered concrete boxes for planting vegetables; the modest top floor—which houses the master bedroom—has a deck wrapping three sides; and in the middle, a 770-square-foot green roof extends off the living area.Don't miss a word of Dwell! Download our FREE app from iTunes, friend us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter!
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