What makes your home a Green or Healthy Home?
Designed and built by award-winning GO Logic, this home in Belfast Cohousing & Ecovillage takes green and energy efficient to a level that is hard to match. The home is modeled after the Passiv Haus standards which exceed LEED platinum, and the US Green Building Council named the home’s prototype Project of the Year in 2011.
In the winter, the home is heated almost exclusively by passive solar and rarely needs an external heat source because of its significant thermal mass (an insulated concrete slab); its triple-glazed, Unilux windows; eight-inch, super-insulated, short, exterior walls; long walls shared with neighboring homes (the home is the middle unit in three-unit building); and eighteen-inch, super-insulated ceiling .
On cloudy days, the home’s incredible insulation allows it literally to be heated by a few incandescent light bulbs. Heat, lighting, refrigeration, and all other utilities average $60/month in an area of the country where typical energy bills are ten times that (~$600+/mo).
During winters (and whenever desired), a heat exchanger with filtration keeps the indoor air fresh. The triple-glazed, multifunctional, European windows (and even one of the doors!) can tip open or swing open for optimal air flow through the home during temperate months.
The home is ready for grid-tied solar electric--its roof orientation and all the wiring chases are in place for the addition of solar panels.
Among its many efficient and green features, the home’s location probably takes the sustainability prize. Clustered with the other thirty-five homes of the sustainably-focused ecovillage, the home is surrounded by thirty-six acres of fields, gardens, and an on-site CSA (Community Supported Agriculture farm). All homeowners are welcome to have individual gardens and to propose agricultural projects for the property.
In addition to being able to grow your own food or to purchase food from the organic farm on-site, resources can also be conserved through sharing. In addition to each home’s self-contained private space, community members share a 4000+ sf Common House with a large living room, kitchen, guest rooms, and laundry. Community meals, meetings, movies, and other gatherings take place in the Common House. Many items such as mowers, snowblowers, power tools are also shared.
Community members maintain financial independence from each other (just like in a condominium) but live in community as a way to lighten their ecological footprint and to enjoy the company of like-minded neighbors.
Beyond the immediate Ecovillage neighborhood of the home, the home’s greater location also supports efficiency and care for the environment. Though set in acres of gently rolling fields with views of woods, the home is only two miles from the center of seaside Belfast, Maine, in midcoast Maine. If one likes to walk or to bike or to ride a scooter or motorcycle, there’s no need for a car.
Even though there’s plenty of great organic food within steps of the home, there’s even more at the Belfast Farmer’s Markets and the bustling Belfast Coop. Additionally, Belfast and its surrounds are populated with many people dedicated to sustainability. Talks, workshops, groups, and initiatives abound.Property Description
Nearly new, 500-sf, private home & 200+ sf loft, 2 miles from seaside downtown, in a garden-filled ecovillage. Home prototype named 2011 Project of the Year by US Green Building Council. Sweeping views, 42 shared acres, shared 4000+ sf Common House.
Neighborhood Description
Belfast Cohousing & Ecovillage is an environmentally responsible, multi-generational, intentional community of 36 homes 2 miles from the ocean & downtown Belfast, Maine. The community's design encourages the possibility of interpersonal interaction and cooperation, while allowing for privacy and individual space.Market Area
Belfast is a small city of 6000 or so, located on picturesque Penobscot Bay, in midcoast Maine. The city has a beautiful and historic downtown, a working waterfront, and is the home of several large employers (Front Street Shipyard, Bank of America, Athenahealth). Belfast is about 20 minutes from Camden, an hour and a half from Acadia National Park, and an hour or so from the cities of Bangor, Augusta, and Rockland.School District
Community
Location of Home or Land
Rural
Elevation of Home
Sea Level
Air Quality
| Agriculture in Area | yes |
| Industry in Area | no |
| Air Pollution in Area | no |
| Pesticide Free | yes |
| Fragrance Free | yes |
| Cleaned with Green Products | yes |
Interior Environment
| Heating System | Other |
| Cooling System | Passive Cooling |
| Ventilation System | Heat Exchanger |
| Whole House Filtration | Other |
| Whole House Vacuum | no |
Energy & Water
| Water System | Well |
| Wastewater System | Septic System |
Construction Information
| Exterior Finish | Shingles - Wood |
| Interior Finish | Gypsum Board - Sheet Rock |
| Interior Paint | No VOC |
| Floor Material | Concrete |
| Roof Material | Metal |
| Window Material | Other |
| Insulation Material | Recycled Newsprint |
Garage / Car Port
| Garage / Carport | no |
| Garage Type | attached |
| Number of Cars | 1 |
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