“The single best thing we did to our house was the insulation with cellulose.”
Norma and Alan Williamson are a husband/wife team who in 2003 renovated their home into an energy efficient solar home. Alan is a certified Building Performance Institute technician and photovoltaic specialist with 20 years of experience. Norma is a retired teacher, environmental project leader, and was named 2020 Woman of the Year by Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia from Assembly District 58. For several years, from 2004 – 2008, they opened their solar, net zero, energy efficient home to the public for the annual National Solar Tour, sponsored by American Solar Energy Society. On one Saturday, they received 250 visitors, which led them to an invitation to submit an article on their home to Solar Today magazine, which became a cover story.
9 Things Williamsons did to Make Their Home Green:
- Filled all walls with cellulose insulation and R30 insulation in the attic.
- Installed split ductless heat pump system
- Changed all the artificial lighting to LED bulbs and brought more natural light with skylight
- Thermal pane window on the southern facing front window
- Incorporated all EnergyStar appliances
- Installed grey water system from laundry for the landscape
- Incorporated solar hot water system
- Installed Tesla Power Wall
- Installed 4 rain barrels
Homeowners should go to “Energy Upgrade California” website as well as “Building Performance Institute” website for “Gold Star Contractors.”
See the details of what the Williamsons did at Net Zero Energy Home Upgrade.