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FAQThis page is a summary of frequently asked questions about energy and answers relating to the Fairfield, Iowa area. Where can I find people that can build me a high performance home or install renewable energy systems? High Performance Builders - these builders have experience designing and building comfortable homes that heat and cool for $100-$300. Steve Vessey - beautiful post and beam and conventional stick frame homes. Steve often uses a larson truss to get r-40 in the walls. Will also do Laporte style straw-clay walls (Steve and Robert were partners for many years and continue to work together on projects) Smart Homes - John Loin and Sally Gavre. Sally is a fan and practitioner of not-so-big-house design. Bill McAnally - Iowa Central Community College Solar Water Heating - Heating the water in your home is the most cost effective application of solar technology. Roy Tonnessen - Contact Roy for advice, spritual support, and good deals on solar water heating panels. Roy is responsible for hundreds of solar water heating panels on roofs all over Fairfield. He has written articles in Home Power magaine and edited the best book on solar hot water system installation (Tom Lane's book). He has been using the sun to heat the hot water in his home for many years. Kevin Hopf - Kevin is a plumber and has installed all the solar hot water systems in Abundance Ecovillage. He likes high performance evacuated tube collectors from China. He has a huge solar hot water system at his house that heats his hot water and also helps to heat his high performance underground house. His house is light and airy and heats and cools for under $300 per year. Solar Electric and Wind Power - Get your electricity from the sun and wind Havelka Construction - Michael Havelka and Lonnie Gamble have designed or installed many of the renewable energy systems in Fairfield and surrounding Jefferson County. They also founded Abundance Ecovillage (http://www.abundance-ecovillage.com). See the grid intertie system they designed and installed for the Maharishi School at http://www.b-e-f.org/renewables/maharishi.shtm. The output of the system is on-line here (Useful if your are not sure if it is day or night outside!). This high profile project was completed in the winter of 2006,and was paid for by a grant from rock stars like Bonnie Raitt and Pearl Jam. |