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Bellingham Power House

    • TC Legend Homes built this 2,781-square-foot home in Bellingham, Washington, to the performance criteria of the U.S. Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program.
    • A greenhouse off the kitchen provides a thermal transition zone into the home, minimizing heat losses during the winter. The solar hot water heating panels are visible on the porch roof.
    • Thanks to an ultra-efficient design and a 9-kW roof-mounted solar electric system, the home achieves a HERS score of -12 and produces enough electricity to offset the power needs of the home and two electric cars.
    • TC Legend Homes installed a level-2 car charger in the home's carport.
    • The ultra-efficient air-to-water heat pump (4.4 coefficient of performance [COP]) has an outside condenser unit, similar to that of an air-to-air heat pump
    • The open floor plan encourages transfer of heat from the thermal mass concrete floors to the second-floor living spaces while lighting the interior of the home with natural daylight.
    • The home is equipped with energy- and water-saving ENERGY STAR-certified appliances including a refrigerator, dishwasher, and clothes washer.
    • The pipes in the corner of the dining room are a supply air outlet for a heat recovery ventilator, which transfers heat between the fresh air being drawn in and the stale air being exhausted out to temper the incoming air.
    • All of the home's lighting is ultra-efficient solid-state LED lighting.
    • Some of the trees removed from the site during construction were milled and the rustic boards were added as a design element. All woods are finished with low- or no-VOC finishes.

      Bellingham Power House

      Project Address

      Bellingham, WA

      Conditioned Square Footage
      2,781 sqft
      Number of Bedrooms
      4 Beds
      Number of Bathrooms
      3.0 Baths
      Number of Floors Above Grade
      2 Floors Above Grade
      Home Type
      Custom
      Climate Zone Temperature
      Mixed
      Climate Zone Humidity
      Marine

      With PV

      HERS Index with PV
      -12HERS (PV)
      Average Monthly Energy Bill PV
      $-15Average Monthly Energy Bill (PV)
      Annual Energy Cost Savings with PV
      $1,600Annual Energy Cost Savings (PV)
      30 Year Savings with PV
      $68,00030 Year Savings (PV)

      TC Legend Homes LLC

      ZERO

      HIA Year
      HIA Status
      Winner
      HIA Category
      Housing Innovation Award

      Learn More

      Key Features

      Key Features
      Air-to-water heat pump All-electric home Energy / Heat recovery ventilator Electric Vehicle Charger Installed or Wired for Charger Insulated concrete form (ICF) walls and/or foundation Photovoltaics Structural insulated panel (SIP) walls or walls and roof Triple-pane windows Unvented insulated attic ACH 50 < 2.5 or CFM50/SF of enclosure ≤ 0.25

      Read the Case Study

      Testimonials

      Home owner (or occupant) Testimony
      With its airtight shell, structural insulated panel (SIP) construction, numerous south-facing windows, highly efficient heat pump, this one-of-a-kind house, which we’ve nicknamed the Powerhouse, has no electrical bills and costs nothing to heat. No oil, natural gas, or other fuels are used. The 10 kW solar panel array … will not only … power the home, but will produce enough of a surplus to charge two electric cars on site.
      Testimony Citation
      Ted Clifton, homeowner and builder, TC Legend Homes

      Additional Media

      Finished Elevations

        Finished Interiors

          Other Images

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            Floor Plan