Free Local Solar & More Home Tour

in association with the American Solar Energy Society’s National Tour

& organized by the Hampton Roads Green Building Council’s Homes Committee

Saturday and Sunday, September 25 &26, 10-4

View Flyer at http://capehenryshores.org/cabsolartourflyer2docx.pdf

or go directly to the tour site for in depth info at http://www.hrsolartour.com

or visit the ASES site at http://www.nationalsolartour.org

Here in the Shore Drive Corridor of Virginia Beach, we live in an area with abundant sunshine and persistent wind.  Like me, maybe you’ve wondered if solar panels or a wind turbine might fatten your wallet or otherwise improve your life and property.  If so, here’s your chance to see solar and other innovative and sustainable technologies up close and personally.  Homeowners and other facilities will open their doors to the public to view and answer questions about the systems they operate.

Over the course of two days, you can venture far and wide within Hampton Roads to visit 22 sites on the tour.  If you want to stay close to home, 3 sites are within easy reach of the Shore Drive Corridor.

1 – The Renaissance Academy near Town Center was designed to a take advantage of passive solar heating/cooling and day lighting.  Among other innovations, it also has a green living roof which reduces runoff.  A catcment system captures and stores the filtered water until it is needed for toilet flushing. 

2 – Just off Shore Drive on Little Creek Road, one residence frequently produces more electricity than it needs and sells the power back to Dominion.  In addition, the sun heats their hot water and they have incorporated rain barrels into their garden to reduce runoff and the need for city water for irrigation.  The attic is also insulated with a bio based blown foam.

3 – Further down Shore Drive on Ocean View Avenue you can see two types of wind turbine in action:  The traditional horizontal axis model and a vertical axis model.  They’ve been up and spinning for the last several months.  Wouldn’t you like to know what kind of energy they’re producing?

Although tours have been annual events all over this country for many years, last year was the first year a local tour has been organized in well over a decade.  If you would like to participate, you need to register for a ticket. For more info or to register and download a brochure with descriptions of and directions to all the sites, go to http://www.hrsolartour.com.  Please note that tour times vary at some locations.