Green mansions of the millionaires

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Cost effective?
“They are becoming more and more cost effective,” says Joe Wiehagen, senior research engineer for the National Association of Home Builders Research Center. Depending on local incentives and energy costs, solar power can cost the same as utility power in the long run. “And when you buy a solar system, you're buying all your fuel costs for the next 20 to 25 years.”

Joe and Carrie Piazza bought their house on No Name Key, Fla., in 1999, spending about $40,000 to install a power system that includes solar panels, controls, batteries and a generator. But last year, the couple's fuel bill was just $1,000.

“The solar runs the whole house, except for central air conditioning,” says Joe Piazza. “There's a great misconception that people in solar houses rough it. The reality is, if it's sized correctly and you're prepared to spend enough money, it functions like any other system.”

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Advances in technology have created lighter, stronger and more efficient wind-power blades, Strong says. On an estate on Martha's Vineyard, his company installed an array of micro wind turbines that would not impede the view, poking just a few feet above the tree canopy.

Climate-specific
Alternative energy systems are very climate-specific, says Vernon McKown, an owner of Ideal Homes, an Oklahoma building company that is trying to create affordable, energy-efficient housing. “What makes a good energy tradeoff in Denver, Colo.; Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.; and Dallas, Texas is totally different. Texas is a big air conditioning market, and heating is irrelevant.”

For a vacation house on the north shore of Lake Superior in Canada, Solar Design Associates installed turbines that run on wind in the winter and photovoltaic panels that collect the sun in the summer. But that wouldn't necessarily fly in Florida.

Being energy-independent isn't just a matter of throwing truckloads of money into solar panels and diesel generators, experts say. A thoughtfully designed house can use a small fraction of the amount of energy a normal house would without compromising comfort.

“What the whole energy efficiency industry is moving towards is more of a well-sealed building,” Wiehagen says.

New insulating technologies mean less energy loss, he says. High-performance windows with triple panes of glass and special coatings may cost two or three times as much as regular windows, but they keep energy in while maintaining a clear view. Tankless water heaters heat and distribute water instantaneously instead of storing it hot.

All of which mean you can have solar power and the hot tub, too.

“You can do anything you want with renewables if you're willing to make the investment,” Strong says. “You can have everything from a basic cabin to an opulent mansion.”

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