Near-Zero-Energy Homes In Inner-City Hartford

CT Non-Profit Plans 100 Similar Homes Every Year for the Next Decade

HARTFORD, CT — A nonprofit housing developer, SAND Corporation, will soon begin building six net-zero-energy homes in an inner-city Hartford neighborhood. According to the Hartford Courant, SAND (an acronym for South Arsenal Neighborhood Development) has raised $2.1 million to build three duplexes on Earle Street in North Hartford.

Designed by architect Bill Crosskey, the all-electric superinsulated homes will feature roof-mounted photovoltaic(PV) Generation of electricity directly from sunlight. A photovoltaic cell has no moving parts; electrons are energized by sunlight and result in current flow. arrays, solar hot water systems, ground-source heat pumps, and energy-recovery ventilators. According to Crosskey, the homes are designed to use 75% less energy than the average Hartford home.

Karen Lewis, the executive director of SAND, is excited about the project. “This is the kind of thing that never happens in the inner city,” said Lewis. “But why not? This is the future. Why should we be last?” Buoyed by funding from the United Technologies Corporation, SAND has an ambitious goal: to build 100 net-zero-energy homes in Hartford every year for the next ten years. “With the economy how it is now, I'm not sure whether the funding will work,“ Lewis admitted. “But I know that the dream is real.”