Kucera House: Zero-Net Energy in Gardiner, New York

November 7th, 2008 • Related • Filed Under

Designed by architet David Kucera for himself and his wife, the 2700-square-foot Kucera House in Gardiner, New York took honorable mention in New York House magazine’s Best in Green Building Competition. Reconstructed from a vintage barn that was reassembled on site, an 8.5-kilowatt solar array and closed-loop, 285-foot deep geothermal system obviate the need for the Kuceras to draw any power off of the grid whatsoever. Both systems were installed by Hudson Valley Clean Energy.

The house was completed in August of 2007 and features extensive insulation- R26 for the walls and R40 for the roof- as well as antique hemlock flooring. The design of the house accounts for passive solar heat gain and loss; most windows are on the south side with only three small windows on the north side. The building envelope was constructed with SIPs and the house itself is Energy Star-rated. Gardiner is located about halfway between Newburgh and Kingston in Ulster County.