Fort Collins Passive Solar Consulting

Doerr Architecture is analyzing a building and its site in Fort Collins Colorado and consulting with its owners about their property’s solar access in regards to its PV (photovoltaic) and passive solar challenges and opportunities.

Design-Build Loveland Property

Doerr Architecture is redeveloping a house site in Loveland Colorado as the developer, architect, and general contractor. The site has a 101 year old house and the property is zoned high-density residential with the possibility of up to six units.

Second Edition of PSS Book Published

The second edition of Architect Thomas Doerr’s book Passive Solar Simplified: Easily design a truly green home for Colorado and the West was published with new helpful information.

Passive Solar Simplified book cover

Doerr to Teach Green Building Course

Architect Thomas Doerr was selected to teach the Green Building course at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. The course will focus on the enormous environmental impacts of buildings and the most effective strategies to mitigate these, as well as the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) system. This appointment is part time so Thomas can continue his architecture practice.

Moore House Article

A feature article in City and Mountain Views magazine was published about the net-zero energy Moore House. This Evergreen Colorado mountain house creates more energy than it uses and was designed by Doerr Architecture.

Kruger+Cunningham House to be Published

A cover article in LOCALE magazine was written about the Kruger+Cunningham House. The design is an addition to a historic home in Boulder, Colorado that was designed by Doerr Architecture.

Free Passive Solar Presentation

Architect Thomas Doerr will speak about what you need to know about passive solar home design to save over 80% of your home’s heating and cooling bills. You will learn what you need to do to take advantage of the clean, free heating and cooling from the sun, and to lessen your dependence on volatile dirty energy sources. It will be held on 16 March at 7pm at the Meadows Library in Boulder, Colorado.

Doerr Art to be Exhibited

Paintings and photographs by Thomas Doerr and others will be in the first exhibition in the Phoenix Asylum gallery. The opening begins at 7pm at 2510 47th St., Unit D/DD in Boulder, Colorado. It is free and open to the public.

Finch House Wins Mayor’s Design Award

The mayor of Denver presented the Finch House designed by Doerr Architecture its 2008 annual design award in the category “It’s Easy Being Green”. They cited the house’s dynamic aesthetics, great passive solar design and other energy efficiency measures.

Doerr Gives Passive Solar Presentation at NREL

The Colorado Renewable Energy Society (CRES) and the Colorado Energy Science Center (CESC) sponsored a lecture by green building experts at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Architect Thomas Doerr presented to a sold out audience of over 100 attendees about the essentials of passive solar design. Topics included proper building orientation, area and type of glass, solar shading, thermal mass, ventilation, room arrangement, daylighting, and other important ecological building strategies.

Solar Electric Rebates

Free money, courtesy of Colorado’s Amendment 37, is the driving factor for an increase in new PV (photo voltaic) installations. Xcel Energy’s solar-electric rebates total $4.50 per installed watt. Once new panels are operating, one can get over $10,000 back from Xcel. There is also a federal tax credit of 30 percent of installation costs, up to $2,000. The money comes from Xcel’s entire customer base. Per Amendment 37 and related regulations, Xcel will charge all its customers an extra 1 percent on top of regular bills to cover program costs, so subsidize your own system.

Rebates for Large Energy Efficient Projects

Xcel Energy is offering $196 million in rebates from 2006-2013 for energy reduction in commercial buildings over 50,000SF and residential buildings over 150,000SF. Xcel’s Bill Gruen said these rebates are for design fees, lighting, cooling, and industrial motors. Applicants must be Xcel electric customers in Colorado. Many of these rebates can also be applied to existing buildings. These rebates are in addition to federal tax credits and Xcel’s photo voltaic (solar electric) rebates.

Troxell-Murphy Open House

There will be an open house in Boulder, Colorado at the newly remodeled passive solar Troxell-Murphy home addition designed by Doerr Architecture. This home used prefabricated rooms to speed construction. Passive Solar Home Details

Passive Solar House Built

One of Doerr Architecture’s finest passive solar homes, The Finch House, was completed. With ample properly shaded southern windows, great thermal mass and excellent green construction detailing, this Denver home addition and remodel is expected to reduce its heating and cooling bills by 90%. Passive Solar Home Details.

Doerr Thanked for Long Service on DDAB

Architect Thomas Doerr received an engraved plaque and several gifts as a thank you from the city for serving five years on Boulder’s DDAB (Downtown Design Advisory Board). DDAB is an appointed board responsible for ensuring the quality of all building projects in central Boulder.

Doerr Interviewed by Residential Architect Magazine

Architect Thomas Doerr was interviewed for an article about appropriate use of recycled building materials by Nigel Maynard. The article, “Waste not: recycled building products turn trash into treasure”, was published in Residential Architect magazine.

Doerr Certified as Green Points Architect

Architect Thomas Doerr was one of the first architects in Colorado to successfully test to be certified as a Green Points Architect. This certifies that Thomas understands the techniques required to design and build sustainable architecture.