News

Doerr to Teach at Solar Energy International
4-8 June 2007 — Thomas Doerr will be one of the instructors of the Sustainable Home Design week-long course at SEI in Carbondale, Colorado. Along with Rachel Connor, Dan Chiras, Johnny Weiss, and others, Thomas will teach about ecological home design.

Troxell+Murphy House Featured on 9 News
23 April 2007 — For the TV station's Earth Day celebration, the Troxell-Murphy House in Boulder, Colorado was featured for its economical, green design and its architect, Thomas Doerr, was interviewed live.

Doerr Lectures on Passive Solar Design at SEI Conference
9 March 2007 — Along with experts on wind energy and photovoltaics, Solar Energy International invited Thomas Doerr to lecture in Golden, Colorado to solar industry professionals about passive solar design.

Doerr Architecture Powered 100% by Wind
February 2007 — All of Doerr Architecture's electricity is now supplied by clean, renewable, wind-generated energy so as not to contribute to global climate change.

Doerr Gives Passive Solar Presentation at NREL
25 March 2006 — 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). 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
February 2006 — 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
26 January 2006 — 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.

Doerr Selected as Architect for Zapin Project
9 January 2006 — Doerr Architecture was selected to design the Zapin house remodel. This project is the remodel of a house in southern Boulder.

Troxell-Murphy Open House
16 July 2005 — Open House in Boulder, Colorado at the newly remodeled passive solar Troxell-Murphy home. View the Project

Passive Solar House Built
4 March 2005 — 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 is expected to reduce its heating and cooling bills by 90%. View the Project.

Doerr Interviewed by Residential Architect Magazine
March 2004 — 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 Thanked for Long Service on DDAB
18 December 2004 — 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 Certified as Green Points Architect
7 February 2002 — 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.

Doerr Interviewed by Custom Home Magazine
January 2002 — Thomas Doerr was interviewed for an article about the best use of salvaged building materials by Katy Tomasulo. The article, "Household Hand-Me-Downs; Salvaged building materials give new homes a historic touch", was published in Custom Home magazine.