The name “Sage Green” conjures up sustainability and earthiness; so it comes as no surprise that Sage Green Homes in Oregon have a very light footprint. By creating more energy than is used by most occupants, the Sage Green development aims to give back to the grid, rather than suck power from it.
The company website touts a “level of function, amenity and security beyond what most people in the world will ever experience.” The development, in Beaverton, Oregon, consists of eighteen homes designed by award-winning local architect, Tara Doherty, and built by Green One Construction Services. Currently, five homes have been completed.
The homes include triple-glazed windows, high-efficiency mechanical units, and are built using recycled and local materials.
The website says that Sage Green is the first hybrid zero net energy development in the nation.
“Each home will produce more energy than a typical family of four will need,” said Ben Andrews, owner and broker at Williamette Realty Group. “While they incorporate Energy Star appliances and low-VOC paints and adhesives like other green homes, they go far beyond that.”
The homes at Sage Green harvest energy from the surrounding air using air-source heat pumps located on the sides of the homes, to heat both air and water.
Additionally, each home has its own photovoltaic array to collect and disperse more energy than the home actually needs to function. When the homes produce excess energy, it will get fed back into the grid and distributed to other homes, Dan Walters, broker at Williamette Realty Group said. “This reduces the power company’s need to create the power somewhere else and expend energy getting to users’ homes,” he said.
The company website touts a “level of function, amenity and security beyond what most people in the world will ever experience.” The development, in Beaverton, Oregon, consists of eighteen homes designed by award-winning local architect, Tara Doherty, and built by Green One Construction Services. Currently, five homes have been completed.
The homes include triple-glazed windows, high-efficiency mechanical units, and are built using recycled and local materials.
The website says that Sage Green is the first hybrid zero net energy development in the nation.
“Each home will produce more energy than a typical family of four will need,” said Ben Andrews, owner and broker at Williamette Realty Group. “While they incorporate Energy Star appliances and low-VOC paints and adhesives like other green homes, they go far beyond that.”
The homes at Sage Green harvest energy from the surrounding air using air-source heat pumps located on the sides of the homes, to heat both air and water.
Additionally, each home has its own photovoltaic array to collect and disperse more energy than the home actually needs to function. When the homes produce excess energy, it will get fed back into the grid and distributed to other homes, Dan Walters, broker at Williamette Realty Group said. “This reduces the power company’s need to create the power somewhere else and expend energy getting to users’ homes,” he said.
The patent-pending walls of the homes are more than twice as energy-efficient than code requires. They use ply-on-foam techniques, increasing their thermal performance by 40 percent and also drastically enhancing seismic capacity.
Walters said locals have been impressed with the quality of the space, layout, and the finishes in the homes.
“They believe in what the builder is doing and are excited to see it done at such a great price point,” he said. Sage Green homes begin at $257,900.
Andrews and Walters have been busy educating the local community about ‘zero-net’ construction. On the West side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city of Beaverton is considered home to Oregon’s industrial corridor, and is sometimes referred to as the “Silicon Forest.”
“Beaverton’s population is well-informed and interested in issues of energy efficiency and sustainability,” Andrews said. “When you talk about the special aspects of Sage Green homes, you find that many people already have some experience or knowledge of the technologies.”
According to Andrews and Walters, there are already a couple of buyers interested in making an offer.
For more information, visit www.sagegreenliving.com
Walters said locals have been impressed with the quality of the space, layout, and the finishes in the homes.
“They believe in what the builder is doing and are excited to see it done at such a great price point,” he said. Sage Green homes begin at $257,900.
Andrews and Walters have been busy educating the local community about ‘zero-net’ construction. On the West side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city of Beaverton is considered home to Oregon’s industrial corridor, and is sometimes referred to as the “Silicon Forest.”
“Beaverton’s population is well-informed and interested in issues of energy efficiency and sustainability,” Andrews said. “When you talk about the special aspects of Sage Green homes, you find that many people already have some experience or knowledge of the technologies.”
According to Andrews and Walters, there are already a couple of buyers interested in making an offer.
For more information, visit www.sagegreenliving.com
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