Granshaw Home

Solar: Rooftop Solar 4.74 kw (main array) + 0.68 kw (secondary array) = Total combined 5.42 kW. At the end of 2025 the combined array produced 48% of our total household consumption.

Battery: The 1 kw of off grid DIY solar has +2 kWh of storage. The grid-tied array does not. Estimated annual production 38 kWh.

Expansive Garden: Current space dedicated to vegetable garden = 90 m2 (969 ft2); Current space dedicated to native vegetation = 100 m2 (1076 ft2). The front yard, parking strip, and part of the backyard are planted in native plants, shrubs, and trees resembling an indigenous forest understory. In 2015 our home received a gold level habitat certification from the Portland Bird Alliance / Columbia Land Trust Backyard Habitat Program. Orchard / vineyard - Between the front and backyards there are two types of apples, three types of grapes, and pear and cherry trees. Fruit patches - Raspberries and blueberries. Vegetable garden - An area with several garden beds that have been elderized by raising their height to 0.8 m (2.5 ft). No synthetic herbicides or pesticides are used to maintain the garden. Crops are regularly rotated to maintain soil health.

Agro-voltaic Garden: Two bifacial solar panels each 200w used to shade a section of the vegetable garden, 

Water Heating: In 2021 a Rheem 50 gal heatpump water heater was installed in the house by Greensavers. This reduced our energy consumption for water heating from 3744 kWh / year in 1998 to 460 kWh / year in 2023. This represents a 88% reduction in annual consumption for water heating.

Weatherization: Having been constructed in 1929 the house originally had no insulation in the walls and minimal insulation in the crawlspaces. During the three and a half decades that we've lived in the house all of the exterior walls have been insulated to at least R-11. Likewise, all of the windows have been replaced with double glazed units, while all the doors have been weatherstripped. A recent addition that I'm currently experimenting with is a screen door that converts into an insulated storm door during the winter. This is a significant experiment since our front door is a major source of heat loss during winter months.

Electric Vehicle: Until 2019 all of our vehicles were internal combustion. In January of that year we leased a plug-in hybrid having a battery range of 26 miles as a way of gradually moving into the world of electric cars. At the end of our lease in 2022 we acquired a KIA Nero EV. This vehicle has a range of nearly 300 miles on a full charge. With an average 3.8 kWh/mi the car uses 20% of the energy of our last internal combustion vehicle, a Subaru Forester, for the same number of miles. Likewise, “fuel” costs for this vehicle are approximately 20% of gasoline costs for the Forester. This switch to EV and going from a two to a one car family, reduced our transportation energy consumption to 14% of what it was in 1999.

HVAC: A 12,000 MBTU ductless heat pump system for heating and cooling was installed in 2018 by GreenSavers. Ductless heat pump system for heating and cooling installed in 2026 in garage.

Windows: Upgraded at least 90% of my windows to have a “U-value” of at least 0.3. All the windows are double glazed. Solar gain from 70 sf of south facing double glazed window provides some passive heating and daylighting of the office/studio.

Insulation: All the walls are insulated to R-11. Roof (ceiling in second story) insulated to R-21. Attic crawl space insulated to R-21 (walls) and R-50 (flat). Basement ceiling insulated to R-30. Garage walls insulated to R-30 and ceiling insulated to R-60. Shop walls insulated to R-11 and ceiling insulated to R-22.

Lighting: Changed lighting from incandescent or compact fluorescent to LED in all fixtures

Appliances: Energy Star certified. In 2020 we replaced our old electric stove with an induction range having a convection oven. Particularly noteworthy are the significantly shorter cooking times of the range.

Passive solar: Both laundry room and office utilize passive solar to save on energy costs. The laundry room includes a clothesline outside to dry clothes during dry months. 

Wind Turbines: Two small wind turbines (100 and 30 w). These are strictly experimental, more wind art than actual production devices.

Stormwater Management: At the front of the house, gutters are directed into two bioswales in the front yard. This directs stormwater into the local aquifer. At the rear of the house gutters flow into four 55 gallon drums. The stored water is used for irrigating vegetables and fruit. Stormwater from the south side of the garage is directed into a water feature in the southwest corner of the lot, while water from the north side is directed into a bioswale shared with an adjacent home. Low flow shower heads and dual flush toilet help to reduce indoor water consumption.

Composting/Recycling: The soil in our garden beds are revitalized by composting and planting / “plowing under” winter cover groups. Two rotating drums are used for processing yard debris. A worm bin is used for processing kitchen waste. Excess yard or kitchen waste is recycled via weekly pickups.

Seismic Retrofitting: In 2015 we had seismic retrofitting done in our basement that included clamping the foundation to the sill plate of the house and reinforcing wooden members of the foundation. At the same time, the gas meter was outfitted with a vibration sensitive shut off valve. Any add-on structures to the house were securely bolted to their foundations.

Aging in Place: We have elderized our home so we can continue to age in place for as long as it is practical. For example, in 2024, we elderized the downstairs bathroom and reloated the laundry room. We also raised our garden beds to 2 ft. We have also added hand rails, installed walk-in showers, and made closets and drawers more accessible.