Featured New Homes
Geos Neighborhood by Cornerstone Homes
By Angie Sudberry - November 19, 2018
Our team at Invalesco Real Estate was delighted to tour the Geos neighborhood, Colorado’s first geosolar development, built by Cornerstone Homes. The neighborhood harnesses geo-thermal energy paired with both passive and active solar strategies and cutting-edge green building technologies to achieve net-zero energy consumption. Casey Van Iten, project manager, led us in the tour and provided us with a wealth of information on the innovative building process. This unique community will include community gardens, parks, corner stores, & shared facilities.
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An incredible amount of energy savings can be achieved by using passive strategies. The strategies implemented in the Geos neighborhood include achieving extreme air tightness (0.6 ACH50), being intentional with the staggered placement of the homes and the placement of windows and opening to maximize solar energy when and where it is needed. Cornerstone took into account all of the seasons of Colorado’s climate. However, it is evident they weren’t just technical and thought of the beauty of the homes too… the homes have breathtaking mountain views! These passive strategies make the home extremely comfortable with steady temperatures throughout. The homes are so well insulated and air-tight that their heating and cooling demands are only 20% of a comparably sized traditional home.
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An incredible amount of energy savings can be achieved by using passive strategies. The strategies implemented in the Geos neighborhood include achieving extreme air tightness (0.6 ACH50), being intentional with the staggered placement of the homes and the placement of windows and opening to maximize solar energy when and where it is needed. Cornerstone took into account all of the seasons of Colorado’s climate. However, it is evident they weren’t just technical and thought of the beauty of the homes too… the homes have breathtaking mountain views! These passive strategies make the home extremely comfortable with steady temperatures throughout. The homes are so well insulated and air-tight that their heating and cooling demands are only 20% of a comparably sized traditional home.
For the active solar energy component, the homes feature solar panels on all their roofs. This is a greatly cost effective way of contributing towards achieving their net-zero energy goal.
We saw examples of green building everywhere throughout the homes, from paints with no VOC to triple-paned windows. It was very inspiring that Cornerstone Homes really looks to build with quality and efficiency and isn’t only looking at their bottom line. Casey explained that because the homes are so air tight, it is important to only use materials in the home that are of high quality and will keep the air inside as pure as possible… well, that would make any homeowner breathe a little easier! (pardon the pun). Additionally, all of the homes have Energy Recovery Ventilators that are constantly bringing in fresh air from the outside but precondition the air to an ambient temperature before it enters the home. Probably the most impressive piece of equipment we’ve seen in a home: a geothermal heat pump. In this neighborhood, the pump accesses water 300 feet below the surface to heat the home! And because the homes only require ¼ of the heating capacity of the smallest furnace available, they were able to install 3” ductwork… now that’s impressive..JPG)
We saw examples of green building everywhere throughout the homes, from paints with no VOC to triple-paned windows. It was very inspiring that Cornerstone Homes really looks to build with quality and efficiency and isn’t only looking at their bottom line. Casey explained that because the homes are so air tight, it is important to only use materials in the home that are of high quality and will keep the air inside as pure as possible… well, that would make any homeowner breathe a little easier! (pardon the pun). Additionally, all of the homes have Energy Recovery Ventilators that are constantly bringing in fresh air from the outside but precondition the air to an ambient temperature before it enters the home. Probably the most impressive piece of equipment we’ve seen in a home: a geothermal heat pump. In this neighborhood, the pump accesses water 300 feet below the surface to heat the home! And because the homes only require ¼ of the heating capacity of the smallest furnace available, they were able to install 3” ductwork… now that’s impressive.
The homes impressed us at every turn and we look forward to touring again as the community takes shape. The current homeowners seem very happy in their homes and are thrilled to not pay a cent on their energy bills. Geos Neighborhood is currently wrapping up phase one of construction and can barely keep up with demand. Thankfully, there are still 2 more phases to go!
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If you want to learn more about energy efficient homes, look out for our invitation to our THINKtank next March where we will be hosting a panel of experts to learn more! Contact our team at info@invalescore.com for more informaiton on the homes