This article appeared in the December 2013 issue of Organic Hudson Valley. (A direct link is available under Links to Articles.)

Green technology is something that many advocate, talking about all the benefits that can accompany the installation of solar panels or wind power, while others remain skeptical, focusing on the fact that the technology often seems cost prohibitive.  Another factor that can turn people away is the misconception that the technology, especially any solar based technology, requires a very sunny environment, similar to what would be found in the southwest, something that seems to make the equipment unattainable in the decidedly less sunny northeast.

Ron and Ruth Samuelson, a couple who have been interested in environmentalism for over 30 years, understand some of those challenges and decided to meet and overcome them, building a house using green technology that is energy conscious and requires zero fossil fuels.

“We’ve been involved in and interested in energy conservation going back to the 1970s and the Arab oil embargo,” Ron Samuelson said, talking about their early roots in the movement that led to the home they built in 2010, which makes no use of fossil fuels.

They bought the land 20 years ago with the intention of building a house with green technology when it was financially viable for them, and in 2010 they were ready to go to work on the house.

The Samuelsons built and designed the house themselves.  They own their own company, Home Energy Consultants, and Ruth, an architect, designed it.  She drew the plans and supervised the construction of the house, designing it to use a geo-thermal pump for heating and cooling the air, as well as heating and cooling the domestic hot water without the use of any oil or other fossil fuels.  The house also has solar panels on the roof that capture heat as well as a storage tank in the basement to hold energy.

When they were ready to begin the project, they had to put a lot of thought into exactly what they wanted to do and consider the many technical aspects of the project.  “First, you want to have a lot of southern exposure so that you can capture the sunlight, and secondly, to make the house as air tight as possible so you’re not losing as much energy,” Ron said.  “That is the fundamental beginning of any energy conscious house.”

The Samuelsons are well aware of the upfront cost of building an environmentally conscious house, but feel that it’s worth the time and investment for the return in the long run, both financially and on the planet.  “It’s been our philosophy to have a minimal footprint on the Earth,” Ron said.

While it is a large investment, the Samuelsons think it’s a valuable investment, and one worth making.  “It’s a large upfront cost and a good way for people to begin looking at investments like this because it is an investment and over the course of time you’re going to spend that money anyway,” Ron said.  “You’re going to spend it for oil, for gas, you’re going to spend it.  Making the upfront expenditure has to be looked at as an investment.”

Samuelson also addressed the concerns many may have about location, saying a climate that’s always sunny isn’t as necessary as people may think.  “The sun shines everywhere,” he said.  “Yes, if an area has more sunshine than New York State, you’re going to have a better gain, but that doesn’t diminish the effectiveness of solar and geothermal.”

There are also some great benefits that conventional energy doesn’t have, the biggest one being a complete lack of maintenance.

“No maintenance,” Samuelson assured.  “Solar thermal is generating heat, which you can use to heat your domestic hot water, heat your home or even heat a swimming pool.”

Modern solar technology lets you use the sun’s energy to run buildings, both residential and commercial, even on the days when you are freezing and dreaming of California beaches.