Homeowners are moving quickly to solar power as climate change causes more severe weather conditions. Solar keeps homes safe and powered during outages and unsafe conditions. But it also offers financial benefits and environmental improvements that people desperately need.

For these reasons, architect Trey Farmer of Forgecraft Architecture and Design chose Freedom Solar Power as his trusted solar provider. Farmer was looking to incorporate solar panels and a Tesla Powerwall into the renovation of his century-old Craftsman home in Austin, Texas.

With everything combined, Farmer’s home can now function off-grid in an urban environment.

FORGECRAFT ARCHITECTURE HELPS BUILD A PASSIVE HOUSE

Farmer knew he wanted to use his recently renovated home as a playground for sustainable innovation. Right in the heart of the city, he created a Passive House Source Zero project with Forgecraft Architecture that doubles as a family haven.

Forgecraft Architecture builds homes of all types and sizes, including special projects like multifamily homes. It focuses on sustainability and energy independence in its projects. And in due time with current trends, its architecture leans toward high-performance homes and passive houses.

Moreover, most of the house projects Farmer has in the works with Forgecraft Architecture use solar panels. The aim is to become net-positive, and Farmer’s home is a great example. It’s one of only three Certified Passive houses in Texas and one of 20 Passive House Source Zero projects nationwide.

A CRAFTSMAN HOME BECOMES EFFICIENT AND SUSTAINABLE

Passive houses create a safe, resilient, comfortable and energy-efficient structure for homeowners. With this in mind, Farmer included efficient appliances that won’t overpower a Tesla Powerwall backup battery.

He can also operate his home appliances normally because of the infinite power loop from the small backup batteries, even during a grid outage. Backup batteries are similar to whole-home backup generators. And they can power critical appliances such as refrigerators, phone chargers, HVACs and even entire homes.

Because Farmer’s home has a battery and is built for maximum energy efficiency, his solar will support him in a range of events. This includes extreme weather or power outages. For example, his home will still have electricity through hurricanes, winter storms and wildfires thanks to his backup power.

“[Solar] is great from a resiliency standpoint, especially with rolling blackouts or power outages from big snowstorms in Texas. Just having the peace of mind to know that my family will be comfortable here with whatever the weather throws at us or what the grid failure throws at us, we’re going to be able to hunker down and live life here,” said Farmer.

CHOOSING A TRUSTED SOLAR INSTALLER FOR YOUR HOME

Farmer chose the locally owned Freedom Solar Power as his trusted solar installer. We’re also the most widely used installer in Texas for Tesla Powerwalls. Overall, Farmer was able to complete a quick and cost-effective panel and Powerwall installation to ensure his family’s comfort.

“We reached out to a number of solar providers, and Zach with Freedom Solar was easily the best one that we reached out to and was responsive and super helpful,” said Farmer. “We had used Freedom Solar on a couple jobs professionally, so we knew the brand and the tech, but honestly it was the customer service that won us over.”

His focus was primarily on inner air quality, durability and carbon footprint reduction to create a showpiece for the Austin market. Furthermore, Farmer wanted to prove people can live sustainably, even in the middle of a big city.

BEING AN EXAMPLE FOR OFF-GRID SUSTAINABILITY

Homeowners receive panel monitoring capabilities that are easy to check right from a mobile phone. Farmer’s home is an information hub for energy labs and researchers at The University of Texas at Austin. They track his home’s energy usage and indoor air quality to devise improved solutions for the future.

Farmer’s house has low loads, which means he can offset his unused solar production back to the grid. This makes his home net-zero thanks to his Powerwall. In addition, Farmer replaced his insulation and windows, paired with an extensive air purifying system, to create an airtight structure for offsetting emissions from the nearby highway.

He aims to make his home and his architecture projects more sustainable with a smaller carbon footprint.