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 Michigan Sustainable Homes & Businesses Tour
(formerly Michigan Solar Tour)
Part of the ASES National Solar Tour
October 4, 2008
10 am - 4 pm
The solar tour is free and self-guided. Visit as many sites as you would like from 10am to 4pm, in any order that you would like. Enjoy the good energy, and have fun!
Greater Lansing Area
Metro Detroit Area
Greater Ann Arbor Area
Southwest Michigan Area
Central Michigan Area
Greater Marquette Area
Greater Traverse City Area
Greater Grand Rapids Area
Northwest Michigan Area
Greater Grand Rapids Tour
Regional Coordinators:
Samantha Keeney (samantha.keeney@glrea.org or 800-434-9788)
COWLING KWANT HOME
4150 GRAND RIVER AVE
This home was designed by architect Jim Karczeski and built by Vos Energy Concepts. It uses a combination of timber framing and structural insulated panels (SIP) for structural integrity. It is yet to be completed, so it has yet to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. This is a very stringent and difficult processes to go through; much more difficult that green built certification.
This home uses many local products (within 500MI). Such as white cedar T&G ceilings and sauna, red pine beams and columns, hickory floors and stair treads. Maple eating booth, int. doors etc.
Other Features Include:
4,000 Sq ft finished floor area
Ground source heat pump for heating- cooling and hot water
Radiant floor heat
Energy recovery ventilation system (EVR) for fresh air
2 wood stove type fireplaces
Custom cabinetry and woodwork throughout
Maintenance free landscaping
DIRECTIONS: From NE Grand Rapids, take the East Beltline to 5 mile rd and go East to Grand River AVE. take a right (south) and go about ¼ mile to 4150 Grand river on left. You’re here!
Click Here for a Google map.
David D Hunting YMCA
475 Lake Michigan Drive NW, Grand Rapids
The David. D. Hunting YMCA is a 159,000 square-foot, family-friendly facility that graces the downtown Grand Rapids skyline. The four-story structure is the first-ever LEED certified YMCA, and one of the largest urban YMCAs in the country.
As a part of being a LEED certified facility, the David D. Hunting YMCA has many unique, energy-conscious and environmental friendly features:
Solar Power The David D. Hunting YMCA has a bank of photovoltaic (PV) solar cells, located on the roof, four-stories above the swimming pools. The cells, on a sunny day, generate up to 18,000 watts of electricity. This electricity is consumed within the building, and supplements electrical energy supplied from a local utility provider. There is also an educational Solar Kiosk on the main floor that monitors the "real time" solar output of the system.
Heat Islands Heat islands form as cities replace natural land cover with pavement, buildings, and other infrastructure that absorb, rather than reflect, the sun's heat. The David D. Hunting YMCA has minimized the heat island effect by choosing paving materials that reflect the sun's heat, planting additional, quick-growing shade trees in specific locations on the site, and installing a white roof that reflects, rather than absorbs, the sun's energy.
- Heating and Cooling Systems From the ground floor swimming pools to the panoramic, third-story glass window walls, the David D. Hunting YMCA was carefully designed to achieve maximum heating and cooling efficiencies. These efficiencies are achieved through the following:
- Low-E Glass Low-emissivity glass allows light into the building while reflecting UV and infrared light. In the summer, Low-E glass reflects outside heat and in the winter reflects heat back inside.
- Boiler design There are three (3) high efficient boilers with modulating burners that provide most of the building's heat. Responding to demand, the boilers fire up as needed, and an integral computer consistently changes the lead boiler to minimize wear and tear.
- Chiller design Matching demand with output, high-efficiency, roof-mounted cooling is delivered to most of the building through a multiple-stage chiller with high turndown chillers. The cooling equipment uses non-ozone depleting CFC's.
- Pool Dehumidifier A roof-mounted high efficiency dehumidification system removes humidity from the pool area, captures the resulting heat and returns it to the aquatic area through heat exchangers.
Directions:
The David D. Hunting YMCA is located in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, just off US131 at the Pearl Street exit. Please note that Pearl Street changes to Lake Michigan Drive when it passes under US131 (to the west). The YMCA is at 475 Lake Michigan Drive. Solar tour participants are encouraged to use city parking lots #7 and #9 just adjacent (east and west) of the facility.
Click here for Mapquest area map
Hastings Public Library
227 E. State St. Hastings, MI 49058
 
Opened in June of 2007, The Hastings Public Library building is equipped with such features as a rain garden, large super-insulated windows with light shelves, vegetative (green) roofs, and low VOC paints and adhesives. The structure and most furnishings were produced with recycled and sustainable products. Perhaps the building's most cost-effective and easily overlooked efficiency measure would be its super-insulated envelope (ceiling, walls, and windows.) The Library is currently installing a 7.1 kW photovoltaic solar array to provide pollution-free renewable energy to the facility.
Aimed at home and business owners, the tour will highlight the cost and energy savings to be gleaned by building or retrofitting an efficient residential or commercial building. Topics to be covered include: alternative energy, passive heating and cooling, efficient appliances and lighting, water heating, and insulation.
Thanks to funding provided by the Friends of the Hastings Public Library and Pierce Cedar Creek Institute, tour participants can park at the Library or at the Institute and ride the Hastings Holley Trolley for free on a loop that also includes stops at the Brown and Patrick homes on the tour. A full tour schedule will be available in mid-September by visiting hastingspubliclibrary.org or cedarcreekinstitute.org or contact the Hastings Public Library at 269-945-4263 or Pierce Cedar Creek Institute at (269) 721-4190 for more information.
Directions;
From Kalamazoo: US-131 N toward Grand Rapids, Take exit 61 for CR-A42/M-179 toward Bradley/Hopkins, Turn right at 129th Ave/CR-A42/M-179. Continue to follow CR-A42/M-179. Turn left at Gun Lake Rd/M-43/Wall Lake Rd. Continue to follow M-43 Continue on W State St, arrive Hastings Public Library
From Grand Rapids: I-196E merge onto I-96 E take exit 46 towards Holland/M-6 W. Stay straight onto M-6W/ Paul B Henry Freeway. Take exit 15 for M-37 towards Hastings/ Grand Rapids. Turn left onto Broadmoor ave SE/m-37-S. Turn left at M-37/M-43/W State St. Continue to follow W. State st. arrive Hastings Public Library.
Click Here For a Google area map
Pierce Cedar Creek Institute
701 W. Cloverdale Rd, Hastings
See a number of different renewable energy and efficiency technologies at this institutional facility. Highlights include the Education Building and Visitor Center, both of which are earth-bermed and utilize passive solar designs. Other features include geothermal heating and cooling and a photovoltaic system.
Directions:
From Kalamazoo
Take the Sprinkle Rd exit from I-94 (exit number 80) turn north on Sprinkle Road. Turn right onto Gull Rd/MI-43. Continue to follow MI-43. Turn left onto MI-43/MI-89/32nd St N. in downtown Richland. Continue to follow MI-43 for 13 miles. Turn right onto W. Cloverdale Rd (portions of this road are unpaved) and go approximately two and a half miles. The entrance will be on your right. Look for the yellow signs with "Pierce Cedar Creek" written on them.
From Battle Creek
Take the I-94-BR exit (exit number 92) toward Springfield/Battle Creek. Merge onto I-94 BR east toward Springfield/Battle Creek. Turn left onto MI-37/Helmer Rd N. Continue to follow MI-37 for approximately 15 miles. Look for the Pierce Cedar Creek sign and Cloverdale Road. Pierce Cedar Creek will be on your left in approximately 2 miles.
Click here for Mapquest area map | Click here for map on Pierce Cedar Creek web site
Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association
URL: www.glrea.org
Email: info@glrea.org
Lansing:
(517) 646.6269
Toll Free:
1.800.434.9788
 Join GLREA
Go to our membership area and find out how you can join GLREA!
Contact GLREA
Feel free to contact us if you have any additional questions or comments.
Current GLREA Board Members
Current GLREA Board Members
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