Homes of bark and energy of the Sun

Highland craftsmen Inc., a small poplar bark shingle manufacturer in North Carolina reached the net energy efficiency milestone before recently NULL power consumption with means made available by the Department of energy State energy program (SEP) under the American recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act). The owner, Marty and Chris McCurry, installed photovoltaic modules in their production site to produce electricity, and updated it controls, piping, and flooring to improve the operation of the three natural gas furnaces, the local dry wood purchased. The grants funds were provided by the North Carolina Department of Commerce Green Business Fund with recovery Act SEP and have been managed by the North Carolina Energy Office.

The energy efficiency upgrades will help the company its bark House brand to produce siding with net NULL power consumption, meaning that that the process will produce at least as much power as it uses in a year. The solar system decreases the Highland craftsmen electricity bill of $6,000 per year, so the company the excess energy back to sell on the net. The furnace upgrade, which is expected to increase efficiency by 40 percent furnace, amount to $5,000 savings. For the complete story, see the energy blog.

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