Can Solar Panels and Historic Preservation Get Along

A house in Cambridge, Massachusetts, courtesy of the National Trust for Historic Preservation

A classic conflict - or perceived conflicts - of exactly this sort has been going on in Washington Cleveland Park historic district, where houses and apartment owner's permission, were visible on the roof solar panels rejected by a local installation of the Commission.

    "The effect of this is that every house, south or west facing would not be able to use solar energy, '[house owner Mark] said Chandler."

Historic Sycamore Store, Bethesda, Maryland, courtesy of the straight line

If they can only place tiles on the back, north side (very little direct sunlight in Washington comes from the north), the project no longer economically viable.


Last year, I profiled Matt and Kelly green Grocoff its 110-year-old house retrofitting, Ann Arbor. The reality is that in most communities with historic district regulations, the historic districts significantly higher levels than in comparable non-targeted areas have.
California's Solar Rights Act prohibits municipalities from the restrictions of the solar systems unless they are "reasonable." Old Kentucky (courtesy of RegenEn Solar)
A historic district in Kentucky at home, courtesy of Solar RegenEn

The law also defines reasonable restrictions such as requirements that are not more than $ 2,000 in cost or decrease in output of more than 20 percent. There is an excellent summary of relevant rules and practices relating to solar panels in historic districts throughout the country in guidelines published by the City of Bayfield, Wisconsin.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has identified a number of photos, which she believes are good examples of solar systems that are compatible with historic character booked (examples here and here). We want to invite any old buildings with poorly designed solar arrays. But deny applications completely untenable makes historic homes in the future energy economy.

According to the National Institute of Building Sciences' Whole Building Design Guide "In a year, based in the United States, buildings consume 39 percent of U.S. energy and 68 percent of its electricity also emits 38 percent of the building carbon dioxide (the primary greenhouse gas linked to climate change ), 49 percent of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and 25 percent found in the air. "

One of the most sustainable, high performance building materials anywhere in the world's zinc.

Zinc is reported that the 23 be most abundant element in Earth's crust. Land as a result, zinc roofing and wall cladding never in landfills.

For generations, the European architects zinc as building envelope material for all types of buildings listed, because it would take and endure harsh weather conditions.
American architects are on the use of zinc on the commercial, institutional and public buildings warming. Some far-sighted practitioners are also encouraging their clients to use residential architectural zinc for their homes - from brand new construction to renovation and restoration of historic.
Four to five times the life of a zinc roof in comparison"

Compared to other metals that may be cheaper than zinc (in painted aluminum, for example) or can be more expensive (copper), Fine insists that zinc in the lead in the analysis. • copper now costs about twice as much as zinc.
The run-off zinc is clear and leaves no stains on adjacent materials such as copper.
• Ceramic tile and slate are heavier than zinc and require a stronger and more expensive than zinc structural basis.

A zinc roof is also more energy efficient than less expensive asphalt shingles, because it reflects heat and blocks heat transfer in attics. Studies of the Florida Solar Energy Center in 1985 showed that metal roofs usually reported absorbed 34 percent less heat than asphalt shingles, and homeowners switching to metal roofing can save up to 20 percent on their electricity bill.

Designed in Greenville, North Carolina, the Walters residence, a sleek, modern design + build residence of Tonic, is a prime example of the use of architectural zinc in an environmentally friendly, energy-saving house. Zinc metal is very malleable, so it can adapt to a variety of architectural styles, from square and bent. Zinc plates are manufactured in a variety of forms, from wave to wave parallel ribs and locking hexagons, to a further artistic element to a house, the roof or the total allocation.
"We are actually two different colors on this job," he said, "a beautiful gray zinc, called Quartz, and called a mind-exploding black Anthra zinc." "

In New Caanan, Connecticutt, Architects + Partners Joeb Moore combined zinc and cedar cladding to create a 5300-square-foot house, "including contemporary and green technologies and products."