Next Generation Building Institute Tucson Solar Alliance Innovative Home Tour Next Generation Homes Homeowners Alliance

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Tucson Solar Alliance

Innovative Home Tour

Next Generation Homes

Homeowners Alliance


News and Events
Tucson Innovative Home Tour and National Solar Tour
Nov 10 & 11, 2012
 - see how others are doing it

Next Generation Home Seminar
Nov 10, 2012
- learn how from the experts

Find out how to get in touch with us.

Next Generation Home Alliance

Building Science is the key to a much better life at home with much lower costs.
The Solar Institute is your best source of information, advice and professional support.

Practical sustainability in action™

"Don't find a fault. Find a remedy." - Henry Ford

The Next Generation Home Alliance is a non-profit community approach to sharing knowledge, information, experience and expertise on advances in making homes better and cost less. It was selected to perform advanced work for City, County and Federal housing programs to determine how to achieve both higher quality AND greater affordability. The project found ways to greatly improve the quality and performance of houses and yet cut the costs of home ownership for most people by as much as 50% - and even more. For the average homeowner this amounts to hundreds of thousands of dollars over a typical 30-year mortgage period. Wouldn't you prefer to stop throwing that money away and put it to better use?

News
Next Generation Home Seminar coming Saturday, November 10
  Coming Saturday and Sunday, November 10 and 11, is your best opportunity
to learn about the latest and most important new advances in sustainability and green building - and how you can put them to good use yourself. If you are planning to build or purchase a new home, or improve your current home, you will not want to miss them!
  Next Generation Home Seminar - Details follow below
  Tucson Innovative Home Tour - Click for more details
  Tucson Solar Tour - Click for more details

  Applications are now being accepted
for the Next Generation Home Program. Now you can build or re-create the home of your dreams. Information follows below.
passive solar house

Summary Information for Saturday, November 10, 2012

Next Generation Home Seminar
How to have a much better home at much lower cost. Tucson's officially recognized Next Generation Home Program presents the best unbiased, non-commercial information, advice and ideas from local experts for on the latest advances for improving your home, remodeling, building and buying - plus an analysis of the real costs of home ownership and how you can reduce them by up to 50% and more.
New this year: New format and material. Hear about the latest top advances and trends in materials, products, design and construction; learn how you can best go about either building a new home or renovating your current home; and listen to two guest experts on two important new developments: a revolutionary new form of insulation and solar leasing. You won't want to miss this!
 When. Saturday, November 10, 8:30 - 10:30 a.m. with registration starting 8:00 a.m. The tour follows, from 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., with tickets available at the seminar.
 Where. Take the seminar and get your home tour tickets at Pima Community College's Campus Center Auditorium (CC 180), 1255 N. Stone Ave., just north of Speedway. Lots of free parking. Just go in the main entrance, past the glowing fountain.
 How. The seminar is $10 per person, $5 with tour ticket. Available only at the seminar. Cash only - please bring exact amount.

Highlights - What's new and special this year
New format, new content New segments will be devoted to:
   (1) How to do low cost, big return measures yourself that can be easily done to improve your home right away and save $100s.
   (2) How to make home improvements in smart, practical and cost-effective ways that will make your existing home much better and save you $1,000s to $10,000s
   (3) How to build a new Next Generation Home that will be far better and cost you much less in many different ways, with potential savings adding up to $100,000s.
How could you afford not to attend?

New advances, new content, new information that you can put to good use.
Plus two special guest speakers will discuss two important new advances and developments:
  (1) Creating the optimum building envelope. A revolutionary new form of insulation that offers big advantages for greatly improving both new and existing homes.
  (2) What you need to know about solar leasing. The advent of solar leasing in Tucson - a balanced consideration of advantages and disadvantages for those interested in this new solar power option.
Bonuses available at the seminar include
  (1) Half price admission with your tour ticket ($5).
  (2) The opportunity to join the Tucson Homeowners Alliance and Tucson Solar Alliance for half the regular amount ($10). Members can call and ask questions, get referrals and arrange for evaluations of their homes at very low cost.
  (3) The opportunity to meet experts, talk and ask questions afterward.
  (4) A bonus sheet of locations where you can see new interesting homes and solar installations at other times.
  (5) A bonus sheet of tour details.


For more details and information, see below.


News
You too can have a much better home that costs much less
Whether you are planning the home of your dreams, or improving or adding to the home you love, the Solar Institute can help you do it. The Next Generation Home Project is accepting applications for consulting support for the planning, design and construction of the first Next Generation Homes, as well as renovations of a similar nature.
  If you would like a home that is much better and costs much less over the longer term, as well as fit in much better with its environment, be sure to get in touch with us.

From the news
Popular press discovers value of next generation of homes. "We are building the wrong kinds of houses. "Last month, while researching a story on energy-efficient home building ... dozens of experts convinced me we can change the way we build houses. The new methods range from subtle, such as passive solar design and framing with structural insulated panels, to advanced, such as using rooftop photovoltaic modules for converting the sun's rays to electricity and constructing exterior walls with insulated concrete forms." More

Universal design is an important new concept for anyone planning to build or buy a new home. It's about designing homes as if people mattered. It means greater functionality, adaptability, flexibility and much lower long-term costs in a home to meet our current and changing needs. Thanks to the leadership of the Tucson Commission on Disability Issues, our community is also at the forefront of advances in this field. Click above to learn more about why this is important to you.

Passive solar design is the “hot building technology” of our times, according to renowned building scientist, J. Douglas Balcomb. "I see two reasons for it to lead architectural design in coming years: It is a critical technology for the 21st century, and it works." Read this article and others in Solar Today, the journal of the American Solar Energy Society, including coverage of the National Solar Tour. You can many applications of passive solar design principals on the tour.

Sustainable living in the desert. Click here to see the Arizona Daily Daily Star's great Sunday Home feature on one of the fascinating homes on a recent Tucson Innovative Home Tour, a chance to see homes with "practical and cost-effective ways to exist better in Southern Arizona's climate." The featured home is a "... treasure trove of items that reduce environmental impact ... 70 percent of exterior irrigation comes from gray water or rainwater ... By the kitchen sink, a tap dispenses water from the rooftop solar water still ..." and much more.

Now is the time to build your dream home
The home of your dreams can be much better than you may think - and cost much less. You now have a unique opportunity to make such dreams a reality.

  For years, Tucson's officially recognized Next Generation Home Project has analyzed not only all the functions and values of a home and how to improve them, but also all of the major costs of a home and how to reduce them as much as possible. Designing and building a new home the right way can result in total savings of up to 50% for the long-term cost of home ownership. This includes reductions as much as 75-80% for utility bills and other operations, maintenance and repair costs. Think of what it would mean to cut your costs of home ownership in half and have more time to enjoy life rather than maintaining your house.

Click here for information on how to get in touch with us.

The latest help for you from the Next Generation Home Alliance
Information, consulting and referral services. The Solar Institute's family of community organizations offer expert help for a wide range of services and products for your home and business. It's a non-profit, non-commercial, community sharing program that helps you get the best unbiased expert information and advise to satisfy your needs and the best value for your money. Join the Tucson Solar Alliance or the Tucson Homeowners Alliance and you can get simple questions answered at no charge, as well as complete consulting at greatly reduced rates. This works like Consumer Reports: these organizations are not affiliated in any way with any business and do not receive money or other considerations from any commercial enterprise. Click here for information on how to get in touch with us.

The Solar Institute has solutions for you.
  Not many people realize that it is possible to substantially reduce the costs of home ownership. Studies by the Next Generation Home Alliance analyzed all of the major costs of home ownership in Tucson and then determined how to reduce them. Designing and building a new home the right way can result in total savings of up to 50% for all costs and savings as much as 75% for things like gas and electric costs, and other operations, maintenance and repair costs. Think of what it would mean to cut your costs of home ownership in half. Savings for existing homes can also be substantial.
  One of the main focuses of the Tucson Innovative Home Tour and the Next Generation Home Seminar is to show you how you can do that. You may be surprised at how much better you can live at much lower costs.
  To help you do that, the Solar Institute now offers information, consulting and referral services for members of any of its family of community organizations, generally at very good discounts. Others have done this - we can show you how.
  Click here for information on how to get in touch with us.


Learn by doing. The Next Generation Affordable Housing Project is an innovative nonprofit community service to recruit and engage the considerable knowledge and experience of the broad community to put the remarkable recent advances in home design and construction to use in City and County housing programs. This is a voluntary effort helping non-profit housing providers design and build a new generation of much better, much more affordable homes for those who need them most. You too can help - and learn while you are helping others! There are many ways you can help and no experience is necessary. Click here for more information.

Value of the Home Class and Tour: Priceless! You will learn about a wealth of new innovations that can not only revolutionize your castle, but also slash the cost of home ownership. For most homeowners, the potential long term savings from such advances can be up to 50% and even more. This adds up to hundreds of thousands of dollars over a typical 30 year mortgage period.


Next Generation Home Seminar
Tucson's officially recognized Next Generation Home Program presents the best unbiased, non-commercial information, advise and ideas from local experts for improving your home, remodeling, building and buying – a comprehensive, factual, information-packed class to help you get what you want in a home and greatly reduce the costs of home ownership, with the emphasis on practicality and cost savings. Every year, it features the latest news and new advances in designing and building a better home in southern Arizona.


Next Generation Home Seminar 2012
The Next Generation Home Seminar focuses on the crucial needs of homeowners: how to improve the quality and performance of a house and how to reduce the costs of a house. A weath of new advances and innovations can not only transform your castle, but also slash the costs of home ownership.

The seminar includes an analysis of the real costs of home ownership and how you can reduce many of them by large amounts. For the average homeowner, the potential long term savings can be up to 50% and even more - savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars over a typical 30 year mortgage period.

Each major component of a house is discussed - including local environment, site, foundation, walls, roof, building materials, heating and cooling, electrical, plumbing, and so on - as well as how new advances and good sound design and construction practices can result in a much better house that may cost you little more to build, but a lot less over the long term. This includes results of fhe Next Generation Home Program for Tucson and Southern Arizona.

Speaker Speakers and Presentations
  In the seminar, Paul Huddy, physicist, engineer and building scientist, will discuss "Advances in Sustainability: How to Make Your Home Much Better, and Cost a Lot Less". Step by step, Paul will show how, by making good choices, you can use new technology, products and experience in these fields to have a much better home that will cost you a lot less. Whether you would like to design, build, purchase or remodel the home of your dreams, you will find lots of practical and cost-effective information, ideas and solutions. "By appropriate design and construction, the Next Generation Home Program has shown that you can have a far better home, yet cut the costs of home ownership during the first 30 years alone by up to 50%," Huddy reports.

New format, new content New segments will be devoted to:
   (1) How to do low cost, big return measures yourself that can be easily done to improve your home right away and save $100s.
   (2) How to make home improvements in smart, practical and cost-effective ways that will make your existing home much better and save you $1,000s to $10,000s
   (3) How to build a new Next Generation Home that will be far better and cost you much less in many different ways, with potential savings adding up to $100,000s.
How could you afford not to attend?

  Plus two special guest speakers will discuss two important new advances and developments:
  (1) Creating the optimum building envelope. A revolutionary new form of insulation that offers big advantages for greatly improving both new and existing homes.
  (2) What you need to know about solar leasing. The advent of solar leasing in Tucson - a balanced consideration of advantages and disadvantages for those interested in this new solar power option.


Ten things you'll want to know
Also, you won't want to miss "Ten things we all wish we had known before we got into this mess," ten things you might prefer not to learn the hard way. You will want to hear about ...
  The ten biggest and most expensive sources of repair and maintenance problems for a homeowner and what you can do to cut them by 75% and more.
  Ten powerful trends that mean trouble – trouble you don't want to be unprepared for.
  Plus, the ten biggest mistakes people make in designing and building a home.
  The ten biggest mistakes people make in buying a home.
  The ten biggest mistakes people make in repairing and remodeling their home – and, of course, how you can avoid them.
  Plus ten things you should do right now to protect your home and save a lot of time and expense.

Other topics include ...
  Homeowner economics, an important opportunity to learn what the real costs of home ownership look like over the long term and how you can save literally hundreds of thousands of dollars.
  The latest advances in design and construction – what works, what doesn't, and what these have to offer you.
  New building alternatives and what they mean to you, including straw bale, rammed earth, adobe, concrete masonry units, insulated concrete forms, structurally insulated panels, steel frame, plus many other ways of using high insulation and thermal mass for extraordinary indoor comfort at low cost.
  Plus a review of the homes on the tour this year and all the interesting new things you can see and learn about.

The Next Generation Home Seminar is one of the best investments you will ever make in your home. You won't want to miss it.

Please help pass the word ... and bring your family and friends. We look forward to seeing you.

We would like to add a big Thank you! to our friends at Pima Community College, who are hosting this year's Next Generation Home Seminar. You will find many courses available there relating to design and construction.

Seven Keys to a Better Home
A revolution in housing is taking shape - and Tucson is nationally recognized as being in the forefront of it. Click here for a look at key concepts for designing, building and renovating for a better home that can cost much less.

Seven Keys to a Better Home - the home of the future can be yours today.

Solar power roofsLearn as you do
The Next Generation Affordable Housing Project, one of our community projects, has now completed its fifth phase of work. It focuses on helping the City and County and local non-profit housing providers to develop a new generation of high quality houses that cost little more than current construction, but offer much greater long-term savings, higher quality and a better home environment. That's the biggest challenge. In doing that, we can help everyone in similar ways.

Now we are starting the next phase of the project: designing and building. Volunteers are needed right now to help organize and carry out this big effort. We invite you to join in this remarkable community work to make better homes a reality for everyone. If you are interested in how to have a much better home that costs much less, this is your opportunity to learn about it and help others who need it most. No matter what your background, you can help. Please get in touch with us today.

This is a non-profit, noncommercial public service organized by a community partnership of many local, state and national nonprofit organizations and educational institutions, as well as the City of Tucson, Pima County, the State of Arizona and the U.S. Department of Energy.

What You Can Do
Participants and supporters of this community initiative include many individuals, organizations, businesses, educational institutions and government. Anyone who has lived in a house can raise questions or contribute ideas to this. Anyone who lives in a house can learn from it.

If you would like to participate or help, please get in touch with us.

You Are Invited
We invite you to become a part of this community sharing too. Share your dreams for the future and get some good ideas for your own use in return. Together we can make better homes and communities. Put the power of community on your side. Join the Next Generation Home Alliance. Here's how!

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Credits: We would like to thank the City of Tucson, Pima County, the Tucson-Pima County Metropolitan Energy Commission, Tucson Commission on Disability Issues and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for support and funding, as well as the many organizations and individuals who have contributed to making these community initiatives such a success.

© Copyright 2012 Solar Institute, Inc. ® Solar Alliance, Tucson Solar Alliance, Solar Alliance of Greater Tucson, Tucson Innovative Home Tour, Next Generation Home, Next Generation Home Alliance, Next Generation Building Institute, Tucson Homeowners Alliance, Natural Living Alliance and Tucson Community Solar Program are registered trade names of the Solar Institute. All rights reserved.