Solar Design Associates has over 25 years experience designing and building custom solar powered homes. Unlike conventional builders who cover parts of a roof with solar panels, SDA aesthetically integrates solar energy into the design of every home they build.

Since 1974, SDA has designed dozens of custom solar homes from Maine to California. All incorporate passive solar heating and cooling, most include active solar thermal systems and many obtain their electricity from solar panels or photovoltaics. Some are interactive with the utility grid, exporting surplus electricity to the distribution network, while others are located on islands or in remote areas independent of the utility grid and use a bank of batteries for on-site electrical storage.

The Whitney Residence
The Whitney residence in central Maine, is a custom solar home designed by Solar Design Associates. Completed in 1976, the Whitney residence burns no fossil fuel and has no conventional heating system. A roof-integrated array of solar thermal collectors works together with generous passive solar gain, a super-insulated envelope, earth-sheltering and internal thermal mass to keep the house comfortably warm even when winter temperatures plunge to 35 below.


The owners built their home themselves using lumber harvested from their land. While these solar residences achieved thermal self-sufficiency, they were still dependent on conventional sources for their electricity.

Eastern Massachusetts Residence
The house pictured below, completed in 1981 in Eastern Massachusetts, exemplifies today's definition of sustainable home design. It incorporates masonry construction for internal thermal mass with external insulation, an integrated solar thermal system for space and water heating, an integral greenhouse, radiant heat distribution, a waste recycling system, earth sheltering and a 4.5 kWp solar electric (PV) array.

Lord Residence
SDA designed a 2,500-square-foot residence on the coast of Maine. The home's design provides the owners with a comfortable, high-quality living environment which requires a minimum of energy to maintain. The main living spaces are arranged along a stepped facade to take maximum advantage of the easterly views while providing south-facing passive gain and roof area for generating solar electric power.


Through an integrated array of PV modules and solar thermal collectors, the home produces its own heat, hot water and electricity from the sun. A "net-metering" relationship with Central Maine Power allows surplus solar electricity to be exported to the utility grid, effectively spinning the utility meter backwards. This power is returned in an even exchange at night and during periods of low sun when it is needed so on-site electrical storage is not necessary.

The house also incorporates passive solar heating and cooling, radiant heat distribution, super insulation and advanced R-8 windows, monolithic air and vapor barriers, air-lock vestibules and a heat-recovery ventilation system.

The owners love their solar house and enthusiastically spread the word about solar living. They've created an information page on the internet describing their home at: www.solarhouse.com

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