By the time the afternoon open house began, the morning’s light snow had melted off the roof of David Martin’s home on High St. Now the black tiles that covered the entire roof of the garrison colonial were visible. Each tile was a mini solar panel. Connected together, they form an array large enough on many days to power the entire house. The day of the open house, 8,000 watts were being generated while the home was using only 4500 watts. There is usually enough excess power to recharge the three massive Tesla batteries mounted on the back of the house and to sell electricity back to the Eversource grid.
The open house was sponsored by Energize Acton, the local organization dedicated to responding to our Climate Emergency. David Martin, in addition to being a Select Board member, is one of nine clean energy coaches in the town’s Sustainability program to pursue and promote actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Martin’s 1962 house is now entirely electric (and carbon neutral since 2021). The first step was to replace an aging gas stove with an electric induction stove. He explained that induction stoves are 15% more efficient than non-induction electric stoves and 50% more efficient than gas stoves. Next Martin replaced his gas water heater with an electric heat pump version. In addition to not using fossil fuels, the new water heater reduces humidity in the basement where it resides.
Along the way Martin took advantage of MassSave programs to increase the insulation in his house and to decrease air infiltration by caulking cracks, especially where the framing meets the foundation. When the gas dryer needed replacing, he purchased a heat pump dryer. While more expensive than conventional dryers, they are much more efficient and don’t require a vent to the outdoors. The next step for Martin was heating. A mini-split style heat pump was installed in his often-used family room, and a second four-ton air-to-water heat pump to heat the rest of the house.
In November Martin completed the electrification of his house with the installation of the solar roof tiles and the Tesla batteries. He and his wife drive E.V.s and he does all of his yard work, including snow blowing, with battery powered tools.
Jeff Brown writes about business and community events for the Acton Exchange. David Martin’s wife, mentioned in the article, is Miriam Lezak, an associate editor of the Acton Exchange.
