The Cool House Tour offers insight into what we can do to improve our homes' energy efficiency, and an opportunity to talk directly with the home owners who did it .. how they did it .. and what they might do differently.
The 15th Annual Austin Cool House Tour
If it’s hot, it’s time for the nationally recognized Austin Cool House Tour. On Sunday June 5, in conjunction with Austin Energy Green Building, TXSES will feature 16 homes that captured our attention and will best educate our citizens. These projects exemplify the benefits and beauty of a whole-house approach to design and construction: proper orientation, comfort, energy water and material efficiency, durability and low maintence, and health and safety.
In February and March, with snow on the ground and fueled by coffee and chocolate, the Cool House Tour selection committee viewed almost 40 projects, a record number of applications from architects, builders and a few homeowners who did it all themselves.. “It will be so difficult to decide” was muttered often because the diversity and quality as remarkable.
The 16 homes selected are a mix of new construction and renovation, in Austin proper and to the southwest and north. Designs feature contemporary and traditional, luxury and modest, with all price points in between. One of our East Austin homeowners almost abandoned his remodel when his first general contractor left the home leaning perilously close to collapse and his bank account close to zero. Builder Adam Stepan saved the home, the homeowner, and built a five-star project in the process. Another home is the first Austin Energy Green Building rated home in Round Rock. Karen and Dan Cripe, along with Solluna Builders, never abandoned their dream of the perfectly sized, renewably powered and energy efficient home in a sea of brick elevations and black roofed subdivisions famous for restricting rooftop solar. Their five-star home is a classroom for the community. Take a look at Dan's blog.
Join us June 5, from 10am to 6 pm, and see what creative designs and innovative minds are offering in the name of energy efficiency and healthy living. An online version of the Tour guidebook will be posted on this site in late April so you may begin to map your journey. The actual hardcopy guidebooks (your ticket to the tour) will be available for purchase at:
Both Austin Central Markets for $17 ($15 +$2 Central Market handling charge)
Online here for $15+ $2.50 shipping and handling/book. Online sales end at noon 5/27.
At the houses for $15 on the day of tour
We realize folks in Round Rock may not want to travel down to Austin, so we are offering a one time visit to 1804 Johnson Way on tour day for $5, paid at the door. This does not include a guidebook, but there is plenty to be learned at this home that is well worth the visit.
For those who wish to share a guidebook, companion tickets ($15) will also be for sale at each home.
Can you see them all? Probably not, and we don’t want you to rush. Choose what fits your interests and your schedule, bring your water bottle and enjoy the wealth of conscious design that Austin is famous for.
Where does the money go? This is TXSES’s largest fundraiser, and Austin Energy Green Building so generously makes this possible by recruiting professionals and homeowners who have been rated in the program. TXSES in turn provides educational opportunities for citizens, and grants and scholarships for high school and college students around the state. Our chapters are- Solar Austin, Solar San Antonio, El Paso Renewable Energy Association, Houston Renewable Energy Group and North Texas Renewable Energy Group. Download.
Organized by Texas Solar Energy Society
See Online Guidebook for Home Locations
Austin, TX
United States