Fossil Fuel-free Home Nearly Complete, Contest Now Open Until June 18
26 April 2018
RUTLAND, VT – Rutland’s Innovation Home, a super-efficient home to be given away in a contest designed to raise awareness about available jobs, energy innovation and the community, is weeks ahead of schedule – and organizers are extending the deadline to apply to win it.
Green Mountain Power, Naylor & Breen Builders, the United Way of Rutland County, NBF Architects and dozens of partners started the project Feb. 26, and after just eight weeks are within a month of completion. Siding is going up, the interior got its first coat of paint on Monday, and lights, flooring and appliances will soon be installed.
“The collaborative spirit of dozens of donor contractors and Naylor & Breen’s keen focus mean the house will be complete by the end of May – six to eight weeks earlier than expected,” GMP President and CEO Mary Powell said. “This home features some of the innovative technologies GMP offers so customers have more control over the energy they use, while at the same time helping to drive down costs for all customers.”
The cutting-edge, energy-smart home, complete with solar, heat pumps, two Tesla Powerwalls, a pellet stove and an innovative insulation package, replaces a dilapidated Cleveland Avenue home purchased for $1 from the City of Rutland. The prize includes the mortgage-free home, a local “concierge” to provide assistance with job searches and business and personal contacts, and free co-working space if desired at GMP’s Energy Innovation Center downtown.
“By extending the contest deadline and showing off the nearly complete home, we think we can further spread the word about Rutland, available jobs and the contest,” said GMP Vice President Steve Costello.
Tanner Romano, vice president at Naylor & Breen Builders, who is overseeing construction, said this has been a great partnership with so many businesses excited to be part of the project. “Our subcontractors have done an amazing job, completing every facet of the project quicker than expected, while ensuring high-quality work,” Romano said.
Students are also getting involved to help, too. On Friday April 27 from 9 a.m. to noon, students from Stafford Technical Center and the College of St. Joseph will help install decking, hand rails, and siding. The media are invited to come and see the progress at 60 Cleveland Avenue.
Costello said applications to win the home continue to arrive almost daily, some from local residents but the majority from other states. “We’ve had applications from California, New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, and throughout New England and New York,” Costello said. “Many applicants have ties to and are passionate about Vermont, and the Rutland area in particular. Reviewing the applications has been a great reminder of things many of us take for granted: our beautiful surroundings, world-class skiing and recreation, the sense of community, quality education, low crime rates, and deeply rooted arts and cultural opportunities.”
Entry into the contest, which is free to any U.S. citizen over the age of 18, requires submission of a 500-word essay explaining why the applicant wants to live in the Rutland Innovation Home and what the individual or family would bring to community life in Rutland. The contest is now open until 11:59:59 p.m. ET on June 18, 2018. Contest information and complete rules are at Rutland Innovation Home Contest.
A nine-member committee of community and business leaders will select 10 finalists based on their applications and essays, and will select the winner based on the essays, background checks and interviews. The 1,500-square-foot traditional New England-style farmhouse designed by NBF’s Edward Clark, will include three bedrooms, one and a half baths, a wide front porch, and the latest in energy technology and controls.
Besides the primary partners, a growing list of local, regional, and national businesses have made substantial commitments to the project. They include: ABC Supply Co., Inc., A.H. Harris Construction Supplies, Shelter Industries, Stego Industries, A. Tedesco Masonry, Abatiello Design Center, The Ammatuna Family, Best Appliance, Frigidaire, Bill Lohsen Plumbing & Heating, Bissette Construction, Black Diamond Builders, Bourne’s Energy, Builder Specialties, Smart Cabinetry, Warerite Distributors, Rynone Manufacturing Corporation, Camp Precast Concrete Products, Carpenter & Costin, Casella Waste Systems, CED/Twin State Electrical Supply, Schneider Electric, Clay Point Associates, Efficiency Vermont, Enman-Kesselring Consulting Engineers, Environmental Hazards Management, F.W. Webb Company, Spacepak Inc., Daikin Air Intelligence, Watts Radiant, American Standard, Moen, Fabian Earthmoving, Ferguson Waterworks, Florence Crushed Stone, Gilmore Home Center, Green Mountain Drywall, Kamco Supply of Boston, Green Screen Graphics, groSolar, Hadeka Stone Corporation, Hawk Hill Cabinetry & Custom Woodwork, Housing Trust of Rutland County, Heritage Family Credit Union, Hubbard Brothers, Hubbards Portable Restrooms & Septic Service, J.E. McLaughlin Inc., Sto Corp. Exterior Insulation & Finish Systems, JP Carrara & Sons, Kaycan Building Products, Kinney Pike Insurance Agency, Kitchen Encounters, Lajeunesse Interiors, M&M Lawn Care and Trucking, Marvin Windows and Doors, Misty Meadows, Mountain Top Inn and Resort, Naylor & Breen Builders, Inc., NBF Architects, Omega Electric, Green Mountain Electric Supply, Pins Fabricating Systems (PFS Inc.), Pratico’s Landscaping & Fence Co., r.k. MILES, Inc., Brinc Building Products, Henry Company, Huber Engineered Woods, Boise Cascade/Trex Company, Inc., Riverside Truss, ROCKWOOL, Weyerhauser, Racette Electric, Rebars & Mesh, Rob Stubbins Electrical and General Contractors, The Royal Group, Inc., Rutland Regional Medical Center, Rutland’s Magic Brush, Sherwin Williams, Sargeant Appraisal Service, Sears Hometown, The Stove Depot, SunCommon, Vaillancourt Tree-Landscape, Vermont Roofing Co., Owens Corning, Vermont Wood Pellet.
About Green Mountain Power
Green Mountain Power (GMP) serves approximately 265,000 residential and business customers in Vermont and is partnering with customers to improve lives and transform communities. GMP is focused on a new way of doing business to meet the needs of customers with integrated energy services that help people use less energy and save money, while continuing to generate clean, cost-effective and reliable power in Vermont. GMP is the first utility in the world to get a B Corp certification, meeting rigorous social, environmental, accountability and transparency standards and committing to use business as a force for good. In 2014, Vote Solar named GMP a Solar Champion. More information at: www.gmpsnapshot.greenmountainpower.com. Connect with GMP on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @GreenMtnPower.
Kristin Kelly, Green Mountain Power
802-318-0872
[email protected]