Montana Energy Star Solar Homes Project

Combining Efficiency and Renewable Energy in New Home Design

Are you an architect, builder, or Realtor looking for a way to make the houses you design, build, or sell more appealing to potential clients? Or perhaps a consumer planning to build a new home? One of the smartest decisions you can make is to incorporate both ENERGY STAR standards and solar energy into the home's design. Not sure where to get started? There's help available! The Montana ENERGY STAR Solar Homes project provides design assistance to help incorporate both energy efficiency and solar into new home construction, and to help educate your potential homebuyers about their benefits.

During 2008, the project also will provide rebates to eleven builders, homeowners, or verifiers within NorthWestern Energy's service territory to help pay for the cost of installed solar electric systems in new homes. To be eligible for the $3,500 solar electric system incentive and the $300 Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes verification stipend, participating homes must be a NorthWestern Energy electric customer and the house was required to be ESHNW-certified.

Incentive funding was provided by NorthWestern Energy's Universal Systems Benefit Fund.

Montana Energy Star Solar Homes is administered by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) in Butte, with funding from NorthWestern Energy's Universal Systems Benefits Fund and DOE's Million Solar Roofs Initiative.

Request Assistance

To request assistance, please contact:
Montana Energy Star Solar Homes
National Center for Appropriate Technology
Phone: 406-494-4572 or toll-free 866-723-8677

For more information on solar design in new construction, read:

Montana Guide to Building ENERGY STAR Solar Homes
Developed by NCAT, this brochure helps builders and designers incorporate energy efficiency and solar energy features into new home construction. It discusses Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes, grid-connected photovoltaics, passive solar and solar tempering, solar water heating, and "solar ready" design features.

How to Build a Better Home in Montana With Solar Energy and Energy Efficiency
Learn more about incorporating solar and energy efficiency features into new home construction with this homeowner brochure developed by NCAT.

Montana Solar House - An Introduction to New Home Solar Design
This 44-page publication discusses ways to include solar features in new home design.

More About Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes

Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes promotes the construction of new homes built to an energy efficiency specification negotiated specifically for Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.

Natural gas-heated homes built to this voluntary construction standard reduce electricity use by about 20% and natural gas use by almost 40% compared to the state energy code. Homes with electric heat built to the ESHNW standard have saved 60% on their electric use.

And, homes achieving ENERGY STAR certification are independently verified, so your clients can rest assured, knowing their new home will perform efficiently far into the future!

The Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes program sponsors builder workshops on energy-efficient new home construction every Fall and Spring. These workshops offer the opportunity to learn from building science experts how to build an energy-efficient home. For more information, call (877) 298-2172.