Joe Bowling started Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. in 2005 to provide greater Charlotte area residents with access to solar photovoltaic and solar hot water systems. Over the years, Joe obtained many industry certifications for renewable energy, green construction and third party verification. As a general contractor, renewable energy expert, green building verifier and home energy rater, Joe brings a multi-faceted approach to his customers’ jobs.
In June of 2016, Joe finished construction on his off-grid passive and active solar home in Bessemer City, a suburb of Charlotte. Joe built 80% of the home himself with the help of two people and used his vast expertise in building science and renewable energy to provide unmatched comfort and low energy usage.
Three years in to living at his new home, Joe reflects back on the build design and build process and shares advice for other homeowners and builders.
About Energy Wise Solutions
Energy Wise Solutions, Inc. has served the Greater Charlotte Area of North and South Carolina since 2005. We use the latest diagnostic tools, techniques, and building science knowledge to create, test, analyze, install, and certify residential energy efficiency. We are driven by quality, honesty and a strict ethical code of conduct. We perform energy code (duct & blower door) testing, ENERGY STAR® Certification, solar PV installation and repair, home analysis and audits, and we build off-grid utility free homes. We have been Better Business Bureau accredited since 2006.
For more information on Joe Bowling and Energy Wise Solutions, visit their website at www.EnergyWiseSolutions.net.
Tell us about your house.
I’ve been living in the house for about three years now. It’s a one-story ranch and of course is south-facing. We used insulated concrete forms for the walls – those provide a tight and highly insulated thermal envelope and went up quickly and easily. As a result of the ICFs and other features, the comfort of the house is easy to take for granted. The temperature is easy to regulate and the indoor air quality is great. Saving money by not having to pay a big utility bill is nice as well. We’ve enjoyed moving towards being less dependent on others for our energy and other needs – that’s another form of comfort for us.
What changes to building science and energy code have you seen over the past twenty years of your work in our industry?
There’s been a much greater awareness and improvement on the energy code which has required builders to build to higher standards. With the house that I built behind us I have a dehumidification system that maintains a 50% relative humidity which is key to indoor air quality. It’s built tight but it has good fresh air with another ventilation system that I have. There are other tactics like using dehumidistats that stay on until the humidity gets down to a certain level.
What advice do you have for people looking to build their own green and high performance home?
If you’re not wanting to be a building science nerd, then I do suggest some of the green programs out there. They have a lot of good checks and balances and they will build you a good quality home if you build to their standards. Once you’ve lived in a green home, you’ll always want to live in a green home. I see a trend in the building industry whereby builders are becoming more energy efficient and more green. Most builders take pride in the best quality they can deliver and that means high performance. Other builders are different – they cut corners to make a buck where they can. I suggest that homebuyers shop around for the builder that’s right for them, learn what other customers have to say about them and pick the one that they feel the best about.
How much of the house did you build yourself?
I built 80% of the house myself with the help of two others. Finishing the slab was really the only subcontract work we had and they were scratching their heads because of the pipes I had installed in the slab for my ventilation system. I also subbed out the cabinetry and the drywall. Other than that, I did it all myself.
What advice do you have for students and young persons looking to join our industry?
Internships and hands-on experience are the best way to go. Starting with an HVAC company that’s using building science in their work or a green builder will provide excellent experience. Central Piedmont Community College has helped us find a few people to work at Energy Wise Solutions. Appalachian State University has a great four-year program as well. No matter what, my suggestion is to get out there and do it! As an employer, I’m much more interested in someone’s positive attitude than their credentials.
What kind of renewable energy systems did you install?
First off, I incorporated passive solar design and construction techniques with a south-facing orientation and long roof overhangs to provide the right kind of shading and daylighting during the changing seasons. The house was completely off grid for the first two and a half years but I recently connected to the grid to sell my excess electricity back to the utility and to provide a better backup system that what my current battery system provides. You can’t control the weather, of course, and in the winter time you usually have a week or two of clouds and you must have something to back up your solar generation to. My current backup system includes more than 1,000 amp hours of lead-acid battery storage. Lead-acid batteries can get expensive but energy storage is a quickly evolving industry and prices are dropping steadily. I’m planning to upgrade my system when the time is right.
You built three sides of your house into a berm. How and why did you do that?
During construction the dirt was pushed back from the house all the way around the back and two sides to provide natural insulation with the earth’s soil. Before I back filled the dirt, I laid two geothermal systems – one for fresh air ventilation system and one for the geothermal HVAC system. Those pipes are both 6 to 8 feet below the ground where the temperature should be about 60 degrees year-round. The fresh air ventilation system provides makeup air that’s already conditioned and is also tied into a strong dehumidification system that further improves its quality. The water loop for the geothermal system is tied into the radiant floor system. In the winter time, the radiant floor system is connected to a solar hot water tank with a heat exchanger that keeps the floors and the house warm. In the summer time, the radiant floor system is connected to the geothermal system’s water loop to keep the floors and the house cool. Both systems draw very low power but provide very high output and keep us comfortable.
What was your strategy for ensuring an energy efficient build?
It’s a whole lot smarter to design and build for energy efficiency in the first place during new construction. It’s cheaper to install materials like insulation and the result just ends up much better than retrofitting it later on. I went to great lengths to design and build things to use very little power in the first place. There are LED lights throughout the whole house for starters. In most houses, your heating and air system consumes the most power so everything you can do to reduce your energy load there is a good thing. For my house, I made sure to install geothermal loops for both the fresh air ventilation and HVAC systems to ensure that they would use very little energy. It’d be harder and costlier to do that once the house was built.
For more information on Joe Bowling and Energy Wise Solutions, visit their website at www.EnergyWiseSolutions.net.
Find more interviews with NCBPA members on our website here and membership information here.
For more information on how you can reduce your home’s energy usage, or to generate your own energy with clean and renewable sources, visit our consumer education website at www.HomeEnergyNC.org.
