(855) 321-7473

M-F 9am-5pm Eastern

passive solar net zero
House Feature

Sun-Soaked West Virginia Home Goes Net Zero

By Camille LeFevre, Home Feature Editor
Last Updated: Apr 11, 2025

When Rita Hennessy and Sean Palmer starting planning for retirement, one of their priorities was moving into an energy-efficient home. For decades, the couple had lived in a drafty, post-war cinder block and brick home near Charles Town, West Virginia. Their energy source: West Virginia’s coal-powered electrical grid.

She was a park ranger with the Appalachian National Scenic Trail; he was an engineer for a biotech company. They’re both concerned about climate change. They wanted to reduce their carbon footprint. They also wanted to live in a home more aligned with their values. 

Table of Contents

  1. High-Performance Systems 
  2. Heat and Pizza 
  3. Open Space, Reclaimed Timbers 
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
vaulted ceiling
Photo Credit: Sun Plans Inc.

Open Space, Reclaimed Timbers 

The windows to the south, which bring in passive solar, overlook the native meadow the couple restored. Inside, they wanted to use reclaimed lumber for the loft and staircase. They found some from an 1880’s woolen factory in Connecticut, close to where Hennessy grew up. The factory worked with recycled or “shoddy” wool. “We like having those in our home and the story to go with it,” she says.

The home’s vaulted ceilings create airy, open living areas. “Rita and Sean wanted a large loft and clerestory for both light and passive cooling, but did not want supporting columns,” Coleman says. “That was a structural challenge. To solve this, we had to use a large beam to hold up the roof of the clerestory.”

Loading...
Article By

Camille LeFevre

Camille LeFevre is an architecture and design writer based in the Twin Cities.

Camille LeFevre