A sustainable home in New Mexico has been awarded a LEED Homes Award by the US Green Building Council, which recognizes residential projects that meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards for healthy, efficient, and sustainable building practices.
Known as the RIFT house (Regenerative Ingenuity for Tomorrow), Hal and Kyrie Stillman designed their home in a way which maximizes the use of environmentally friendly building materials and techniques, aiming to inspire others to use minimal resources and become energy-independent.
Hal is an early adopter and early investor in Sunamp, so naturally his home features two compact Sunamp thermal batteries. These are charged using surplus solar energy from solar PV systems and provide all domestic hot water and supplemental space heating at night in addition to the home’s air source heat pump.
Choosing thermal batteries instead of a traditional hot water tank has led to a 2,280kg annual reduction in the carbon footprint of the RIFT house, contributing to Hal and Kyrie’s ambition to create a fully sustainable home with net positive energy use. As well as the environmental performance, Hal also praises the compact space-saving design and low heat losses of the Sunamp systems.
Alongside the Sunamp thermal batteries and air source heat pump, the RIFT house includes high performance insulation, an energy recovery ventilation system, and triple glazed windows and doors.
Sustainability has been considered at every stage of the design, right down to the countertops, tiles, cabinets and window shades made from recycled and recovered materials, and the native grasses and wildflowers which were chosen to help regenerate the local ecosystem.
In recognition of these achievements in sustainability, the RIFT house achieved LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) Platinum rating in 2023, the world’s most widely adopted green rating system.
Today (22 July 2024) the house has achieved a further accolade, winning a LEED Homes Award in the Outstanding Single Family Project category. The LEED Homes Awards recognize the most innovative and transformative LEED-certified residential projects globally, with the US Green Building Council thanking Hal and Kyrie for their contributions as green building leaders.
Read the full case study or get in touch to discuss using Sunamp thermal batteries in your own project.