Jenny Donelan:
Given Harold’s role as president and chief executive officer of The H.L. Turner Group Inc.—a Concord-based team of architects, engineers and building scientists that is nationally recognized for award-winning environmental building design—it is not surprising that he embarked on a project like this. His home is dubbed the ROSE Cottage Project because it is constructed using the Turner Group’s ROSE (Renewable energy production, Owner driven spatial design, Sustainable building practices and Energy efficient construction) construction method.
“We didn’t build a house just for the sake of building a house,” Harold says. “We built it for ourselves but also as a demonstration project, as a kind of net-zero example for people who might want to do something similar.”
He continues to take numerous measurements of the house’s efficiency, and a great deal of documentation and helpful information can be found on the ROSE Cottage.
In addition, Harold and Laura viewed ROSE Cottage as a way to try out new materials and ideas that weren’t available when they built their last home in Goffstown thirty years ago. “Even five years ago, not many people were talking about net-zero energy homes,” Harold says. “Ideas and materials for energy efficiency are evolving at a rapid rate now, and the possibilities for creating a self-sustaining home are more numerous than before.”
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