May 12, 2011

After a year of work, a new environmentally friendly home is officially on display in Charlottesville.

The home on Ridge Street was given a makeover to become more energy efficient. City officials received input from the University of Virginia, Dominion Virginia Power and individual contractors on how to make it more energy efficient while still maintaining its historic characteristics.

“We have high hopes that what we are going to end up with is going to save us money in the long term,” said City Spokesman Ric Barrick.

The finished product will be used as an educational model home for future projects.

“Energy improvements that have been done to this house, your everyday homeowner can take advantage of and see significant savings from them,” said Cynthia Adams, Director of LEAP.

With upgrades like added insulation, organizers hope the changes will save as much as 75 percent on utility bills.