Energy-Neutral Test House in Carroll Gardens Nears Completion, Park Slope Rental to Follow

Last month we showed you some renderings of a renovation underway on a brownstone at 367 Fifth Avenue in Park Slope. The eco-friendly project by developer Voltaic Solaire will be entirely solar-powered, with the cost of all utilities included in the rent for all six rental units in the building. While it’ll be some time still until the 5th Avenue building is complete, the New York Times reports that the developer is putting the finishing touches on a “test house” on a small triangular plot at the corner of Hamilton Avenue and Ninth Street in Carroll Gardens. “If we can obtain sustainability at this location, it can be obtained anywhere,” Ronald F. Faia, Voltaic Solaire’s CFO, said of the site’s location in the shadows of the BQE. To get to energy-neutral from just plain old green, the developer is installing LED lighting and insulated pipes along with energy-efficient appliances and windows. (The windows cost 15 percent more than regular ones.)
Off-the-Grid Living in Brooklyn [NY Times]
Visions of Park Slope’s Green Machine [Brownstoner]
Building Powered by Sun and Wind Will Rise in Park Slope [Brownstoner]