By Kelly Pickerel | May 23, 2019 sonnen has partnered with Chicago-based home builder Evolutionary Home Builders and Brandon Weiss, healthy home building expert and PHIUS Passive House Certified Builder, to build a sustainable living community that uses sonnen energy technology. The Wildwood of Marengo community in the Chicago area, founded on healthy and clean living, represents an innovation in home building standards that uses clean energy and sonnen ecoLinx energy automation technology as the centerpiece if its intelligent, energy positive homes – creating a first-of-its-kind energy-positive sonnenCommunity. “Once again, sonnen has identified a partner in Evolutionary Home Builders who bucks the status quo and understands the importance and potential of being among the first to build a truly sustainable and future-proof residential community,” said Adam Weinstein, Senior Sales Manager at sonnen. “This groundbreaking community development is taking root in the Chicago area where the homes must flourish on the merits of their design and affordability. Driving this tipping point for the next stage of passive home building is a key reason we are so appreciative of our relationship with Brandon Weiss.” The Wildwood of Marengo Development, the third U.S.-based sonnenCommunity project, is comprised of 28 passive homes that follow a conservation-first approach. Each passive home features a 6-kW solar array and a 20-kWh sonnen ecoLinx energy automation system and is built pursuant to the world’s most rigorous energy efficiency standards. The design, certified by Passive House Institute United States (PHIUS) in Chicago, maximizes energy gains, minimizes energy losses and performs at the highest level of building science. By specifying the development to include sonnen ecoLinx energy automation systems, each residence uses smart home technology plus solar to produce, store and intelligently manage the home’s power throughout the day and night without sacrificing comfort. The homes are capable of becoming independent of the grid during high-cost periods of the day, avoiding the use of high carbon intensive peak power and minimizing stress on the utility grid. “With the adoption of renewable energy gaining traction, and exponentially growing, it’s even more important to include intelligent energy storage in passive home design to eliminate negative impacts on the grid infrastructure and reduce the carbon emissions associated with utilizing peak power plants,” said Brandon Weiss. “By partnering with sonnen, Evolutionary Home Builders is ensuring its customers and new Wildwood homeowners can rely upon the most innovative smart home, renewable technology solution and approach – one that represents the home of the future, and the concept of ‘clean energy for all’.” The Wildwood community represents a new standard in sustainable building that elevates comfort, quality and performance to create a community that is better for the environment and healthier for the occupants with homes that follow suit. In addition to the energy forward features, the development also includes 120 acres of wildlife and forestry – restored to its native state by Bluestem Ecological Services of Marengo, Illinois. Evolutionary Home Builders will initiate the development of the community with a completed Model Home opening in Summer 2019. News item from sonnen
A Chicago-based sustainable living community project will use battery storage company sonnen's energy automation technology. The Wildwood of Marengo programme, which is being created by developer Evolutionary Home Builders, will utilise 20 kWh sonnen ecoLinx energy automation systems and 6 kW solar arrays in each of its 28 homes. The smart home technology will store generated energy and intelligently manage each house's power usage, avoiding grid electricity at high-cost periods in favour of solar energy without compromising comfort. The Chicago development represents the third sonnenCommunity project in the US.