By Duane St. Clair

An addition to the 1940s-era Upper Arlington home of Demitri Capetanopoulos was a multi-purpose project that achieved many goals, including an increase in energy efficiency, with passive solar energy as the primary heat source.

Much of the planning and decision-making went into the home’s two-story addition. Capetanopoulos and his wife Marcia Summers (who have a toddler son) wanted the addition to accomplish much while paving the way for even more.

They sought an addition that “wouldn’t be a big box,” but instead would fit seamlessly into the architecture of the home, Capetanopoulos says. It would be an energy-efficient conservatory with a potting room on the first floor, a bedroom for their son and a master bath for themselves upstairs. The project added about 400 square feet to the home.

During the design, Capetanopoulos says compromise was sometimes necessary. For example, adding 200-gallon underground water retention tanks would have been an excessive expansion of the project. The tanks would have run into 4 feet of gravel that forms a barrier around the basement, which was expanded under the addition.

Britain Meyers, project coordinator for contractor Nicholson Builders, says the project involved a combination of energy-saving features in “space that is wholesome and comfortable with a great view of the yard, and with as small a footprint as possible.”

Windows in the south-facing room extend to the ceiling. The roof keeps out direct light from the overhead summer sun but allows the warming rays in during colder months, Meyers explains. Northern glass exposure was kept to a minimum.

All the windows have energy-efficient window glass. Capetanopoulos considered several types and chose a double-pane model he determined was more than adequate in terms of effectiveness.

A porcelain tile floor with radiant heat retains energy from the sun, as do stone walls that were installed.

“There is greater heat generation than you would think. (The floor) maintains heat through the night,” Meyer explains. The tile pattern is continued to an outside porch or seating area.

Small windows near the ceiling allow outside air circulation to offset heat buildup and cool the room without air conditioning. A small fan in ducts from the furnace circulates air as well, a feature used frequently in historical reconstruction projects. Capetanopoulos says foam insulation blown into the walls and ceiling “makes the room air tight.”

He looked into but gave up the idea of geo-thermal heating because of cost.

“We just had to compromise,” he says, noting that such installations should be a standard feature in future new construction. Meyers finds homeowners don’t want to make such a major investment because of the cost and long-term recovery on the investment.

Still looking ahead, dormers were placed in the roof to leave space for solar panels.

“There’s room for six to 10 panels to create a 2 kilowatt system, enough power for all day,” Capetanopoulos says.

Extra power would be sold to American Electric Power, which usually means a credit on the regular bill.

While the installation would be somewhat expensive, Capetanopoulos says there are very good government programs and tax incentives to help pay for the effort. He projects the panels installation will pay for itself in about a decade.

The look ahead prompted one variation from the architecture of the existing home. The roof has asphalt shingles rather than slate, which isn’t favorable for solar panel and wiring installation. Among the still-being-developed technologies Capetanopoulos rejected were solar shingles that he says still have various problems.

The family has found the room comfortable in colder weather, but notes it hasn’t been fully tested yet in extremely warm summer months.

“(We were) really concerned it would be a cold room,” Capetanopoulos says. “It’s not, which really surprised me.”

Duane St. Clair is a contributing editor for Upper Arlington Magazine.