Tonight we had an outstanding validation of the widespread appeal of our project. Six and a half weeks after signing the agreement of sale on the Willow Street property in West Grove, we had over 50 adults (and about a dozen children) attend our monthly potluck and meeting. They came from as far as northern New Jersey to hear about our plans to build the first zero-net energy, LEED-Platinum certified ecovillage and cohousing neighborhood in the USA. They enjoyed home baked cookies and brownies and listened to a compelling 75 minute presentation by Equity Member Anthony Aufdenkampe and our development partners, Sandy Wiggins and Jackie O'Neil. They asked lots of thoughtful and pertinent questions, and discussed our plans with us well into the evening.
If you missed the meeting, or attended and would like to share our exciting plans with family or friends, please download our presentation, in PDF format (hit control-L for full screen slideshow).
Sandy's calculation of the cumulative savings and net present value of a zero-net energy home are particularly interesting. In short, using typical home energy usage, current energy costs, and a very reasonable estimate that energy costs will escalate by 6% annually, Sandy calculated that cumulative savings would be $349k over the span of a 30 year mortgage (with different assumptions, his estimates ranged from $150k-$699K). The net present value of these savings is around $75k (possible range of $37k-$135k). In other words, buying a $350k home in Concord Ecovillage gives the equivalent investment value of a $425k conventional home. In addition, some banks are now beginning to consider this value, and will qualify a buyer for a $350k Concord Ecovillage home who would only qualify fo ra $276k conventional home.
