Shields, an Arlington resident, always had a knack for remodeling the homes she lived in, but she tried something different in her latest effort. Shields has built the first house in Virginia to receive the “platinum” rating from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System. The solar-powered home is located in the Westover neighborhood in Arlington.
Why did you build this house?
I’m a lawyer, and when my husband and I moved up here from Charlottesville, I found the pace of law practice too hectic. At the same time, I saw a development opportunity in Arlington. I’ve always wanted to build green, so I started a little company and I built this house. I decided to take it as far as I could, to see how efficient we could make the house.
What are some of the features that make the house energy-efficient?
We have 540 gallons of rainwater catchment, which are cisterns and rain barrels and a green roof. One of the things we are trying to do is prevent runoff, which ends up in the Chesapeake Bay. This house is a net zero-runoff house. … The house also has geothermal heating and cooling.
What is a green roof?
A green roof is literally plants planted on your roof. Imagine when you go to a greenhouse and you see those plastic trays that have little plants in them. Imagine putting them on your roof. That is going to soak up the rain and prevent it from running out into the street.
Is it more expensive to build a green house?
It was more expensive to build this house. I have things in this house … that are pretty big-ticket items. … But it is not going to cost you more than 5 percent or even less to make sure that you don’t have toxic paint and that sort of thing. It’s really about education. I’m educating homeowners, and homeowners are educating contractors.
– Susan Ferrechio
