When the sun is burning down on Pauoa, on the outskirts of Honolulu, Kevin Asam and James Santos can flip the “on” switch to their air conditioner without worrying about what it’s doing to the electricity bill. That’s because, up on the roof of the duplex they live in, there are 14 sleek black panels that are busy grabbing the sun’s energy and turning it into electricity.
The sun runs just about everything in the urban unit, from the computer to the washing machine to the refrigerator. When Asam and Santos aren’t using all the electricity being created on their rooftop, the Hawaiian Electric Company uses it.

Asam and Santos’ unit is in one of three duplexes developed by Tim Johnsson, a young entrepreneur who discovered the green way of things when he was a student at Hawaii Pacific University. Johnsson got into photovoltaic energy—using the sun’s rays to generate electricity—about 10 years ago. He owns his own company, PhotonWorks, which develops photovoltaic products.

When Johnsson bought the Pauoa property, the existing ’20s duplexes had seen better days. Rather than demolish them completely—which would send unnecessary material to Hawaii’s already glutted landfill—he took them back to their shells and rebuilt from there. Every decision, every design feature and every material and appliance was run through Johnsson’s eco-mantra. The result: six urban-chic units in which aesthetics and conservation go hand in hand. “There shouldn’t have to be a sacrifice to live green,” Johnsson says.

To maximize space, developer Tim Johnsson knocked out two walls. The new floor plan opens the unit from front to back door for an airier, more modern feel.

A unified palette, featuring shades of lavender and brown, gets its visual interest from splashes of green and bits of orange. The color scheme, shown here in the bedroom, extends throughout the kitchen and living area as well.

Through smart planning, Johnsson turned the environmental features into attractive design statements, too. The concrete in the driveway, for instance, is broken into striking geometric patterns with strips of white river rock. The rocks are studded with small puck-like solar lights that create a landing-strip effect after the sun goes down. It’s a great-looking space, but the geometric pattern also has a functional purpose. Breaking up the concrete slab allows some water to absorb into the ground rather than running off into the storm-water system, where it can flush pollutants into the ocean.

The green theme continues to the unit’s entryway, which is built with ChoiceDek, a composite product made from recycled cedar fiber and recycled plastic. This kind of material keeps on being green—it never requires staining or painting, and termites don’t have a taste for it. The unit itself was constructed with recycled building material and Johnsson chose narrow planks of walnut for the flooring, a size that reduces waste during milling, he says.

The inside of the two-bedroom unit is just under 600 square feet. Johnsson removed two interior walls that previously carved up the precious living space, while the pairing of rich woods and stainless steel added a sleek, modern feel. The unit is smartly designed with space-saving features, including a ceiling-high slide-out pantry cupboard and a kitchen countertop that doubles as a dining area with bar stools that tuck neatly out of the way.

Asam and Santos own their own company creating displays for retail stores such as Louis Vuitton, so they were drawn by the unit’s intelligent design and the quality materials, from the walnut floor to the crown molding. They also liked the idea of living somewhere that makes a difference in the environment. “Although, once you’re in the place you don’t notice all the green aspects,” Asam says.

But they’re there, from the low-flow bathroom fixtures to the light bulbs. All the appliances were also chosen for their energy efficiency. When he couldn’t use compact fluorescent bulbs, Johnsson installed dimmable lights, which use less energy as they are turned down. The front steps also feature nifty LED lights that are no bigger than a screw head. The tiny lights are embedded in the stairs, casting attractive up-lighting and using no more than one watt between the three of them.

The kitchen is equipped with a roomy stainless steel Whirlpool Gold fridge-freezer. Having the freezer on top and the fridge below is more energy efficient than the side-by-side configuration, Johnsson notes. Other eco-friendly choices include the flat screen television—which is also an important space-saver—the front-loading washing machine and the dryer, which will end its cycle when it senses the clothes inside are dry.

The unit comes complete with an outdoor alcove, perfect for housing rows of potted plants and showcasing a lush green lawn. Perimeter walls make it a highly-sought-after private haven for a home so close to the city center.

Air-conditioning is often the biggest energy-user in a home, so Johnsson chose an 11-SEER unit that uses only 490 watts when it is running at full blast. Plus, it’s all powered by the sun.
When Asam is working in the kitchen, a small wall panel lets him know how much electricity is being generated by the photovoltaic panels above. It also virtuously informs him how much carbon dioxide they have avoided putting into the atmosphere.

The electric bill is another reminder that this is not the usual oil-guzzling home. The average bill is about $20 a month, $7 of which is HECO’s minimum custom charge. The photovoltaic panels generate as much as 80 percent of the energy used in the unit. During the day and in the summer months, they often create an excess of power, which goes onto the Hawaiian Electric grid and is credited to the unit’s future usage.

The unit’s photovoltaic system costs $12,000, making it a pricey investment. But after state and federal tax credits, Johnsson calculates that the savings generated will pay for the panels in roughly eight to 10 years.

The home's parking area is wired for plug-in hybrid vehicles while the architectural lines in the driveway are continued in the pots of spiky Mother-In-Law's Tongue, perfect xeriscape plants that require very little water.

The unit’s energy needs are augmented with gas. Johnsson considered solar-heated water, but space constraints made it impossible to include the large water-holding tanks. Solar-heated water is also at its most efficient in homes with more than three people, so the next best option for these small units was natural gas, which is piped into the Pauoa neighborhood. Johnsson installed a Takagi Jr. tankless gas water heater, which uses 40 percent less energy than a standard gas water heater. The tankless system is capable of keeping up with Asam and Santos’ hot water needs, even if they decide to run the kitchen taps, shower and washing machine at the same time.

While the water is kept hot, the unit is kept cool with a handful of green construction choices including insulated walls, solar attic fans and low-emissivity, double-pane windows. Along with controlling the home’s temperature, these features are also good sound-reducers, an important consideration, Johnsson notes, when living in a dense suburban area where the noise from the neighborhood dog or television may become unwelcome intruders.
Opening the back door lets in the breeze that blows down the valley. Asam and Santos have also maximized a small side yard with a patch of grass for their dog to romp on and a green sward of potted plants and garden accents.

While they have that guilt-free a/c, the truth is, they hardly ever have to use it.