Energy Star Home Uses Half the Energy

RED LODGE -- It's a no-brainer. That's what Pat Dopler has to say about the energy-efficient home he built in Red Lodge recently.

"I've always been baffled why people don't build sensibly," he said. "Given the state of the world, if we want to live comfortably on this planet, we need to start thinking about how we live here."

The 1,800-square-foot home is expected to use half, or less, of the energy of a traditional home of similar size. And it only cost about 7 percent more to build.

Dopler had been wanting to build an energy-efficient home ever since the early 1980s, when he started his business Dopler Solar Construction. But it wasn't until recent tax breaks became available, combined with escalating energy costs, that he decided to pull out the stops. His goal -- to build a home that would use as little energy as possible...read more