A front porch with hanging flower baskets and stone-based columns softens the modern look of Bronwen and Jeffrey Martin's 4,600-square-foot home in Mooresville, N.C. But in back there's no confusing this $1.2 million structure with its more traditional neighbors: The rear south-facing glassy roof has two top rows of solar thermal panels that heat the house and its water and three bottom rows of solar photovoltaic panels that generate its electricity. "We have essentially locked in our future energy costs. And we can take hot showers forever," boasts Jeff Martin, a 38-year-old senior program manager at Microsoft. Adding to his solar bliss: $17,500 in state tax credits.
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