A house in the Linden Hills neighborhood of Minneapolis is unusually sustainable and energy efficient, with a solar-panel system, charging for two electric vehicles, efficient insulation, sustainable materials and a good score on the Home Energy Rating System. (Photo by Spacecrafting)
By Katy Read | The Minnesota Star Tribune | May 16, 2025 at 9:01AM
Below is a preview of the article. Please view the full article here: https://www.startribune.com/linden-hills-minneapolis-house-for-sale-listed-energy-efficient-eco-contemporary/601349865
Brian and Peter Rood have appreciated their contemporary house’s eco-friendly efficiency, including solar panels, EV chargers and automatic blinds.
Brian and Peter Rood looked at a lot of houses back in 2022 before finding the contemporary-style home in Minneapolis’ Linden Hills neighborhood they wound up buying.
“My husband and I were searching for homes for quite some time, and we could not agree,” Brian Rood said. “This is the first house we saw that both of us really fell in love with.”
Possibly for slightly different reasons.
Brian Rood, a psychologist, said he loved the home’s aesthetic features, such as its abundance of natural light, exterior landscaping and the sliding doors to the patio that provided a “beautiful indoor-outdoor feel.”
Peter Rood also appreciated the property’s beauty, but as chief development officer for a company that focuses on battery-energy storage systems, he especially valued the home’s efficiency.
“Beyond the aesthetics, we were drawn to this home for its thoughtful design aimed at minimizing energy consumption … while still being a nice home to live in,” he said.
Both men, who have been working from home, will be spending more time at their offices and needed a place more convenient for commuting. So they’ve put their five-bedroom, five-bathroom house on the market, listing it at just under $2.1 million.
Like many houses whose owners want to conserve energy, this one had solar panels installed when it was built in 2015. But the panels are far from the home’s only energy-saving feature.
Martin Morud — CEO of Arden Hills-based TruNorth Solar, which installed the panels — noted that the solar-power system isn’t new or particularly extensive. Yet the 4,200-square-foot home has a better than average ranking on the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index, an efficiency measure.
“It seems like an above average-sized home with a far below-average electrical need,” Morud said, adding other features of the home — and perhaps the habits of its occupants — must explain its efficiency.
Exactly, Peter Rood said.
“From my perspective, based on the work I do, solar is just one piece of the sustainability puzzle,” he said. “… What’s really compelling about the home is that it was designed to function as a system.”
Some of the home’s automated features include blinds that open in the morning and close in the afternoon. A panel — with settings like low-lit “movies” and brighter “playtime,” perfect for the couple’s 6-year-old son — controls lighting throughout the house. A multi-zone HVAC system lets thermostats set to different temperatures.
“We also arranged for Xcel to upgrade their meter to a time-of-day meter, and we optimize charging to off-peak hours,” which is cheaper, Peter Rood said.
The garage contains chargers for two electric vehicles and space for a third…
Again, this was just a small portion of Katy’s article. Please view the full article here:
“Above-Average Linden Hills Home With Below-Average Energy Needs Listed at $2.1M” Star Tribune, 16 May 2025. https://www.startribune.com/linden-hills-minneapolis-house-for-sale-listed-energy-efficient-eco-contemporary/601349865
