While the Grossmans, like the Moores in Evergreen and other families on the tour, designed their homes from scratch to be energy efficient, Ron and Gretchen Larson, also outsie of Golden, bought a ready-made solar home.

The Larsons bid in 2001 on the 2002 solar home created and developed by the Colorado University solar team.

“Then we upped our bid because they won,” Ron said, laughing.

The CU team toured the country with the 100 percent solar-powered home they constructed and won the 2002 championship for solar homes. The Larsons have expanded the home and remodeled it, but they have continued to use and have even enhanced the home’s solar powers.

Ron doesn’t use the high-powered lithium ion batteries the home came with to store energy because they use more power than they produce, Ron said. His wife is a potter and runs a high-energy demand home business.

But he is able to store hydrothermal power generated by tubes and panels on the home’s roof in a 10,000-gallon underground tank. The Larsons use the hot water to heat their home with under-floor hot water tubes.

“I’d like to be able to get through the winter,” he said. “I can almost do it, but not quite.”

Homeowners like Ron spent all day explaining technologies and inspiring interested visitors like Larry Martin and Misako Yamaguchi, two architects who hope to build their own energy efficient home together one day.

“This shows we can do it,” Martin said. “So we should do it.”

Pictured: Ron Larson stands on the upper deck of his Golden, Colo. solar home overlooking the photovoltaic and hydrothermal panels and tubes that power the house.