Al Nichols stands next to a photovoltaic panel on his roof. The panels capture the sun's power for the building's energy needs.

Photos by James S. Wood / Arizona Daily Star

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By Joan F. Barrett

Solar power and water conservation contribute to environmental friendliness at the mixed-use building that energy-engineer Al Nichols calls both office and home.

His two-story steel-frame structure on the Southeast Side is one of 20 desert-adapted dwellings to be featured during next weekend's 11th annual Tucson Innovative Home Tour and Tucson Solar Tour. Each house will be open on either Saturday or next Sunday. 

Participating homes show off practical and cost-effective ways to exist better in Southern Arizona's climate, according to Paul Huddy, Tucson Solar Institute director. The institute has organized the event in cooperation with other nonprofits.

Nichols' residence and firm, Al Nichols Engineering Inc., coexist in Civano, the master-planned community that opened in 1999 near South Houghton and East Irvington roads. Civano's features include pedestrian friendliness, open spaces, water conservation, solar use and energy-efficient homes. 

Designed and built three years ago by Richard and Gale Marsland, Nichols' building will be open next Sunday. Its treasure trove of items that reduce environmental impact includes Nichols' versions of a tracking solar oven and a solar distilled water system. 

The first floor's 1,300 square feet embrace the four-employee office. This space includes work stations and a conference room and can be converted to expand the residence or to create the bottom half of a duplex. 

Outside, steps at the rear lead to the 58-year-old native Tucsonan's 1,200-square-foot home. A deck at the top of the stairs shows off the tracking solar oven, which follows the sun for maximum heat and is generally used once weekly to prepare dishes such as chili.

About 70 percent of exterior irrigation comes from gray water or rainwater. The home's shower, sink, bath and laundry provide the gray water through pipes for directed landscape usage.  

Gray-water recipients include a cherry-tomato plant that has evolved in the gardens of Nichols and his father during the past 45 years.

"It is desert-acclimated and extraordinarily hardy," says Nichols. 

In the side courtyard, a 750-gallon cistern collects rainwater from the building's roof. This water nourishes a raised vegetable garden through drip irrigation.  

Photovoltaic panels on the garage roof capture the sun's power for about one-third of the building's energy needs. The solar-reliant, instant hot-water system saves both energy and water. 

Nichols also has a 50-watt Solar Chill evaporative cooler. This uses about the same energy as a computer monitor, he says. 

A toggle switch allows the change to air conditioning, when needed. The cooling duration, up to 12 hours, is timed. 

Natural illumination enters the kitchen and master bathroom through an energy-efficient tubular skylight. All light fixtures hold compact fluorescent bulbs, which require less energy and last at least five times longer than incandescent bulbs. 

Nichols' yearly electricity bill averages $75 monthly. That figure includes usage by adult family members, who often stay with him. 

By the kitchen sink, a tap dispenses water from the rooftop solar water still. It eliminates reliance on bottled water by producing about one gallon of solar distilled water daily for cooking, coffee and tea. 

The horizontal-loading washing machine uses one-third the water of a top loader and works in tandem with LaundryPure, a new appliance from Tennessee-based EcoQuest International. LaundryPure, which costs $747, injects oxygen, peroxides and other gases into the wash line, removing the need for detergent, hot water and sorting clothes.

In the second bathroom, a Jacuzzi tub seems to be an anomaly.

"I can live nicely," says Nichols quickly. "It's not about freezing in the dark."