In the xeriscaped garden and covered porch at the home of David and Nancy Hall, the gutter system is arranged to capture rainfall for home use and for watering the gardens.

photos by kelly presnell / Arizona Daily Star

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David and Nancy Hall have a message for future and existing homeowners: Living in an energy-efficient house doesn't mean huddling under a blanket in a cold, dark, unattractive corner.

For proof, look no further than the couple's carefully planned rammed-earth home on the West Side, where solar panels, solar water heaters, low-water-use plants and strategically placed windows are among the environmentally conscious features in a home that's far from dark and dreary.

The Halls' home is one of about 15 that will be featured in the 12th annual Tucson Innovative Home Tour and Tucson Solar Tour. The event showcases houses with the latest in eco-friendly amenities.

"This tour gives Tucsonans a once-a-year chance to see exceptional examples of the latest innovations in home design and construction," said Paul Huddy, director of the Tucson Solar Institute, which organizes the event along with other nonprofit groups. "If you're planning a new home or thinking of buying a new home or want to make your home better, this is the best place in town and one of the best in the country to get good ideas."

The Halls, former Phoenicians who were inspired by a trip to a Tucson Innovative Home Tour in the 1990s, live in what's called a passive solar home. It's designed to take full advantage of the home's position in relation to the sun for natural home heating and cooling. Most of the windows face south to reap the benefits of "good sunlight" in the winter while reducing intense summer rays and keeping the home naturally cooler.

The Halls' main house is divided into two separate rammed-earth buildings, which together measure 1,800 square feet. Those, along with a garage and straw-bale-constructed guesthouse, frame a central courtyard landscaped with rock and low-water-use plants.

To irrigate those plants, the Halls use a combination of collected water from indoor sinks and showers, and gray water from their washing machine, which runs through a hose from the machine directly into the yard. They also use harvested rainwater, which they collect year-round in a 20,000-gallon storage tank connected to the home's rain gutters, a 5,000-gallon tank and an assortment of other barrels.

The Halls also use purified rainwater as their household and drinking water whenever they can, switching to well water when the supply runs too low.

Helping to power the Halls' home are 16 solar panels in the front yard and two solar water heaters on the roof of the garage. Taking advantage of the desert sunlight, the couple said their electric bill has never surpassed $130 in the summer, and it's been as low as a $6 administrative fee in the winter.

Financial savings are a key benefit of an energy-efficient home, Huddy said.

Of course, the other perk is that you're helping out the planet, which is why the Halls, both retired airline pilots, decided to build their home as they did.

"The reason we do this is that it's the right thing to do," said David Hall, 59. "In the desert, we don't have enough water to support who is here now."

Since completing their own home in 2000, the Halls have taken to challenging each other to find new ways to conserve household resources, said Nancy Hall, 57. "It's like a game for us: Where can we save a little bit of water or electricity?"