The Butcher Mansion Plan

HISTORY

The Butcher mansion was completed in 1974. Jake Butcher was instrumental in bringing the 1982 World's Fair to Knoxville. The theme of the World's Fair was "Energy Turns the World." Jake Butcher lived in the largest residential energy sucker in East Tennessee.

The construction of the 22,000 sqft house was such that the kitchen was on one wing, the master bedroom was in another wing on a different floor. The children's playroom was over the kitchen on the second floor and two of the daughters used the third floor for their bedrooms. This means you had to heat and cool the entire house.

The insulation is poor, the windows are all single-pane, there are too many kitchens and too many bathrooms. Absolutely nothing about the house is energy efficient.

PRESENT

I like to read. A lot. And because I read from a wide variety of subject matter, my brain goes into over-drive and starts connecting dots.

Are you ready for an overload of information?

Here we go...

• The Butcher mansion is well known for its history and connection to the "Energy Turns the World" Fair. It's also known that every Whirlwind owner has gone into foreclosure: the utility bills and maintenance costs were a huge factor in these bankruptcies and foreclosures.
  
  

• Oak Ridge is known as the "energy city".
  
  
• There was an Op-Ed piece in the Oak Ridger by Fred Tompkins, chairman of the Tech 20/20 board of directors. Tech 20/20 is a venture development company looking to make Oak Ridge more entrepreneurial friendly. Their mission is "to create and accelerate the development of high-growth potential companies and jobs by capitalizing on our region's unique technology resources."

• In Denver, CO there are two builders building net-zero energy houses. A net zero house is a home that produces at least as much energy as it consumes. That means no more electric bills, no more natural gas bills.
  
  
• DOE is the primary source of ORNL's $1.65 billion in annual funding. DOE is proposing the creation of 3 new research "hubs" in energy-related fields. ORNL's director Thom Mason believes that ORNL is well positioned to compete for one or more of those hub designations. DOE wants one of the hubs to address battery and energy storage. Each of the hubs will receive $25 million in annual funding for five years.
  
  
• The Clean TN Energy Grant provides $5.28 million dollars for projects focusing on biomass and geothermal energy, wind and solar energy, lighting, HVAC, insulation and air quality
  
  
• Diane Bossart, research associate and manager of the UT Solar Power House tour goes into schools teaching kids about solar energy facts as well as renewable, sustainable energy sources.
  
  
• UT's Living Light House is a zero-energy home. UT placed 8th in DOE's 2011 Solar Decathalon. The project was a part of UT's college of Architecture and Design
  
  
• The Solar Opportunity Fund underwrites solar installation and innovation programs to grow the solar industry in TN
  
  
• UT and TVA partnered for a campus energy efficiency program. UTK is one of the largest green power purchasers in the Southeast.
  
  
• ORNL is working on neutron scattering experiments to help solar cell makers refine their materials and manufacturing processes, thereby reducing costs of solar energy manufacturing and installation.
  
  
• TVA built 3 experimental homes to test energy efficient technologies. In building these three homes, TVA created a multi-million dollar research facility for about 10% of the cost of creating the testing capacity in a laboratory. It was the combined expertise of TVA, ORNL and the building industry - who contributed materials, equipment and labor.
  
  
• ORNL built a stationary 288-ft array of solar panels which converts the sun's light into DC electricity. The electricity produced from these panels helps buildings 3147 and 3156 achieve net-zero energy status.
  
  
• Craig Blue is the director of ORNL's Energy Materials program
  
  
• Professor Edgar Stach is the first faculty member at UT college of architecture and design to receive a joint appointment with ORNL and the university. Stach will be researching and developing new technologies and methods to achieve cost effective, energy-efficient applications for high-performing retrofitted and new buildings. His students were the ones who designed and built the net-zero energy house in the Solar Decathlon.
  
  
• ORNL's Building Envelope Group received a R&D award in 2011. Their job is developing maximum energy efficiency in buildings.
  
  
• ORNL's Whole-Building and Community Integration group develops partnerships to accelerate the integration of renewable resources and energy efficient technologies into high performance buildings and communities.
  
  
• The Volunteer State Solar Initiative is state funded and focuses on job creation, education, renewable power production and technology commercialization.
  
  
• In 2011 there were $7.27 million awarded to 38 companies across TN to focus on "new solar projects that will build on and enhance the growth of TN's solar value chain."
  
  
• Solé Power Tile is a roof tile designed to sustainably convert sunlight into electricity without compromising aesthetics. As of 2009 they were available only on the west coast. They are solar tiles that are light weight, unbreakable and recyclable.
  
  
• Solar Roof Shingles (technology being developed at ORNL) look like regular roof shingles

So I suppose by now you see where I was going with the Butcher Mansion. Why not take the icon of energy waste consumption and turn it into a beacon of renewable, clean energy?

The materials and manufacturers are in TN, the research and development are in Oak Ridge. Oak Ridge is the energy city. The Butcher mansion would open its doors to local and national politicians, economic counsel members, clean energy businesses, local science teachers and science fair winners, building contractors and more.

According to the HOA the estate must be a single family resident. So, that would mean construction integrity and maintenance is allowed. And, of course, occasional guests at one's home would not be a problem.

Clean energy partners pay an annual fee for marketing and publicity. I, in turn, "hire" the clean energy partners to "remodel" the home. As TVA has proven, opportunities to do research in the field rather than trying to replicate experiments in the lab saves millions. Research and development, of course, is always ongoing.

Participating Tennessee businesses receive local, regional and national attention as renewable energy is on the top of every politician's to-do list.

My contribution would be fund-raising, grant writing and publicity. The angle would be:

1. Butcher mansion irony - energy waste consumption to energy generator

2. My family was impacted by the TVA coal ash spill and the videos I created for the residents of that area were seen by Erin Brokovich (who used my first video for the town hall meeting), Senator Boxer and the entire Senate hearing committee (before Kilgore got the opportunity to do his little song and dance) and President Obama. I was interviewed by a writer with the Huffington Post and three colleges asked me to come speak for their environmental sciences class. My point is, I know how to get the attention of people who need to be involved and I know how to get and maintain publicity. The TVA story, the Butcher mansion story, the story of ORNL and UT working together to bring sustainable energy to the community would bring massive amounts of attention, businesses and jobs to the area.

That was the plan. Now, are you ready to find out what the offer was to the bank?