DIY home improvement is a great way to raise the value of a home, enjoy time in the sun, and stay active. Studies show that while the average person walks about 10,000 steps a day, those that engage in labor or construction walk more than 30,000 on average.
But before anyone can engage in a home improvement or landscaping project, they first need to get the proper supplies. Across the country, sales at stores like Home Depot and Lowes are increasing, but one new store hopes to cater to green consumers in particular.
Recently, in Dallas, Texas, a new home improvement store called TreeHouse officially opened and proclaimed itself the “the world’s first energy-positive home improvement store.” Already, the store is going fully green and producing their own power.
To accomplish its energy positive goals, the company is using 539 rooftop solar panels and two Tesla Powerwalls to enable the store to generate and store energy well in excess of its needs.
?This store runs on 100% sunshine,? TreeHouse’s Ben Kusin said, adding that “the excess renewable energy that the store generates will be put back onto the power grid and made available for others to use.”
In addition, the company is the first retailer authorized by Tesla to sell the company’s new home energy storage battery.
TreeHouse co-founder and CEO Jason Ballard, speaking at Tesla?s energy storage event in California, had this to say on the subject:
“A home battery could make energy bills an archaic relic of a past system. You can now own your own production and storage of the energy you need. This takes us one step closer to completely powering homes without fossil fuels.”
There are many ways to save power in homes; experts say that getting a metal roof could save as much as 25% off a home’s energy bill, and in combination with Tesla’s energy storage batteries, homeowners could make money off their homes.
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Soon, Tesla hopes to make it easier for any homeowner to install solar panels. The company recently partnered with Panasonic to announce they were creating solar panel “shingles” that could fit almost any roof. While that technology isn’t quite consumer-ready, more companies are trying to tap into the eco-conscious homeowner market.
TreeHouse’s new store is actually the retailer?s second location thus far. It’s flagship store opened in Austin in 2011, and an additional store, planned for the Plano area, is due to open this fall.
TreeHouse’s mission statement focuses on driving consumers towards eco-friendly alternatives, and the company is already making a profit selling eco-friendly products and services.
“The home consumes the highest amount of our natural resources, such as water and energy, produces the largest amount of landfill waste, and is where we will be exposed to the greatest number of toxins in our lifetime. By working to solve these problems, TreeHouse finds new routes to dramatically change the quality of our lives. We can build better shelters for ourselves, our communities, and our planet.”
The store location is at The Hill, a 275,000-square-foot development at the northeast corner of US 75 and Walnut Hill Lane. According to the building plans, it will span 35,000 square feet, including 5,000 to 10,000 square feet for an outdoor landscaping section.
