The Cool House Tour
Thank you Austin! The applications are in and we are reviewing the projects now!
Dear Friends of the Cool House Tour,
No, you aren’t dreaming. We are beginning the process earlier than in years past to make certain we have plenty of time to prepare to host our 14th Annual Cool House Tour (CHT) on Sunday, June 6, 2010.
June has become one of the hottest months in Austin’s brutal summer heat, so we are moving our event ahead three weeks from what we’ve done in recent years. What this means is that your completed Application and Owners’ Release are due by January 22, 2010.Projects must be completed (including landscaping) and ready for viewing on February 6.
We realize that many business requests decline at this holiday time of the year, so we are hoping to give you something with which to fill your time when football and shopping have lost their glamour. We have made the Application very easy to navigate: it is simpler than before, you can fill it out online, and hit ‘submit.’ You will still need to download the Owners’ Release form and either scan and attach that in an email to me at solar@txses.org or fax it to me at Habitat Suites, 512-452-6712. The Owners’ Release is due with the completed Application January 22.
If you are having any difficulty viewing, opening, or completing your application, please call me for assistance: 512-657-8652. Please give out my name and contact information to those working on your Application.
Much like the work you all do as architects, builders, installers, and homeowners, we are ”front-loading” this process: doing the detail work early, so that as New Year’s resolutions to not procrastinate waiver, you can celebrate getting this CHT application done—early, on time, and ready to showcase your best work ever.
As home tours become ever more prevalent, we want to ensure that ours remains unique, a cut above, and a truly educational and community-building event. We always seek the ‘best of the best’ among the submissions we receive. As green building materials abound, and sustainable design for more efficient and comfortable living become the new standards, we are looking this year, 2010, to continue to select the projects that not only demonstrate the principles which just five years ago were cutting edge, but also continue to push that building process to even better performing homes.
We have eight hours on the day of the tour, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, to capture the imagination and fancy of those future homebuilders and remodelers who will view your work as they build their dream list for their own projects down the road.
You must first create a new account or login (at bottom of this page) to your existing account. We have embedded the Application and Owners’ Release forms here for your easy access. After you begin the application, you have the option of saving your work at any time. Simply select the "save as draft" button and when you return, you may resume where you left off by choosing the "Your prevoius Cool House Drafts" menu on the right column.
We hope you like our effort to streamline and make more efficient this part of the process. It is our commitment to you to keep improving the Cool House Tour so that what you do is highlighted and enjoyed by the Austin community and beyond.
I’m looking forward to receiving exciting news about your projects.
Natalie Marquis Executive Director
Texas Solar Energy Society
