Cost difference between an electric heat pump system and a legacy gas forced air or gas hot water heater

What is the cost difference? Upfront? Over 10 years? What are the tax credits? Great questions! As architects who–like all of us–are aware and deeply concerned about the threat of man-made climate change, we advise all our clients to go solar and use electric or geothermal for heating and cooling.

Federal tax credits

For an 80,000 btuh output and a 50 gallon hot water heat pump water it’s about $25k versus $12k before the tax credits. The federal goverment allows you to subtract $2k per heat pump per year from your taxes through 2032. That’s about $32k in savings.

#energysaver #climatechange #solar #sustainableheating #mrcool #mitsubishi #hydronicheating 


Our drawings are featured by an English provider of architectural educational services as examples for professionals to emulate

We are honored to have our working drawings featured by an English provider of architectural educational services as examples for other professionals to emulate and learn from.

Sloped, the only Sketchup and Layout Certifier

We work very hard to make legible drawings that read well, provide clear instructions and look great! Architects, just like the artist Sol Lewitt, create instructions for others to follow and it’s crucial that they are comprehensible. Please have a look. We put great effort and pride into our work. Clear, accurate drawings are a key ingredient in project success and a happy client.

#sketchup #layout #trimble #sloped.io #sloped #architecturaleducation #sollewitt #architectureprojectsuccess #happyclient


The Most Beautiful Home We Have Encountered Recently

Sometimes we encounter something so beautiful and well-crafted that we stop and really look and take it all in. This is a home in Orland Park and the landscape, the simple massing of the house and the beautiful and carefully chosen color palate create a lush, seductive symphony. The Architect was James T. Pomeroy and he and his sons built it piece-by-piece in 1920s when Orland Park was a village of 500. They even made their own terracotta shingles. And after that we think, “Why can’t my house or your house be that beautiful?” Working on it... Thanks for the inspiration, James T. Pomeroy.

Architect’s 1920s Artisinal Stone Cottage for Sale in Orland Park

14550 Woodland Drive Orland Park Listing

#dennisrodkin #orlandpark #jamestpomeroy #artisinal #handmade


40% of COemissions originate from our buildings. How do we reduce this, save money and the planet?

We have had the hottest 8 months in recorded human history. Scientists say this is due to man-made climate change.

The goal is to reduce our CO2 output by 30% by 2030. Our buildings account for 40% of our CO2 emissions. How can we do that with your project?

There are ways to harness the energy of the sun and the  60° constant temperature of the earth. The first thing is to figure out how to make the numbers work. So in this post I delve into this... 

#solar #geothermal #2030 #solartaxcredits #sedac #aileysolarelectric


A beautiful garden is beautiful at all heights, scales and seasons

A beautiful garden is beautiful at all heights, scales and seasons. What does that mean? It means that the Japanese maple in the example turns super red in fall and creates a spectacular presence from above. (We hope to put this POV to work on the Mies van der Rohe highrise building we live in soon because of the example of Federal Plaza in Chicago. We want to look down and see beautiful patterns, compelling geometry and colors that change with the seasons.) See the bluestone patio and the closeup of the wood screen with the perennial flowers in front it. #FortSheridan #LandscapeArchitecture