Comfort in a Castle
This Lennox Premier Dealer designed and installed an efficient HVAC system for a 15,000-square-foot mansion made to resemble a European castle.
By: Jennifer Chappell Smith
Cruising by on Oconomowoc Lake in southeastern Wisconsin, you’d definitely notice a very distinctive private residence at the water’s edge. But you’d never see its rooftop’s 72 solar panels, which are hidden by the parapets on the facade of this landmark. That’s lucky for the homeowner, because a Village of Oconomowoc Lake ordinance prohibits solar panels if they’re visible from the lake.
Since the panels are incognito, area Lennox Premier Dealer Kettle Moraine Heating & Air Conditioning was able to install the solar panels designed to work with the brand-new Lennox systems and appliances used throughout the house. Now the owner—who bought the 10,000-square-foot historic home and updated the property with a 5,000-square-foot addition with help from Kettle Moraine—is saving a whopping $3,000 in electricity costs per year thanks to solar energy. And they’re pleased with the whole HVAC overhaul and new installation.
“They absolutely love it,” says Bill Brink, owner of Kettle Moraine, a business started by his dad that he now operates. Since he grew up working at the business, Brink had the expertise to design the HVAC project. He helped with about one-quarter of the actual installation himself, laboring beside two experienced technicians and a handful of other workers. “It required those of us with the most experience,” Brink says. “Everything was so unique, and the homeowners wanted everything perfect.”
With meticulous planning, the home’s new addition matches the original structure, which was built in the 1800s to resemble the castle that a family had left behind in Europe when they moved to the U.S. The modern-day buyers cared about the details of their renovation, even matching the grout color in the original structure’s masonry for the new addition. And they cared about the HVAC-related products they purchased:
- Nine Lennox SLP98 furnaces
- Nine Lennox SL18XC1 air conditioners
- Two natural-gas modulating boilers used to heat the floors
- One wine-room chiller
“The majority of those systems are zone systems, and there are multiple thermostats,” Brink explains, adding that everything links to the convenient Lennox iComfort® system.
The guesthouse on the property required two more air conditioners and two more furnaces, as well. “The homeowners chose Lennox products because I have so much passion for them, and I told them they were the right choice,” Brink says. The exacting owners longed to live in an historic home that is also energy-efficient. Lennox delivered.
It's not often that the phrase, "your home is your castle" applies literally. Give your customers comfort fit for royalty.
Bill Brink of Kettle Moraine Heating & Air Conditioning let us know about this interesting “castle” project. Do you have an installation you’d like to share with us? Email us at lennoxnews@dcustom.com.
