Solar-Powered Haven in Ojai

[highlight_text] “Once you get into solar, you learn ways to conserve. You get into not using electricity. It’s very thrilling using electricity, but the thrill of not using it is really wonderful.” [/highlight_text]

The innovative and inspiring home sits on approximately 43 acres of unobstructed land with breathtaking views of the ocean, Channel Islands, mountains, and valley. The 18,000-square-foot main house features nine bedrooms, 13 full and two half bathrooms, an open floor plan with sliding glass doors throughout, painted murals elegantly dispersed, an indoor grotto-style spa, and a retractable roof over a 40-foot saltwater lap pool uniquely situated in a grand room that is large enough to accommodate 200 people. The home’s spacious master suite is encased with three walls of glass providing spectacular and unmatched views from the bed all the way out to the horizon.

Built and designed in 1992 for Dallas and I Dream of Jeannie actor Larry Hagman and his wife Maj, the compound includes a two-bedroom guesthouse, separate office, outside pool connected to two ponds by serene running streams, private heliport for easy mountaintop access, and more than 200 avocado tress throughout the estate grounds.

Constructed of steel framing, this architecturally inspiring property includes one innovative technological feature that truly makes it stand out from the rest. According to a 2007 press release on the property, in 2003, Hagman installed his first solar array, a 102.7 kW (DC) system that generates an astounding 150,000 kilowatt-hours per year, instantly cutting the former actor’s electricity bill from $37,000 to a mere $13 per year. Hagman’s estate produces an excess of 10,000 kilowatt hours per year, a surplus that is fed by his solar array back into a grid allowing the system the ability to export clean, renewable energy to other nearby California homes with an electricity source independent of more common (and environmentally hazardous) coals and fossil fuels. Executive Director of the Solar Electric Power Association Julia Hamm said, “With climate change threatening the planet and dependence on foreign energy sources threatening the nation, we must all work together to find solutions. We need national solutions, but also a collection of individual solutions.”

Hagman’s individual solution is certainly turning heads and igniting national awareness about the issue. In 2004, six Los Angeles families were provided with 3kW solar systems at no cost in Hagman’s name through an organization called Solar Neighbors, which promotes social change through solar power. Celebrities such as Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Robin Williams, Carlos Santana, and Danny Devito have all been directly influenced and inspired by Hagman and his Ojai home, exploring solar powered solutions for their own homes. Hagman says, “Once you get into solar, you learn ways to conserve. You get into not using electricity. It’s very thrilling using electricity, but the thrill of not using it is really wonderful.”

The Ojai solar-powered mountaintop haven is a perfect example of the possibilities that homeowners have nowadays in regards to successfully combining innovative technology with luxurious living.

Hagman and his wife recently listed the house with Village Properties Realtors in Montecito for $11 million, so a new buyer can take advantage of the solar wonder.

Village Properties Realtors-Montecito
Natalie Grubb / 805.565.8879
Wayne Natale / 805.686.7454
www.villagesite.com