WATCH: Eco-Friendly Retreat Using Solar & Energy Storage For Cabins

A family in Cosby is turning their family farm and retreat in an environmentally friendly place for visitors to enjoy.

(COSBY, Tenn.) SMOKIES.LIVE – Bed and breakfast owners Janice and Tifton Haynes have converted two of their cabins into being powered by solar.

Janice remembers growing up with no electricity and hopes their guest will experience the simple life in the Smokies. 

The purchased the property 29 years ago and it was the former home for the magazine, Log Home Guide for Builders and Buyers with 8 unique custom crafted buildings on the property.

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Press release:
Eco-Friendly Smokies Retreat Adds Solar + Energy Storage

Eco-Friendly vacationing can now include a stay in a solar-powered cabin near the Great Smoky Mountains! Creekwalk Inn at Whisperwood Farm has added two guest cabins powered by clean, abundant solar photovoltaic (PV) energy, with battery energy storage systems (BESS).

Guests to the Whisperwood Farm site in Cosby, Tennessee already enjoy the tranquility of lodging near trout-stocked Cosby Creek, taking nature walks, and being in close proximity to explore Great Smoky Mountains National Park.Self-led outdoor experiences are close by at the GSMNP or easily accessed on the farm site. These can include equine interactions with one of the gentle farm horses, as well as access to fishing, viewing wildflowers or walking through meadows. The venue includes a rustic log wedding chapel and main lodge for gatherings.

“We want to be a gateway to the national park,” said co-owner Janice Haynes, who runs the vacation spot with her husband,Tifton. Rustic, farm-to-table cuisine is offered at Creekwood Inn, along with campfire cooking and bag lunches for day hiking in the Smokies. Janice Haynes also offers special dinners and even pie baking classes that attract students from around the country.

This vacation spot is one of several family-owned, small businesses benefiting from the Rural Energy for America Program through the United States Department of Agriculture. A federal grant is to provide a portion of the costs of the solar PV + storage system installed by Knoxville-based Solar Alliance Southeast, a commercial solar specialist.

“Now we can save each month on the business electric bill,” said owner Tifton Haynes. “Plus, renewable energy is a great fit for our mission to run a business in harmony with nature.” Battery storage adds resilience to a solar PV system as an alternative in some instances of power outages.

The new, on-site systems for the cabins can offset an anticipated 40% to 80% of current electrical consumption. Clean energy can offset the equivalent of not burning more than 7,700 pounds of coal annually or of not charging 475,599 smartphones. The business remains grid-tied as a Newport Utilities customer, while also being able to store excess solar power production in the new batteries for use at night or during inclement weather.

One of the cabins housing a new solar + storage system was originally built as a “solar envelope home,” using a passive system to conserve energy year-around. It is one of a variety of log cabin styles that made up the historic Model Log Village in Cosby, established decades ago by the magazine Log Home Guide for Builders and Buyers. The other cabin with solar + storage is Whisperwood Cabin. This Village is what the Haynes converted more than 30 years ago to their family’s bed and breakfast business, with their 48th wedding anniversary ahead this year.

The REAP grant supports small businesses like this as part of its mission to boost economic development in rural areas. The Haynes hope to boost occupancy rates at the cabins on their farm. They and their contractor completed all the steps for them to qualify for the USDA grant reimbursing them for a large portion of the project, plus they can apply for at least a 30% federal tax credit. For details on the status for new projects to the REAP program in the future, contact your local USDA Rural Development office.

You can learn more about the vacation spot and how to rent a stay at the solar-powered cabins here.