Fairview, TX Solar Home Opens for Free National Solar Tour

What Kind of Neighbors Will You Find in Fairview, Texas? Meet the Westbrooks and Their Remarkable Solar Home

Living in Fairview, Texas, means having some pretty interesting neighbors. Paul and Elena Westbrook are a perfect example. For 30 years, their Fairview home has shown how thoughtful design, energy efficiency, and solar technology can change the way a house uses energy—and this October, they're opening their doors so neighbors can see it for themselves.

That feels pretty neighborly to us.

On Saturday, October 3, 2026, Paul and Elena Westbrook will open their home at 440 Lakewood Drive in Fairview, Texas, for free guided tours as part of the National Tour of Solar Homes.

But the story of this Fairview home didn't begin with today's interest in solar panels, battery storage, or energy-efficient construction.

It began in 1996.

A Fairview Home That Was Ahead of Its Time

Paul and Elena built their innovative solar home in Fairview three decades ago. Just weeks after moving in, their house was included in the first-ever National Tour of Solar Homes.

Thirty years later, it's still on the tour.

That's a remarkable run, but what makes the Westbrook House especially interesting isn't simply its age or the technology inside it. It's the philosophy behind it.

The Westbrooks approached their home with an "efficiency first" mindset.

Instead of starting by asking how much energy they could generate, they first considered how good design could reduce the amount of energy their home needed in the first place.

That approach can mean a smaller—and therefore less expensive—solar and battery system while helping create a comfortable home.

The results speak for themselves.

According to the Westbrooks, they have not incurred electric energy costs since July 2020, beyond their utility's monthly base fee.

How Does the Fairview Solar Home Work?

Visitors to the October tour will get an up-close look at the combination of design decisions and technologies behind the home's performance.

The Westbrook House incorporates passive solar design, structural insulated panel (SIP) construction, efficient windows, a high-efficiency ground-source/geothermal heat pump, an energy recovery ventilator, solar water heating, roof-mounted photovoltaic solar panels, and battery backup.

The house remains connected to the electric grid through Grayson-Collin Electric Cooperative and has a net-metering agreement.

In other words, this isn't a theoretical demonstration.

It's a real home.

In a real Fairview neighborhood.

And Paul and Elena have been living with—and learning from—these ideas for 30 years.

What Is It Like to Live in Fairview, Texas?

That's one of the questions we continually explore at Getting Neighborly.

And sometimes the best answer isn't found in statistics, development reports, or a list of amenities.

Sometimes it's found next door.

Living in Fairview means living among people with fascinating experiences, ideas, and passions—and neighbors who are willing to share what they've learned with others.

Paul and Elena could simply enjoy the home they've spent decades developing and improving.

Instead, they're opening the driveway, welcoming strangers through the front door, and spending their Saturday explaining what they've learned.

That's the part of this story that caught our attention.

The technology is fascinating.

The neighbor behind the technology is even more interesting.

Innovation Has a Fairview Address

It's tempting to think of innovation as something that only happens inside research labs, universities, or technology companies.

Sometimes it happens at 440 Lakewood Drive.

The Westbrook House reminds us that communities become interesting because of the people who choose to call them home.

Some neighbors start businesses.

Some volunteer.

Some lead organizations.

Some coach teams or serve their community.

And some spend 30 years demonstrating that a different approach to residential energy is possible—and then invite everyone over to see how they did it.

That's the Fairview story we want more people to discover.

Love Your Neighbors

At Getting Neighborly, Love Your Neighbor is more than a tagline.

It is an invitation to become curious about the people around us.

Who lives down the street?

What have they built?

What have they learned?

What are they passionate about?

And what might happen if we actually got to know them?

Paul and Elena Westbrook give us another good reason to do exactly that.

Their solar home may draw people to Fairview because they're interested in energy efficiency, sustainable home design, geothermal heating and cooling, solar power, or battery storage.

But visitors may leave having discovered something else:

Fairview has some remarkable neighbors.

And that's one of the best reasons to love where you live.

Tour the Westbrook House in Fairview

The Westbrook House will be open for free guided tours as part of the National Tour of Solar Homes:

Saturday, October 3, 2026
11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
440 Lakewood Drive, Fairview, TX 75069
Admission: Free; no registration required

Visitors may park along the street and walk up the driveway. Guided tours are expected to begin approximately every 30 minutes and last about 50 minutes.

Learn more about the National Solar Tour at NationalSolarTour.org and view the Westbrook House tour listing.

You can also learn more about the design and history of the Westbrook House.

Come see an innovative house.

Stay curious about the people who live here.

Getting Neighborly starts with getting to know the people next door. Love Your Neighbor.