Dogwood Farm Kennels off of Chesnee Road in Green Creek has recently upgraded their electricity grid with solar panels, and air conditioner plus heater hybrid systems to become energy efficient.

Owner Josh Goldstein and his wife, Astrid Schmid, live on the farm with their two children, Lyla and Kai. Josh’s parents live on the opposite side of the four-acre farm, and two acres are devoted to the kennels that serve as a temporary home for 27 dogs currently.

“We have just been continuously trying to put back into the kennels for our customers to make a more comfortable environment,” Goldstein explained. “Last year, we added more space to accommodate more dogs and there’s always a new project underway.”

Goldstein said six new kennels were installed in a new wing of the home-based business. Dogwood Farm Kennels, where the dogs are family according to Goldstein, has been in operation since 2009. The kennels have three running areas for the animals separated by the size of the dogs.

“I separate the dogs into one of four large fields according to their size and temperament,” Goldstein said. “Getting to know the individual dog and then incorporating him or her into a safe play environment creates a happy and safe play space for all of the animals.”

Schmid added she wants to create an environment at the kennels that they would have their dogs stay. Having the dogs play in the runs is important to the couple.

“We know that they are family members for our customers,” Schmid said. “Many kennels say that the dogs get play time but we know that it only means a few minutes a few times a day.”

The solar heating and air conditioning hybrid system was built in the kennels by Practical Preppers, LLC and contains two solar air conditioning units attached to six solar panels that have been placed on the roof of the animal shelter. A single air conditioning unit operates off of three 300-watt panels for 24 hours a day and eliminates the need for batteries by mixing solar and normal AC power.

“The solar panels are on the back and up on the roof and provide energy to the two units and their handlers here in the facility,” Goldstein explained. “We’ve always said what are we going to do about air conditioning in an empty building when the dogs are outside playing?”

Putting in insulation through a tongue and groove pine roof is the next project for the inside of the building on the to-do list for Goldstein. He and a friend just finished putting a new metal roof on the building.

“We also have three propane units that we always use for backup because we have always used little parabolic heaters as our main source of heat that zap outside of the kennel and radiate it inwards,” Goldstein said. “They only take in 400 watts on low and 800 on high and are so efficient that if we running full electric and no solar at all, they would be 800 watts a piece.”

Practical Preppers said this kind of power can save those who use this hybrid system up to 80 percent or more on daytime cooling or heating costs.

State standards require Goldstein to keep the kennels above 50 degrees, but below 85 degrees. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services comes out twice a year to inspect the kennels to make sure everything is in compliance with standards, according to Goldstein.

“There’s always something the department will find that we didn’t think about,” Goldstein said. “The dogs can’t come into contact with dirt or wood and we use composite decking instead of regular wood. The number one thing is that they want the dogs to have fresh, cold water and be in an environment that is a certain temperature.”

According to Goldstein, Dogwood Farm Kennels is the only animal kennel he knows of in North Carolina that is energy efficient.

“We love bringing people in and taking them on tours and, if it’s not a right match, then we will be the first ones to suggest where to go from there,” Goldstein said. “I’ve had people come to us crying because they haven’t been able to take a vacation in 28 years because of their dogs and thanking us for what we do.”