enlarge Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer

Jed Wright of Falmouth, who had his house redone as part of a WPXT-TV makeover contest, explains that the solar collector system works in conjunction with his hot water heater. The solar system preheats water to nearly 90 degrees.

enlarge Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer

Solar collector tanks outshine the old furnace, at right.

enlarge Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer

The solar hot water system has a control in the basement, where the tank is.

enlarge Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer

Energy-efficient appliances (in black) now grace Wright's kitchen.

A small three-bedroom house in Falmouth is the new star of a reality TV show about home makeovers.

Not that TV show.

The home recently got an energy-efficiency makeover by WPXT-TV, the local CW affiliate, and Efficiency Maine, a state agency that promotes conservation.

It didn't get transformed into a mansion like the homes featured in ABC's hit show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." But it sure is a whole lot more energy-efficient, economical and comfortable, thanks to the new solar hot water heater, insulation and energy-efficient appliances.

"It's incredible how much warmer the house is," said Jed Wright, the proud homeowner.

The "Green Team" show about Wright's home is being replayed at various times on WPXT-TV, including Sunday afternoon at 1:30.

Wright and his family won the makeover by entering a contest in December and sending in a short video about the compact three-story home, its 50-year-old converted coal furnace and insulation-free walls.

The house, which is off Route 88, was one of about 100 nominees from all over the state for the first-ever green makeover show, said John Marshall, creative services director at WPXT-TV. Marshall was the show's general contractor, producer and host.

The Wrights' house had it all. It needed work, but not too much. It came with a family that really wanted to reduce its carbon footprint. And it had a south-facing roof that would be ideal for a solar hot-water system.

The makeover was done during one week in January. Maine companies donated supplies or time to help, and each got a chance to explain their technology during the 30-minute program. Marshall and a cameraman ran around taping the progress and asking questions.

The makeover included everything from new compact fluorescent light bulbs and energy-efficient appliances to insulation blown into the hollow walls. The centerpiece is the new solar panel on the roof, which heats water in a large tank in the basement.

From May to October, the solar system is expected to provide all the hot water the family needs. It's now pre-heating water to nearly 90 degrees, while a new efficient furnace does the rest.

The overall investment, if the improvements had been made at retail prices, would likely have been about $15,000. But the work is expected to pay off in energy savings, in most cases within just a few years, according to Dick Bacon, residential energy director for Efficiency Maine.

And the house now contributes a fraction of the global-warming pollution it did before the makeover. Its carbon footprint before was about 24,000 pounds a year. Now, it is about 6,000 pounds, the show's producers said.

For the Wrights, the difference was immediate.

The kids' rooms are no longer frigid at night, hot showers can last longer than three minutes, and oil use dropped off right away, Jed Wright said. "My wife says we won the green lottery."

Wright said friends who have seen the program are impressed with the improvements, and especially the savings. "It's economically and environmentally the right thing to do," he said.

Marshall, the show's host and producer, said he is looking at his own house differently now. "Once you know about it and the savings you can get -- the payback -- it's smart to do the work," he said.

The biggest surprise, he said, was the economic advantage of heating water with solar energy. "I've never seen one installed, but having done the work and talked to those guys, I can see it's really an idea that's ready to happen."

Efficiency Maine invested an estimated $25,000 into making the program, and is sure the show will pay for itself by encouraging more energy-efficiency investments, Bacon said.

"It just opens up all kinds of questions. We're getting all kinds of solar questions," he said.

Bacon said he's not sure whether the agency will have another green makeover contest or try...