Grantee Research Project Results
Zero Net Energy Homes Project
EPA Grant Number: SU831877Title: Zero Net Energy Homes Project
Investigators: Garrison, Michael , Alford, Elizabeth
Current Investigators: Garrison, Michael , Tucker, Ann , Alford, Elizabeth , Davis, Leah
Institution: The University of Texas at Austin
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: September 30, 2004 through May 30, 2005
Project Amount: $10,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2004) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Awards , P3 Challenge Area - Sustainable and Healthy Communities , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Description:
The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture and Community and Regional Planning Program seeks the P3 Award for an interdisciplinary studio that would be the first phase of an ambitious prototype project in partnership with the City of Austin's Green Building Program.
Objective:
The overall project scope would be to design, build and test a neighborhood of 6 solar-powered, net zero energy houses as a prototype providing decentralized power supply to the city grid as an alternative to fossil-fuel burning central power stations. Net zero energy houses make more power than they use and are thus able to feed energy back into the power grid. Students will learn sustainable community planning and building design practices in a real-world application. A strong emphasis will be on involvement of the community group, which will be a way to familiarize and show the usefulness of these strategies to a wider audience.
Designs will be selected with the community group and built by a construction partner on land owned by the City of Austin; the City will also provide solar panels. Students would be involved in developing construction documents and supervising construction in a subsequent course. The City has a maximum budget of $75 psf for the houses, so proving that sustainable building techniques can be affordable will be the first test of the project.
As part of a later course, student will conduct post-occupancy analyses of the houses, testing energy usage and production, and homeowner reactions to the houses. Results will be continually posted on a website created for the project.
Supplemental Keywords:
Sustainable Industry/Business, Scientific Discipline, INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, Engineering, pollution prevention, cleaner production/pollution prevention, Ecology and Ecosystems, Environmental Engineering, clean technology, construction material, green design, clean manufacturing designs, product life cycle, sustainable development, environmentally preferable products, alternative materials, cleaner production, environmentally conscious design, pollution prevention design, green home building, net zero energy housesRelevant Websites:
Progress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.