Smart and Sustainable Housing in Pennsylvania
A collaborative initiative between Penn State, PA government agencies, and private industry
Background
Pennsylvania is a recognized leader in energy innovation and modular housing production. Recent pilot projects at Penn State and by PA builders have demonstrated the ability for affordable and energy independent housing to be a reality. Recently approved incentives and research funding coupled with rising and de-regulated energy costs are creating demand by PA consumers for efficient and energy independent housing. An initiative is proposed to take action.
Goal
Develop a consortium to build the most energy efficient homes in America while creating jobs in the manufacturing, construction, and finance industries.
Objectives
The following critical objectives will be pursued by this initiative:
- Develop a consortium of government, utility, private, and university partners that will:
- Organize a focused initiative to implement affordable, smart, and sustainable housing in PA that is sensitive to economic growth and population demographics.
- Capitalize upon PA manufacturing, research, and home building capacity.
- Advance Pennsylvania’s leadership in energy and environmental initiatives through a state-wide energy efficient housing initiative.
- Build an infrastructure for producing, marketing, financing, and maintaining homes that:
- Sets a new standard for energy efficiency and integration in housing.
- Combines economic virtues of prefabrication with local job-creating construction methods.
- Responds to the demand for affordable energy efficient housing for low-income and aging homeowners and for both new and existing homes.
- Makes maximum use of passive heating, ventilation, and cooling.
- Integrates green energy systems including geothermal and solar energy.
- Embraces smart-metering and new power utility rate structures.
- Engages homeowners in an online learning community to help them make informed decisions leading to an energy independent lifestyle.
- Create jobs in Pennsylvania and beyond by
- Fostering innovation in the home-building industry through progressive partnerships with developers, manufacturers, builders, and research teams.
- Facilitating technology transfer between public and private research and the manufactured housing and home building industry.
- Creating and feed the demand for high-performance housing models through consumer outreach and education and workforce development.
Key Partners
- Penn State Center for Sustainability, Penn State Institutes for Energy and the Environment, the Industrial Research Office, Penn State Outreach, Pennsylvania College of Technology.
- PA Department of Community and Economic Development, and Department of Community and Economic Development, PA Sustainable Energy Funds.
- Private Industry: Solar Strategies Inc., Sustainable Industries Inc., Professional Building Systems, Pennsylvania Manufactured Housing Association, National Electrical Contracting Assoc.
A Vision for Affordable, Smart and Sustainable Housing Strategy
Five Steps to the energy independence of private citizens in Pennsylvania and beyond.
Step 1: Current and prospective home owners are presented with new and retrofit financing strategies for creating energy independent homes.
Step 2: A custom design solution is created weaving the most appropriate energy efficiency and renewable energy strategies.
Step 3: A made-to-order prefabricated “Energy Core” of technical systems including all plumbing, mechanical, and electrical systems is assembled for the home.
Step 4: The Energy Core is woven into a modular, stick frame, or panelized home construction process to create a, safe, efficient, and reliable home construction process.
Step 5: An online owner’s manual and learning community is presented to the homeowner to guide them through decisions leading to an energy independent lifestyle.
Completed Demonstration Projects
The following projects have served to demonstrate affordable, smart, and sustainable housing concepts and to build capacity for this initiative.
Maple Point: Philadelphia’s First Solar Neighborhood
Maple Point is a new community of thirty-eight 3- and 4-bedroom town homes, designed and built for performance and energy efficiency. Maple Point homes reduce up to 80% of energy consumption compared to comparably townhomes. A 10-year tax abatement and opportunities for special ‘green financing’ offer exceptional value for buyers.
Features: Modular construction, passive solar design, solar thermal and electric systems, efficient and healthy systems and materials. Winner of Philadelphia 2008 Sustainability Award
Hundredfold Farm, Gettysburg, PA
Hundredfold Farms is a community of single family homes that integrate modular construction with multiple sustainable technologies. This community also seeks to engage homeowners in sustainable living through collaborative and intergenerational learning.
Features: passive solar design with grid interactive photovoltaic systems with battery backup community waste water treatment and recycling system Individual rainwater collection systems
MorningStar Solar Homes, Penn State
The MorningStar Solar Home is a teaching and research facility built through the participation of Penn State in the 2007 Solar Decathlon Competition. The MorningStar Pennsylvania now serves the Penn State University Park campus and will be used to inform future sustainable housing efforts through research and outreach activities
Features: Passive and active solar energy systems, structural insulated panel construction, grid interactive energy management system, and a car-home interface for electric vehicle interaction.
The MorningStar Montana is an affordable and practical version of the MorningStar concept built on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in Lame Deer, Montana. This home serves as a demonstration home and visiting faculty residence on the Chief Dull Knife College campus.
Features: Energy core manufactured in PA and transported to site, structural insulated panel and strawbale envelope, passive and active solar electric and thermal systems. Build in collaboration with the Solar Decathlon and American Indian Housing Initiative (AIHI) at Penn State.