Experimental Homes In Oak Ridge To Trim Energy Costs By 50 Percent (Knoxville: appliances, home builder)

[LauraC]

I just saw this article. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory is teaming up with a company to build 4 experimental houses that will reduce energy by 50 percent. After the scintists study the results the houses will be sold.

There is a written article and a video:

New homes in Oak Ridge will be zero energy : Business : Knoxville News Sentinel

What do you think of the cost after the test is over? Is it worth it? Do you think as more are built the price will decrease?

[Tek_Freek]

2800 sq ft home, highly energy efficient, with ground-source integrated heat pumps, solar panels, the latest experimental appliances and sensors to shut them off when not in use, for $107 a sq ft?

Is $107 considered expensive there? It's considered cheap here for a standard stick-built.

[PeacefulOnLakeCherokee]

Originally Posted by Tek_Freek

2800 sq ft home, highly energy efficient, with ground-source integrated heat pumps, solar panels, the latest experimental appliances and sensors to shut them off when not in use, for $107 a sq ft?

Is $107 considered expensive there? It's considered cheap here for a standard stick-built.

I would agree that $107/sf would be cheap for a 'new' home. (maybe because it's built just minutes away from where we keep tha nukes?)

[ylisa7]

I don't think that is expensive at all for someone else to build a home. Solar panels are very expensive. I would like to know what the material is for the shell of the house. They are going to face the houses south. That may be good in the winter but the heat coming through the windows in the summer and longer(with global warming) that house is going to cook.

You all know my opinion that it is much easier and cost effective to heat a home then it is to cool it.

Lisa

[Tek_Freek]

After rereading the article I think perhaps that is the cost to build, not what the asking price would be.

Lisa, that is an easily solved problem using wide eaves and shade trees. We have an entire south side full of windows that let enough heat in on a sunny winter (Iowa!!) day of 10 degrees so that our furnace doesn't run. This with the thermostat on an inside hallway wall. Yet in the summer we have a cool back yard and little sun coming in because of shade trees. For we have now an awning that shades the back of the house where the deck is. Once the shade tree past the deck has grown to full size the awning will be unnecessary. The other end of the house is shaded pretty much all day.

[ylisa7]

Originally Posted by Tek_Freek

After rereading the article I think perhaps that is the cost to build, not what the asking price would be.

Lisa, that is an easily solved problem using wide eaves and shade trees. We have an entire south side full of windows that let enough heat in on a sunny winter (Iowa!!) day of 10 degrees so that our furnace doesn't run. This with the thermostat on an inside hallway wall. Yet in the summer we have a cool back yard and little sun coming in because of shade trees. For we have now an awning that shades the back of the house where the deck is. Once the shade tree past the deck has grown to full size the awning will be unnecessary. The other end of the house is shaded pretty much all day.

Hi Tek,

Sounds like you have it all planned and I know it's true. I was thinking from a solar panel standpoint. I know on our house, with the panels on the roof we can't have any trees close by or higher than our roof line.

I didn't realize you were from Iowa. I thought Iowa was a beautiful state when we drove through it. I loved the rolling green pastures.

Lisa

[Tek_Freek]

Iowa is a beautiful state. Not at all flat like many think. Winter is another story. Corn doesn't stop those north winds at all.

When I lived in my first house I built some solar collectors that heated up air. They were flat against the south side of the house at ground level and had 2 mature Green Ash trees in front of them. Total area was 4 x 16 ft.

They would produce 105 degree air at the vent in the kitchen (at the kick plate under the sink) for 4-6 hours on a sunny 10 degree day. Would have been interesting to have them with no trees.

Part of the method for shade summer/no shade winter is to use a "stump" tree. Ours is a Kentucky Coffee Bean which is lush and thick in the summer, but all except the main branches drop over winter. Beautiful tree.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k315/Tek_Freek/KCBTree.jpg (broken link)

One in the winter:

Google Image Result for http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3k6GCdevar0/SASN2uy0GyI/AAAAAAAAAIo/xiJ6cnzf_DM/IMG_0222.JPG

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by LauraC

I just saw this article. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory is teaming up with a company to build 4 experimental houses that will reduce energy by 50 percent. After the scintists study the results the houses will be sold.

There is a written article and a video:

New homes in Oak Ridge will be zero energy : Business : Knoxville News Sentinel

What do you think of the cost after the test is over? Is it worth it? Do you think as more are built the price will decrease?

I think $107 is completely reasonable for a regular house. If this house is "successful" as energy efficient the price will be a bargain!

[MrsMtnsOnTheMind]

My husband is a home builder and he says that $107.00 anywhere is a steal.