My first zero energy home
In 2006-2007 I had the opportunity to assist in the building of a zero energy home for the 2007 DOE Solar Decathlon competition. When I first met with the MIT Solar Decathlon team in late 2006, they had chosen their overall design, but had yet to fully engineer all of the systems and components that made up the home, that where not yet specified. I signed on as the construction manager and it was an incredibly difficult and rewarding experience, to build a zero energy home, designed by students, built by students and community volunteers, and only 4-1/2 months of build time to do it. Did I forget to mention that it had to be completed, then dismantled, transported to Washington DC and then fully reassembled in those same four months. Yes, this house was moved to Washington DC and set up on the national mall, along with 19 other houses from teams of students from around the world as part of the DOE Solar Decathlon competition.
I have to tell you that I hated the design from the beginning, not the floor plan and spacial layouts but the elevations were down right ugly, at least in my mind and not an easy design to build. We had some issues with things like roof lines that sloped back towards the middle of the building. Great for capturing water but not so nice for the New England ice and snow problems. As we got closer and closer for the time to build I set out dead lines for Architects to finalize spec,s and provide final drawings. Choices were made for the critical elements framing systems, insulation systems, HVAC, solar systems,lighting, appliances, siding, interiors and all of those other things that make a home. For me the task was somewhat daunting, I was for the most part the only experienced carpenter/builder on the job, we did however manage to wrangle in a few others along the way, ( Thanks, Rob Darnell). We for the most part were looking for people to donate or discount the items needed for building as the school did not fund the project in any meaning full way. Our PI for the project Kurt, was in a little over his head, but with his military like attitude and ability to improvise he made the funding happen, along with some generous donors. Our ever optimistic project manager Corey had a knack for finding volunteers and there were 40-50 along the way. I was stuck with the task of teaching these volunteers while sometimes learning myself and building a house with them. The learning for me was the best part, we had many opportunities to work with new and innovative products and systems. Using the best available PV system to provide the energy, was needed to meet the energy demands of the house. I forgot to mention the car, this house also charged our electric car. One part of the competition was miles driven by the car during the week long event. The entire south roof was covered with solar panels 42 in all capable of providing a peak load of 9 Kw's. 
The project was an epic one for me, 4-1/2 months from start of construction to assembly on the national mall, it seemed more like 3 years compacted in those few months. I logged over 2,000 man hours in those few short months and at the end I was too exhausted to fully enjoy the fruits of my labor. I did however get to meet the former Secretary of Energy, Samuel Bodman as he took a tour of the house. While in the end the house came in 13th place, I was happy just to be a part of this project. What I hoped for, was that we could build a home that provided all of the energy needed and in that we succeeded. One of the parts of the competition was energy balance, were all of your energy production and usage was monitored and recorded. We did just that, we provided all of the energy the house used over the course of the week. Each day the house was required to perform specific tasks, like cooking, shower test, wash dishes, maintain a refrigerator at a specific temperature, run a television and computer, in other words it was made to function like an everyday house. In the end we did it, and for me win lose or draw this was the ultimate goal, building a true zero energy home. As I take that experience forward, the challenge now becomes how to build this affordable and we are getting closer every day.
The project was an epic one for me, 4-1/2 months from start of construction to assembly on the national mall, it seemed more like 3 years compacted in those few months. I logged over 2,000 man hours in those few short months and at the end I was too exhausted to fully enjoy the fruits of my labor. I did however get to meet the former Secretary of Energy, Samuel Bodman as he took a tour of the house. While in the end the house came in 13th place, I was happy just to be a part of this project. What I hoped for, was that we could build a home that provided all of the energy needed and in that we succeeded. One of the parts of the competition was energy balance, were all of your energy production and usage was monitored and recorded. We did just that, we provided all of the energy the house used over the course of the week. Each day the house was required to perform specific tasks, like cooking, shower test, wash dishes, maintain a refrigerator at a specific temperature, run a television and computer, in other words it was made to function like an everyday house. In the end we did it, and for me win lose or draw this was the ultimate goal, building a true zero energy home. As I take that experience forward, the challenge now becomes how to build this affordable and we are getting closer every day. Some of the more dedicated members of the MIT team consisted of a group of students from the Boston Architectural College. This group of students along with support from there Institution decided to take on the challenge in 2009 and are building their home at this time. They formed a partnership with Tufts University to make up what is called team Boston. Here is a link to their project, http://www.livecurio.us/ . While not as involved as in the past, I have been acting a an advisor for the team as they undergo this challenging project. I like this one better for the architectural appearance but the energy efficiency end appears to have been compromised for aesthetics. Meeting the energy challenge remains to be seen, but I have a lot of confidence in their ability to get it done and done right. Here is a picture of where this house stands today, with still a lot of work to go and just a few short weeks they have their work cut out for them. No solar systems have been installed, no insulation, no mechanical systems, no electrical and only the rough plumbing has been completed. I'm glad I'm on the outside looking in at this one.
Tom Pittsley
