The Solar Decathlon is a biennial collegiate competition challenging student teams to design and build full-sized, solar-powered homes with an emphasis on sustainability. This year, 11 teams from institutions across the world will participate in 10 contests that emphasize innovative design, energy efficiency, water use, resident comfort, and market potential. The DOE-sponsored competition, which is open to the public, will be held in Denver from Oct. 5-15. In this daily series, BUILDER takes a look at the innovative features of each of the homes.
The University of California, Davis Solar Decathlon team designed a sustainable home that is as water-efficient as it is energy-efficient. With the impact of the most recent California drought in mind — the fourth most severe statewide drought on record — UC Davis students designed OUR H2Ouse to better prepare residents for the droughts to come.
The sustainable home is equipped with greywater and rainwater storage, as well as a dual-energy and water-use feedback system that informs occupants of their consumption, ideally encouraging them to scale back end-use behavior when possible. According to the team, OUR H2Ouse residents can achieve 50 percent less potable water usage than a typical residence. In addition, the integrated battery storage and energy management system produces all the energy that residents may require, selling excess energy to the statewide grid.
Courtesy DOE/UCDAV
The water monitoring system provides feedback on all water lines in the home, comparing collected data to residents’ customized budgeting goals. Not only does the feedback system involve OUR H2Ouse occupants, but it also promotes friendly competition among neighbors, encouraging the whole community to work toward a shared goal of water conservation.
“This house is trying to tackle the drought in California. Taking a systems approach to this reduction is just the first step,” UC Davis team member and spokesperson Justin Dela Cruz explains. “True reduction lies in the hands of the people who live in the house and those in the surrounding community.”
At just over 900 square feet, OUR H2Ouse has an industrial modern-rustic design that evokes both urban and rural California lifestyles. Exterior and interior wood accents are sourced from trees felled by drought.
The UC Davis team selected a panelized bamboo wall system for the building envelope because of its thermal and acoustic qualities as well as sustainable production. Corrugated steel was selected for the exterior of the home due to its high-recycled content and durability. Aerosol sealing used throughout the home prevents leakages through cracks, wall junctions, and window and door frames.
According to the team, drought resilience, education, and inclusivity are the three pillars of the OUR H2Ouse design. They believe that net-zero energy and water consumption technologies should be available to all members of society, regardless of income or location.
OUR H2Ouse can accommodate a couple, a four-person family, or a group of student renters. The team specifically targets the Sacramento and Yolo County markets.
After the Solar Decathlon competition, OUR H2Ouse will return to UC Davis to serve as student housing with a focus on sustainable and inclusive learning, alongside UC Davis’ 2015 Solar Decathlon home.
