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Research results from the Building America Program are designed to cost effectively reduce energy use and, by reducing utility bills, can also increase housing affordability. Building America's research partners include builders of affordable housing. This page provides a summary of current affordable housing research highlights from Building America's affordable housing projects.
NREL Teams with Habitat for Humanity to Build Zero Energy Home
This 3 bedroom, 1,200-ft2 home in Denver is not only affordable, it's a zero energy home! That means it is designed to produce as much energy as it consumes annually. Reaching zero energy in cold climates is challenging, so we designed a home that carefully combines the efficiency of the building envelope (i.e., insulation, windows, etc.) with efficient heating and cooling equipment, appliances, lighting, passive solar, solar-electric, and solar water heating features. The home was designed using BEOpt, building optimization software designed by NREL with additional analysis provided by DOE-2, a widely used and accepted freeware building energy analysis software program courtesy of the U.S. Department of Energy. So far, the home is exceeding expectations and is a net-producer!
For more information about this home, read, "A Cold Climate Case Study for Affordable Zero Energy Homes" (PDF 648 KB). Home Energy magazine has also featured this home on their Web site in an article called "The Little House that Could." To read the article, visit www.homeenergy.org. Download Adobe Reader.
The NextGen of Affordable Housing
The project known as NextGen recently received an award in the affordable housing category from the Colorado West chapter of the American Institute of Architects, demonstrating that cost-effective housing can also be environmentally friendly. The NextGen project is designed to reduce energy use and increase cost efficiency in new houses. NextGen has developed two different models of three-bedroom, two-bath houses. The homes are affordable, durable, and replicable. Learn more.
Habitat for Humanity International Congress Building America Project
Habitat for Humanity affiliates will be partnering with local Congress members to build energy efficient, affordable homes with technical assistance from Building America teams under a concurrent resolutions adopted by the U.S. Senate (Resolution 43) and House (Resolution 184). Building America researchers will be providing affiliates and their congressional partners with recommendations that will help them move toward an energy savings goal of 30-40%. Learn more.
Cold Climate Case Study: High Efficiency North Dakota Twin Homes
The Industrialized Housing Partnership, a Building America Team, working with the Eastern Dakota Housing Alliance, has completed 8 of 20 planned multi-family and single-family dwellings on Selkirk Circle in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The goal is to achieve up to 50% energy savings over the 1993 Model Energy Code. Learn more.
Efficiency Will Meet Affordability with "Habitat" Pilot Home
Several months ago, Building America partner IBACOS, Inc. in Pittsburgh happened upon evidence that interest in energy efficient homes is spreading—in this case, right in its own neighborhood. When IBACOS employee Eric Newhouse learned that Pittsburgh Habitat for Humanity was building three new homes in his East Liberty neighborhood, his curiosity led him to visit the site. Since then, IBACOS and Pittsburgh Habitat for Humanity have worked together on the homes, and Pittsburgh Habitat for Humanity has agreed to begin a Building America pilot home this fall. Learn more.
NREL Sponsors Habitat House
This home in Westminster, Colorado, was built by Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver. It includes energy-efficient appliances, compact fluorescent lights, programmable thermostats, and insulated windows. It is one of the most energy-efficient houses ever built by Habitat. Learn more.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Building America Join Others to Build a Zero Energy Habitat House
This is the first zero energy building home built by Habitat International. It features air-tight structural insulated panels, 2 kW of grid-connected photovoltaics, energy-efficient windows, a heat pump water heater uniquely integrated with the heating, cooling, and mechanical ventilation systems, a heat exchanger to recover shower drain water heat, a highly reflective metal seam roof, other energy-efficient technologies, and all ENERGY STAR® appliances. Learn more.
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