High Performance & Energy Efficient Home, ENJOY HOUSE by Team New Jersey

ENJOY HOUSEhas been completed by Team New Jersey for participating US Department of energy solar decathlon in 2011. A main concept of this home design is to build a home with high performance and using energy efficiently so that its design applies some technologies.

This home’s design features many special part for an affordable, functional, energy-efficient house suited to the climate of New Jersey such as, concrete panel in all roof, wall, and floor, perforation, and a rainwater collector called inverter-hip roof. And the technologies in this house such as, an evacuated solar thermal tubes (able to heat domestic hot water and preheating for the hydronic radiant floor), Fiberglass-framed windows, a 9-kW photovoltaic system with target output of 36 kWh, energy recovery ventilators and dehumidifiers. Photo by JimTetro.com

ENJOY House by Team New Jersey:

“Team New Jersey's entry for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011, ENJOY House, suggests a new way of approaching high-performance, energy-efficient residential design. Cutting-edge fabrication techniques meet the age-old technology of concrete in its intelligent design. The roof's invertedhip shape is calibrated for optimal solar energy and rainwater collection, contributing to an architecture informed by performance criteria.

Design Philosophy

The ENJOY House integrates passive strategies, new solar technologies, and contemporaryarchitectural ideas. Built of pre-cast concrete insulated panels, the house requires littleupkeep compared with traditional stick-frame materials. The highly insulated buildingenvelope and passive solar strategies significantly reduce heating and cooling loads.

Features

Team New Jersey aims to create an affordable, functional, energy-efficient house suited tothe climate of New Jersey. To accomplish these goals, the ENJOY House features:

Concrete panels in all roof, wall, and floor assemblies that use varied casting processes

Perforations that allow for daylighting and dramatically improve thermal performance

An inverted-hip roof that allows for rainwater collection.

Technologies

ENJOY House incorporates strategic technologies, including:

Evacuated solar thermal tubes that heat domestic hot water and provide preheating for the hydronic radiant floor

Fiberglass-framed windows that are high-performing, energy-efficient, and durable

A 9-kW photovoltaic system with a target daily electric output of 36 kWh

Energy recovery ventilators and dehumidifiers that keep cool air inside the house while providing fresh air from outside.

Market Strategy

The ENJOY House is intended for a couple that retires to the Jersey shore. With a retiree's needs in mind, the team has designed a 960-ft² (89-m²) house that is ADA-accessible. Team New Jersey has integrated universal design principles into its architecture to create a house that is accessible to people of all ages and levels of mobility.

What's Next

Nonprofit organizations in New Jersey as well as private homebuilders have expressed interest in taking possession of the ENJOY House after the competition. Team New Jersey hopes to determine the house's final destination before the start of Solar Decathlon 2011.”