4.8kW solar PV system and 1.2kW vertical-axis wind turbine are sole energy source in off-grid home

In a modest neighborhood near the Kansas University Medical Center, a new trend-setting home is generating almost all of its energy from solar and the wind.  The home was designed and built by Dan Rockhill and his students from the University of Kansas.  Studio 804, the university's sustainable architecture program, is known for forward-thinking designs with emphasis on energy efficiency and sustainability.  Students worked tirelessly since January to complete the construction of this eco-friendly home, and are seeking the coveted LEED Platinum for Homes certification for their efforts.

The 2600 square foot house, located at 3716 Springfield in Kansas City, Kansas, includes a plethora of energy-saving features.   The home starts with thicker walls filled with recycled newspaper to form a tight building envelope.  The argon-filled windows complement the structure by minimizing heat transfer and maximizing natural daylight.  To further reduce heating and cooling costs, which are by far the biggest guzzlers of power in a typical home, a geothermal heating and cooling system was installed.  This system uses the constant 58 degree temperature of the earth to cool the home in the summer with no air conditioning, and requires minimal energy to heat the home.  The concrete ground floor absorbs the warmth of the sun in the winter afternoons and stays warm into the evening.  Inside the concrete floor are a series of pipes that carry hot water to provide additional heat when needed.   In addition, the home makes extensive use of other energy misers, including LED lighting and Energy Star appliances.

With all these energy-saving features, the home uses very little electricity compared to a typical home, and generates most of its own power.  The 4.8kW solar PV system produces the majority of the electricity, with 24 Canadian Solar photovoltaic panels built into the rain screen that forms a pressure buffer between the home's interior and exterior.  An additional 1.2kW of power is generated by a 24' Mariah Windspire vertical-axis wind turbine located in the backyard.  Studio 804 is pushing the public utility to adopt net-metering, which would enable the home to provide clean, renewable energy onto the grid.  All of the work on the renewable energy systems was done by the students with guidance from The Energy Savings Store.

The home has many additional features which may help it achieve the LEED certification.  Faucets and toilets minimize water use, and low VOC finishes were used to provide a clean and healthy living environment.  The interior framing was salvaged from a building slated for demolition, and the exterior wood used in the rain screen was made from Brazilian hardwood that was certified as coming from a sustainably harvested forest.  The driveway is made of a porous concrete that absorbs rainwater, and runoff from the roof is collected in an underground cistern to water a garden.  The rest of the home's landscape, which was built on an empty lot in an existing neighborhood rather than a new suburban lot, features native plants that don't require anything more than rain.

Studio 804 staked a major claim to fame by building the first LEED Platinum building in Kansas last year.  The 5.4.7 Arts Center in Greensburg, Kansas was built as part of the town's restoration on the first anniversary of the tornado that devastated the town in 2007.  The 22 students on this year's team were empowered by Rockhill to make important design and building decisions in a democratic manner. Grants and donations pay for materials, but students provided free labor.  If the home were commercially built, it would likely sell for $500,000, but is listed at a very attractive $349,000.

The students have demonstrated remarkable prowess in designing and building this model for sustainability.  Undoubtedly this will inspire others to adopt similar building fundamentals and techniques.  For more information on all of the features of this eco-friendly home, check out additional stories in InkKC or KansasCity.com.