Communications of the ACM
Home Sweet Lab: Computerized House to Generate as Much Energy as It Uses
One of NIST's net-zero energy residential test facilities.
Credit: NIST
The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently unveiled a laboratory designed to demonstrate that a typical suburban home for a family of four can generate as much energy as it uses in a year.
The facility will be used to improve test methods for energy-efficient technologies and develop cost-effective design standards for energy-efficient homes. The two-story, four-bedroom, three-bath Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility incorporates energy-efficient construction and appliances, as well as solar water heating and solar photovoltaic systems. "It will also allow development of new design standards and test methods for emerging energy-efficient technologies and, we hope, speed their adoption," says NIST director Patrick Gallagher.
The researchers will use software and mechanical controls to simulate the activities of a family of four living in the house. A solar photovoltaic system will produce electricity to run lights and appliances when weather allows, and excess energy will be fed back to the local utility grid via a smart electric meter. The house will tap energy from the grid on days it cannot generate enough by itself, but over the course of a year it will produce enough to offset that energy, for a net-zero energy usage.
From NIST News
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