Solar House Goes to Washington

Over the last decade, Don Bradley has made a habit of integrating passive-solar features, solar water heating, and photovoltaics into most of the stick-built homes he has designed. But because he believes that energy efficiency and solar features can be better integrated, at lower cost, into manufactured housing, Bradley has recently begun to work more with manufactured home companies. Little did he know that taking this direction would lead him to build a home on the Washington mall between the Washington Monument and the US Capital.

The home was featured at the Solar Forum held in April in Washington D.C. by the American Solar Energy Society and the Solar Energy Industries Association. A week later, the house was put up again for the Hathaway family in its permanent location in Round Hill, Virginia. Both times the house was built, it took just a couple of days between the laying of the foundation and the placement of the furniture. Compare that to standard stick-built homes, which typically take more than eight weeks to build.

Bradley's company—Solar Strategies, Incorporated, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—worked with Design Homes LLC, of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, on the manufacturing of the home. Design Homes LLC, one of the larger manufactured housing companies, sees an advantage to embracing Bradley's approach to home designed. Design Homes plans to embrace Bradley's approach to home design. Design Homes plans to expand its market by targeting manufactured homes for more upscale buyers. In fact, the 3,000 sq ft, two-story Hathaway home is quite roomy, is well made, and features top-of-the-line energy-efficient products and materials.

State of the Art
The Hathaway house contains the best energy efficient materials and appliances, from R-21 insulation in the walls and R-38 in the ceiling, and double-paned, low-e, argon-filled windows, to the most energy-efficient Whirlpool washer. Very high quality CFLs and fixtures were installed throughout the house. And while the ground coupled heat pump was not installed during the home's stay on the Washington Mall (you can't dig up federal property, after all), it was installed when the house was moved.

The house has Duke Solar's two nonimaging solar thermal water-heating units. The solar system uses nonimaging technology and evacuated-tube solar water heaters, which are the most efficient on the market. The house used two different photovoltaic technologies. First, United Solar's roofing shingles, were used on the front overhangs; these resemble traditional roof shingles, except that they produce electricity. Second, traditional solar PV modules, in this case from BP Solar Strategies, Incorporated and Design Homes LLC plan to allow customers to choose the PV systems they prefer.

The smart sine wave inverter for the PV system was provided by Xantrex of Arlington, Washington. It converts stored solar energy in eight 200-amp, 24V batteries (provided by Concorde Battery of Los Angeles, California) to AC current. Even though the house is grid connected, it has batteries for emergencies and blackout periods.

Faster and Cheaper
When the home was put up, the builders set it on the foundation and had the exterior walls and roof in just one day. The following day, the finishing was done, the solar technologies were installed, and the furniture and appliances were moved in. Manufactured homes cost less than stick-built homes, and while all the energy efficiency and renewable energy products initially cost more, the overall price of the house was only 5% more than it's stick built counterpart. But the Hathaways will be the big beneficiary, since the highest projected yearly energy bill is $600. Take into account the reduced interest financing via Fannie Mae's Energy Efficient Mortgage, and you have no higher costs and lower monthly bills.

Impressing the Politicos
Impressed as the Hathaways were with the many benefits of their new home, the reaction of others who saw it was just as exciting. They expressed pure astonishment that these products exist at all—let alone that they are affordable. The American public, the members of Congress, and the media staff who came to view the home often had no idea that most of these technologies are available in off-the-shelf products. They were also impressed that the package exceeded what are generally seen as middle class standards.

There is a big information gap on new energy technologies, particularly when it comes to solar and energy efficiency technologies. But with the rising costs of electricity and natural gas—and a national increase in power outages—homes such as these that are affordable, comfortable, and reliable will make it in the market.

Scott Sklar is president of the Stella Group Limited, a distributed-energy strategic marketing and policy firm located n Washington, D.C.