Welcome to the SURE HOUSE, Stevens Institute of Technology’s entry into the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2015 Solar Decathlon competition…

When most people think of a building with low-energy use they often think of the efficient technologies used such as LED lights, low-energy refrigerators or efficient dishwashers. While these things are an important part of the equation, there is no question that in climates with big temperature swings between seasons, such as the Northeast United States, the energy needed to heat and cool a building will always be its greatest single energy demand. Therefore reducing the need to heat and cool a home is the best way to cut down your overall energy consumption, and the best way to do this is to create a building that virtually eliminates the exchange of heat with the exterior climate and holds on to the energy used to condition the interior air. This is the idea behind Passive House and explains why one of the most important parts of this house is its insulation, the material that increases the thermal resistance, or R-Value of a wall, roof, or floor assembly.

In order to reach the Passive House Standard, an energy model of a building must be validated which calculates the yearly heating and cooling energy consumption based on local climate data and all of the specifics of the home. A very important part of this model is the thermal resistance or R-Value of the building envelope, the shell of the building that is in contact with both interior air on one side and exterior air on the other. These values are split up by surfaces, walls, roof, floor, windows and doors and your energy model helps you determine what values you need to hit to meet the Passive House Standard, often 1.5 to 2 times what is required by code. For the SURE HOUSE, we have designed our house to have an R-50 roof, R-37 walls, and R-30 floors. In New Jersey, code requires an R-39 Roof, R-19 walls and R-13 floors. These numbers were chosen because of the results from our energy model compared to the cost to insulate more. While insulating is cheap, there are diminishing returns the more you insulate. Therefore, going from an R-0 wall to an R-50 wall will have a much greater effect on your heating energy consumption than going from an R-50 wall to and R-100 wall.

As the 2015 hurricane season begins, we want to share how our sponsor, Simpson Strong-Tie, is working with Stevens Institute of Technology to help SURE HOUSE resist Jersey Shore storm and flood damage. For more than 55 years, Simpson Strong-Tie has focused on creating structural products that help people build safer and stronger homes and buildings. Considered a leader in structural systems research, testing and innovation, the company is one of the largest suppliers of structural building products in the world. They are also a key supporter of the SURE HOUSE team.

SURE HOUSE students reached out to Simpson Strong-Tie after hearing that the company was instrumental in helping repair Jersey Shore boardwalks in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. They were extremely responsive. Simpson Strong-Tie has supplied the SURE HOUSE with unique hardware appropriate to the shore, and has offered advice on designing for high-wind and storm events. Their stainless steel structural ties, hangers and fasteners are what enables the deck, floor and roof of our home to remain anchored during storms while also resisting the every-day, highly corrosive coastal atmosphere along the shore.