Project Overview

Introduction

The goal of this project is to design a house which is completely self-sustaining or as close as possible and could potentially be able to sell electricity back to make money.The objectives are to learn about alternative energies and how these energy sources, along with other techniques, can be used to make a self-sustaining house. The major tasks of this project will be a cost analysis, the production of a model, the demonstration of permeable pavement, and the computer aided design of the house. Some potential challenges will be designing the house so that it is completely self-sustaining. This will be a challenge because there are many aspects that have to be taken into account in order to achieve this goal. One would be a way of collecting and heating the water that the house will use. Other challenges would be how the house would be heated and how the house would be powered.  The desired outcome will be a completed self-sustaining house along with the completed deliverables.

Deliverables

There will be four deliverables made during the course of this project. The first will be a CAD drawing of the house. This will show in great detail, all of the aspects of the house that will make the house self-sustaining. The second deliverable will how water, wind, and solar energy will be used to generate electricity. This pavement will be a big aspect of the sustainability of the house. The third deliverable will be a scale model of the house and the surrounding land. This will be used to show how the house interacts with the surrounding area to make it self-sustaining. The fourth will be a cost analysis will be an estimate of the house which will show how efficient the house is, how much it costs to make, how much electricity the house can generate and compare this house to zero energy house.

Computer Aided Design

From weeks 2-5, a computer aided design of the house is created. Using softwares such as autocad, a full-scale model of the floor of the house will be modeled. It will be made clear in the floor plans how each aspect of the house works in conjunction with another aspect, ensuring self-sustainability.

Water, Wind, Solar model/simulation

            To demonstrate the many ways that the house will create energy, deliverables will be made that produce energy from water, wind and solar power. One of the deliverables produced will show the effects of how the driveway will promote conservation. It will demonstrate how water will be collected from the permeable driveway material into a tank underground where it will be used to power a hydroelectric turbine. The energy created will be used to heat the water back through the pipes surmising the underside of the driveway, effectively heating and melting snow in the cold winter months. This will be a major way in which the house gathers water. A wind turbine and solar panels will also be produced as additional energy sources for the house.

Model Creation

            The model for this home will show the surrounding land and the house in order to show how the house interacts with its surroundings to help increase its sustainability. The model will also show the alternative energy sources of the house which help to make is sustainable. This model will be created either by hand using cardboard and other materials or by software such as Revit. The model will be able to show where the sources for gathering electricity are.

Cost Analysis

            A cost analysis will estimate the amount of money that it will cost to build the house. The analysis will also show how much the house will create in terms of electricity and will be able to estimate the amount of money the house could generate from selling electricity back. Since the house will be completely self-sustaining, the only bills that the occupants would have to pay would just be the initial price and any amenities that the occupants might want. This analysis will be able to compare this house with a zero energy house in terms of energy production.

Facilities and Resources

Outside class time will  be needed to make other deliverables. The permeable pavement will have to be bought and set up for trial outside of class. Also materials would be needed to make the model of the house. Along with the computer aided design software, these are the only items needed.  

Expertise

For this project, there will be a couple of areas where being an expert will help out. For example, being an expert in computer aided design will be helpful when designing the model house. Second, a knowledge of alternative energy will be helpful since the house will completely rely on it. Next, an understanding of basic home structures will be helpful when designing the house to make sure that no aspect is overlooked. Finally, being an expert in the use of machine tools will be helpful when constructing some of the deliverables.

Predicted Budget:

Category	Projected Cost
Permeable Pavement	$2-$6 (per square foot)
Model	$30
Motor	$92.53
PVC Materials	$50.00
Wiring	$10.00
Lightbulb	$1.00
Sticks	$2.00
DC to AC Power Conductor	$90.00
TOTAL	$279.53