Draft2:ZEBRAlliance

File:ZEBRAlliance.jpg

ZEBRAlliance community and houses in Oak Ridge, TN. ZEBRAlliance will integrate the components of ORNL’s energy-efficient technologies into the construction of the homes to be used as test markets to gauge the integral success and affordability of the components and the houses

ZEBRAlliance is a public-private partnership founded by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Schaad Companies, is both a research project and a multi-faceted energy-efficiency education campaign.

Official Site - zebralliance.org

DOE's role

ORNL provided, for the the homes,

• product management
• technical expertise
• industry partners
• research

Mission/Objectives

The project looked at the efficiency of two technologies: a foundation heat exchanger and a ground- source integrated heat pump. Other experiments were conducted in the homes, including the evaluation of four building envelope strategies: structurally insulated panels, optimal value framing, double wall system and exterior insulation and finish system.

History

Research has recently been completed on four Tennessee homes built with the goal of decreasing the cost of residential ground-source heat pump installation.

The project’s goal is to show consumers how affordable and appealing energy-efficient homes can be. Schaad Companies, co-founder of the alliance, built four homes, each equipped with different energy-saving strategies, in an Oak Ridge, Tenn., subdivision.

The four houses, located in the Wolf Creek subdivision in Oak Ridge, use about 55 to 60 percent less energy than conventional houses while maintaining similar amenities.

"These homes are a great example of what can be done when we partner with industry to provide scientific solutions to real problems," ORNL Director Thom Mason said.

Although the houses will remain unoccupied during the research period, appliance, lighting and water use will occur automatically in the experimental homes to simulate an average family's energy use. ORNL researchers will collect data to determine which technologies, either individually or as a group, deliver the most 'bang for your buck.'

Related links

• Better Buildings

External links

• https://www.ornl.gov/content/zebralliance-research-project-shows-promising-results
• https://www.ornl.gov/news/new-oak-ridge-homes-are-laboratories-energy-efficiency
• https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/886337

References

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