Building Systems
The Pittsburgh Lab Home, seen above, explores zero energy strategies for the cold climate. IBACOS selected Pennsylvania-based S&A Homes as the builder for this lab home, which will be built just a few miles north of downtown Pittsburgh. The house is two stories with a full basement, four bedrooms, and three and a half bathrooms with a total finished floor area reaching 2,772 square feet.
Pursuing Zero Energy Homes
Zero energy homes produce as much energy as they consume in a given year. To get a home to zero energy, the builder has to look at the whole house as a system, maximizing energy conservation overall and using renewable energy strategies. At IBACOS, we apply this thinking to our advanced building systems research in pursuit of higher performing homes. We believe that it's possible for builders to deliver zero energy homes in most areas of the U.S. using existing and emerging technologies.
In the pursuit, IBACOS founded the Best Practices Research Alliance and is a team leader in the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America program. The Alliance's Zero Energy Lab Home program focuses on developing design, construction, and financial approaches to help builders deliver affordable, zero energy homes at the production level. The groundbreaking for the first lab home is scheduled for spring 2010 with plans to complete construction in the fall.