Tim Hemsath, an assistant architecture professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, helped design the resource-saving Zero Net Energy Test House. Photo: Adam Templeton, NewsNetNebraska
With electricity, gas and propane prices going up, it costs more than ever to heat and cool your house. But students at the University of Nebraska are building a new option to combat soaring energy bills.
It's called the Zero Net Energy Test Home. It's a house designed to create more energy than it uses. The reason the house can create this much energy is because of several ecologically friendly designs.
The house has a wind turbine and solar power panels on the roof to collect energy. Tim Hemsath, assistant architecture professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said the turbine and the panels should be able to generate all the energy the house will need. Among other things, this means the ZNETH uses little to no electricity from an outside source.
The house also has geothermal wells, which use the earth's energy to heat and cool the house. It is insulated with recyclable concrete blocks, to maintain a comfortable temperature year-round.
Jordan Alvord, a senior at the Peter Kiewit Institute, gives tours of ZNETH. He explained how simple things like a dual flush toilet - where the water drained from a kitchen sink is reused in a toilet - can conserve energy and save money.
Outside the house, a verdant garden burst with plants, mulch and rocks. The vegetation is native to Nebraska, so uses less water than much imported vegetation. The mulch needs no irrigation, an easy way to conserve water. And the rocks are part of the rain garden, which funnels rainwater to other parts of the yard. These are all easy ways to conserve water.
The house is expected to meet the highest standards for a ‘green' building: LEED platinum. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an internationally recognized certification for energy and environmental efficiency. A LEED certified building is designed to conserve energy and water, reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and be healthier and safer for occupants, according to the U.S Green Building Council's Web site.
More than 100 students and faculty from architecture, engineering, and construction began working on this project two years ago. When it is completed, sometime next year, it will allow faculty and students to test theories about zero net energy. "The ZNETH project is a learning laboratory for students and researchers at both universities," said Hemsath. Hemsath says testing will continue as long as the university owns the house.
The garden outside ZNETH features of a host of native Nebraskan plants, and is irrigated with collected rainwater. Photo: Adam Templeton, NewsNetNebraska
The 2,000 square-foot house was built from scratch. It sits on 62nd and Woolworth streets, across from the University of Nebraska-Omaha's south campus. According to Hemsath, a spot in town was chosen so that areas in the country can remain for agriculture uses.
This house was funded by private donations and grants, which will also help keep the house running once it's completed. According to an article on UNL's website, the expected cost of the house is $250,000, which is above normal for a house this size.
With the wind turbine and solar panels on the roof collecting energy and heating the house’s water, ZNETH’s residents won’t pay a dime for electricity, save for standard connection fees. Photo: Adam Templeton, NewsNetNebraska.
One thing Hemsath said may surprise people is how normal the ZNETH looks. "The house is not that much different than any other house," Hemsath said. "To get to zero net energy is not that complicated."
This is one of the first houses in Nebraska to reach such high environmental standards, but it's not a new idea. There are entire communities of these houses along the East and West coasts, according to Hemsath. And there are even houses in Lincoln similar to ZNETH. The Madison at the Bridges, a house located in the southwest part of Lincoln, and ArchSpace, built and designed by the College of Architecture, both use the earth's energy for heating and cooling.
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