By Bill Hoy, Project Manager
Fall is here in Big Sky country and cooler night air is settling in already. The heating system is scheduled to be operational by the first of November and the mechanical room is in the process of being completed along with finalization of the electrical wiring. The sheetrock is tentatively scheduled to be installed the week of November 7.
The innovative Sunlight-Responsive Thermochromic (SRT) glazing has been installed in the windows. SRT glazing passively tints the glass in response to direct sunlight using a film sandwiched between two pieces of 1/4 in. glass which is then assembled into a 1-3/8 in. insulated glazing with a suspended heat mirror film between another 1/4 in. glass with a Low E layer.
What does all this mean? It means a possible R4 to R8 glazing rating. The research over the next several years will validate the actual R value.
The innovative Sunlight-Responsive Thermochromic (SRT) glazing has been installed in the windows. SRT glazing passively tints the glass in response to direct sunlight using a film sandwiched between two pieces of 1/4 in. glass which is then assembled into a 1-3/8 in. insulated glazing with a suspended heat mirror film between another 1/4 in. glass with a Low E layer.
What does all this mean? It means a possible R4 to R8 glazing rating. The research over the next several years will validate the actual R value.
Technical Summit Will Usher in Research/Academic Phase
A technical summit has been scheduled for November 3-4 here in Bozeman. This is when we will open the project to critical thinking as well as academic and professional scrutiny in order to define exactly what makes homes affordably sustainable and energy efficient. The group will determine what research and data would be most beneficial to verify optimum building designs and mechanical configurations.
A technical summit has been scheduled for November 3-4 here in Bozeman. This is when we will open the project to critical thinking as well as academic and professional scrutiny in order to define exactly what makes homes affordably sustainable and energy efficient. The group will determine what research and data would be most beneficial to verify optimum building designs and mechanical configurations.
A number of sustainable building industry stakeholders from both the public and private sector as well as academia from across the U.S. have been invited to participate. The house is scheduled to be complete by January 2012, after which REHAU will lease the facility for two years to demonstrate and document the various energy systems with the help of Montana State University (MSU).
Open Access to Data
All data and information will be available on the Internet (details to be announced), and will be openly available for access by the general public to learn about all of the systems and their performance. The MSU School of Engineering students will be responsible for installing and monitoring over 350 sensors utilizing data acquisition with a software program called “LabVIEW.” The other key objective of the project is to understand the ROI of the systems and provide recommendations to the industry on alternate systems that are economic.
