Public electric utility capitalizes on the drive for energy neutrality by giving future architects and engineers a problem to solve.
3 MIN READ
In the near-decade since the Great Recession decimated operation and maintenance budgets, water and wastewater utilities have been on a mission to become zero net energy (ZNE). It’s easy to see why energy-intensive facilities would want to produce as much energy as they consume, but why would an electric utility encourage customers to use less product?
“One of our goals is educating customers about making smart energy choices,” says Suzette Bienvenue. She’s education specialist at the Sacramento Municipality Utility District (SMUD) in California’s capital, the state’s second-largest community-owned electric utility. “This is a vehicle to present topics we’d like them to consider, like using energy-efficient appliances and green building techniques, and gives them a better idea of what these products offer.”
She’s referring to the utility’s inaugural Tiny House competition, a two-year public outreach program that ended on Oct. 15. Modeled after the U.S. Energy Department’s Solar Decathlon, the utility launched the competition in 2014 to promote energy awareness and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Architecture, and Math) development in young adults. She estimates the program cost at least $125,000, much of which was offset by sponsors. The awards were funded entirely by the sponsors.
A team of 28 Santa Clara University architecture, engineering, and communications students received a $10,000 grand prize for their 238-square-foot design for Operation Freedom Paws, a non-profit organization that prepares veterans to train their own service dogs. “rEvolve”’s murphy bed saves space for the full-size kitchen’s sitting area with foldout table. The 35-square-foot “wet” bathroom is a fully tiled shower room without the curtain and has a dry-flush toilet that gathers waste in a disposable cartridge.
The Competition
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SMUD
Santa Clara University undergraduate students have designed the …
Santa Clara University undergraduate students have designed the rEvolve House as a short-term, low-cost housing solution for Operation Freedom Paws, a non-profit organization that prepares veterans to train their own service dogs.
SMUD
The College of the Sequoias Tiny House was custom designed for t…
The College of the Sequoias Tiny House was custom designed for the cool bay climate on the Puget Sound. The building footprint is 180 square feet. There are 2 lofts that bring the total square feet to about 300. Energy consumption is of major concern because it must operate 365 days a year without grid power.
SMUD
The theme of Chico State’s Tiny House is, “minimizing our ca…
The theme of Chico State’s Tiny House is, “minimizing our carbon footprint while maximizing our quality of living, increasing functionality, and eliminating wasted space.” Chico's team is passionate about sustainability and driven by the spirit of the Tiny House Movement, which they believe is the responsible use of space and resources in housing design and construction.
SMUD
Fresno State’s Tiny House project reuses materials from the lo…
Fresno State’s Tiny House project reuses materials from the local area in order to reduce building costs and impacts, while ensuring that the building envelope provides an efficient system that reduces the energy needs required to condition the space. The home generates renewable energy from several photovoltaic solar panels and incorporates efficient fixtures and appliances to achieve zero net energy.
SMUD
The California State University, Sacramento team, Sol Vespide (S…
The California State University, Sacramento team, Sol Vespide (Solar Hornet), designed a zero net energy Tiny House for a recently graduated newlywed engineering couple. The loft-bedroom, 1 bathroom, 184-square-foot house will be located in an urban environment near downtown Sacramento where the graduates can commute to their new jobs on bikes and have access to farmers markets to support a sustainable lifestyle.
SMUD
The Wedge is Laney College’s Tiny House built by students in t…
The Wedge is Laney College’s Tiny House built by students in the Carpentry Department in collaboration with other construction disciplines. The Wedge is meant to provide caretaker housing for an urban farmer in Oakland, a hub of the food justice and urban farming world. The house includes roof-mounted solar panels, standing seam roofing, continuous insulation, high-performance windows, corrugated metal and fly ash composite siding. The house also includes 2 sleeping lofts, custom built furniture, a full bathroom and kitchen.
SMUD
Cosumnes River College Tiny House was designed to be a habitable…
Cosumnes River College Tiny House was designed to be a habitable, space-efficient design that is simultaneously transportable. The design strives to meet the needs of its inhabitants without leaving an ecological footprint. The intent is to have a livable unit that is zero emission and entirely sustainable. The finished project will be used as a “living laboratory” to help develop social equity for families in our community, a prototypical Tiny House community and a demonstration of green housing.
SMUD
The University of California, Berkeley, built THIMBY (Tiny House…
The University of California, Berkeley, built THIMBY (Tiny House in My Backyard) to maximize long-term affordability and sustainability. The 196-square-foot, 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom house was designed for a newlywed, environmentally conscious couple purchasing their first home in the East Bay and is the pilot unit in a community of zero net energy Tiny Houses to be established in Richmond, Calif.
SMUD
The San Jose City College zero net energy Tiny House has an adap…
The San Jose City College zero net energy Tiny House has an adaptable skin that can double the usable floor area when stationary. A smart home automation system allows you to control the unfolding panels remotely. Open the living room area or one of two additional bedrooms/work rooms when needed; fold them up when not in use or for transportation.
Armed with a stipend ranging from $3,000 to $8,000 and a mentor, teams from nine California colleges and universities (see sidebar for list) designed and built a home capable of producing at least as much electricity as it consumes. The concept is called energy neutrality.
Their work was judged on:
Architecture. Creativity is crucial in designing a living space ranging from 100 square feet to 400 square feet.
Communication. How well the process of designing and building the home was documented and shared.
Energy-efficiency. Each home was required to be zero net energy, meaning it produces as much electricity as it uses during a year.
Home life. Provide a safe and functional living space, meeting the needs of the targeted client and the final environment of the house.
Each house had to be able to produce enough hot water for two showers a day and pass a boiling water test to make sure they could cook a meal. Teams that used the most energy-efficient appliances received higher scores.
Not-So-Tiny Winners
Tiny House designs from nine teams were judged on architecture, communication, energy, and home life.
California State University, Chico California State University, Fresno California State University, Sacramento College of the Sequoias Consumnes River College Laney College Santa Clara University San Jose City College University of California, Berkeley
All designs are solar-powered and feature self-sufficient toilets (compostable, chemical, and flash-and-burn). A few have rain collection systems that feed a greywater tank used for watering a garden.
SMUD isn’t sure it’ll hold another competition, but as the photos show it unleashed a tsunami of creativity. Click here to view the rest of the winners.
