Solar homes can resist storms

Many modern houses today are designed to minimize energy consumption and can generate electricity. Sure House is such a house, but more specifically it is designed to withstand harsh coastal weather conditions.

Sure House, a solar-powered house

Sure House was designed by students at Stevens Institute of Technology with the support of PSEG Foundation to participate in the Solar Decathlon 2015 organized by the US Department of Energy with the aim of designing, building and operating the buildings. Solar energy users, meeting the requirements of cost saving, energy and aesthetics.

Sure House stands for SUstainable and REsilient represents "the vision of a durable and flexible home for areas at high risk of invasion of the sea and the destruction of storms. " It is said to use 90% less energy than conventional homes, fully harness solar energy , be able to withstand storms and own flexible energy systems that can power after a disaster.

The house has an area of ​​93 square meters, bringing many new points of architecture and amenities, towards the middle-class family of 4 members, the ground floor is designed to open in the style of modern coastal houses. The house is built on a pillar of support columns to lift the house to the rise of sea water. The outer frame rig is made of composite fiber material combined with many factors that resist pre-storm or hurricane.

Storm-resistant rolling doors are also designed to provide shade for the house and act as a barrier to water and debris and rubbish when the storm raged. A rainscreen wall system is also installed at the front of the house to create an external coating to help drain rain water and prevent moisture from operating in the air.

In case the house is submerged inside, Sure House uses an open-designed wooden roof and floor truss system that rotates the air and reduces the risk of being damaged or damaged. Floors are paved with waterproof materials (cork-like) and vinyl.

To reduce energy, Sure House is designed with high heat retention efficiency. It uses an energy-recovery ventilation system to predict the flow of indoor air and a solar power system to boil water. The heat pump pipes deployed around the house help warm, cool and dampen the interior space and allow users to control the temperature in each room.

Electricity-saving appliances are also pre-installed, they include a large Turbowash washing machine designed to wash clothes quickly, saving time and energy for each wash. Next to it is a hybrid drying machine that can recover the heat loss to minimize the need for energy.

Sure House is said to operate entirely on solar power and integrate photovoltaic panels into storm-resistant rolling doors. The panels will collect energy when the shutter door is opened. To ensure that the house is still operating under conditions of external power lines having trouble when the weather is bad, solar water heating systems and integrated heat pump systems can heat the water independently without grid. The interior is also equipped with USB ports for users to charge their mobile devices conveniently.

Sure House has been developed for 2 years and will be present at the Solar Decathlon 2015 competition in California in October. After this competition, Sure House will become a community education institution.