Design of a Cost-Effective, Modular, and Energy-Efficient Home

Abstract

The ‘green revolution’ has recently taken over the building industry with increasing number of buildings implementing environmentally friendly and sustainable technologies to minimize costs as well as reduce environmental impact. The concept of green building however has been mostly associated with higher costs and remains popular mostly amongst well-to-do clients. According to the EIA Annual Energy Outlook, 2017, the residential sector in U.S. makes up 20% of the total energy consumption and is greater than the contribution by the commercial sector (18%)1. However, high upfront costs have been identified as a significant barrier to many households investing in green properties or greening their existing homes. This project seeks to address the growing problem of a lack of affordable, energy efficient, and environmentally-sustainable housing in partnership with Harvest Energy Solutions in Jackson, Michigan. This is achieved through the design of a prototype of modular single-family home that is affordable and energy-efficient. The methods used in the study were firstly architectural design of a single module of a home, simulation of energy performance for a baseline vs. traditional model, and finally constructing a cost model. It seeks to create awareness among architects, engineers and developers about the growing need for sustainability and the energy savings that can be achieved alongside affordability.