Evaluating home controls for the 2011 solar decathlon

Lee M Causey, Purdue University

Abstract

The Solar Decathlon is a biennially competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy where teams of students design and build solar powered homes. The goal is to create a home that is aesthetically pleasing and also practical in terms energy consumption. During the competition teams compete in 10 contests including a comfort contest in which the home must remain within set parameters related to indoor environmental quality. An interesting addition to the 2011 competition was an affordability contest. This contest was added to showcase homes that are within the price range of typical homebuyers. Controls are a crucial to every Solar Decathlon entry and the INhome, Purdue's entry into the 2011 Solar Decathlon, was no exception. The INhome's control and monitoring equipment was designed using residentially available components for end user interaction, as well as commercial components for control and monitoring. This paper will review control methods used for the INhome and other teams in the competition. Data provided by both the Department of Energy and rival teams leads to several interesting conclusions. First, the home automation market is fragmented, with many competing control platforms and limited levels of interactivity. Spending either too much of too little money on a home control system may lead to poor or complicated control. It was found that the more complex and expensive a system was, the less it performed. Systems that educated users on electricity consumption were popular. Nearly half of the homes in the competition incorporated an energy monitoring system that would provide long-term usage trends. This type of feedback is essential for changing energy consumption patterns in a home.

Degree

M.S.

Advisors

Hutzel, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Engineering|Civil engineering

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