TVA Joins Partnership to Build More Energy-Efficient Homes
June 20, 2002
LENOIR CITY, Tenn. — TVA is joining with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Department of Energy, and Habitat for Humanity to build state-of-the-art energy-efficient homes in a housing development in Lenoir City, Tennessee, for a “Net Zero Energy Neighborhood.”
TVA Chairman Glenn McCullough Jr. said the TVA Public Power Institute and energy right® program will partner with ORNL’s Building Technology Center during the next three years to design, build, and measure and analyze the performance of five houses in the Harmony Heights subdivision in Lenoir City.
“The purpose of this partnership is to produce a new generation of energy-efficient homes that can be marketed across the Tennessee Valley by the end of this decade,” McCullough said. “This project supports TVA’s strategic objectives for environmental stewardship and providing affordable, reliable electric power. It also supports the National Energy Policy by contributing to a cleaner, more efficient, and more secure energy future for our nation.”
As the homes are constructed, energy-efficiency levels will progress from the energy right Platinum level, which offers 30 percent savings compared with a standard home, to the DOE Building America Level of 50 percent energy reduction. The final design will be the advanced Net Zero Energy level, where the goal for the building is to produce as much energy as it consumes annually.
McCullough said the Net Zero Neighborhood will be a living laboratory for informing builders and homeowners about technologies and construction methods that generate environmental benefits and long-term energy reduction for the region.
The homes will test and demonstrate innovative technologies such as advanced low-cost zero-power sensors and controls, roofs that change their reflectivity according to the temperature, self-healing caulks and flashings, indoor air quality enhancements, and advanced space conditioning and water heating.
TVA is the nation’s largest public power producer, and its power system is self-financed. TVA provides power to large industries and 158 power distributors that serve 8.3 million consumers in seven southeastern states.
Media Contact:
John Moulton, Knoxville (865-632-8048) or TVA News Bureau, Knoxville (865-632-6000)
