'Zero-energy' pilot homes planned at Fort Campbell

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky.—Environmental designers and green architects are meeting this week at Fort Campbell to plan what they say will be the first "zero-energy" homes on a U.S. military installation.

The two duplexes would incorporate solar panels and geothermal technology to produce as much energy as they consume from the power grid over a year.

Patrick Tahaney, development manager for Actus Lend Lease, the private company that is building the homes, said Tuesday the project is still in the design phase and won't be completed until 2010.

But Tahaney says the military hopes the project will be a starting point for finding ways to reduce energy costs for its housing on bases worldwide.

"If you look the consumption rates and how much we're paying for power these days, I think the Department of Defense housing used about 11 trillion Btu (British thermal unit) of power in 2007," he said.

Actus, which manages Fort Campbell Family Housing and has built 400 new homes on the base since 2003, dedicated $500,000 to transform their designs for a two-family duplex into a zero-energy home. The project is also funded with a $870,000 grant from the Department of Defense.

Although the actual cost of the homes hasn't been determined, the military will be monitoring the construction costs and performance of the homes over time, Tahaney said.

"The intent is to take all of the lessons learned in the technologies, see how they perform over time and disseminate that information, not only to other military housing projects, but to other private housing," he said.

Several private and public agencies are taking part in the design process, including the National Association of Home Builders and the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

"It seems like housing is the growing area (in the military)," said Kim Fowler, a chief research engineer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. "I see it as the opportunity for technology transfer is high because we're building so much, not just at Fort Campbell, but across the military."

The main source of renewable energy will be solar panels along the back of the home, but they are also looking at using ground-source heat pumps, which pump water through the constant temperature underground to feed heating and cooling units.

"There will be times of the day where we're actually drawing power from the power grid, just like every other house, but there will also be times of the day where we will be producing more power than the home is demanding," Tahaney said. "That power will be sent back to the power grid."

The homes will also incorporate designs that reduce electricity consumption, including using ventilation and insulation, air infiltration moisture barriers and energy-efficient appliances. The residents will also be trained on how to use the house's technology to keep efficiency, Tahaney said.

"Our objective is to really make it transparent, as much as possible, for the resident," he said.