ZeRow: Design, Energy Performance and Cost Analysis of a Solar Powered Row House

Abstract

An affordable, solar powered row house is designed and constructed for implementation in a historically low-income area of Houston, Texas. This ZeRow House is tied to the electrical grid for purchase of electricity at night, but completely compensates by generating more power than needed during the day when electric grid demands peak, particularly in the hot, humid summer months. The result is a home with net-zero energy purchased from the grid and the simultaneous elimination of battery storage. This home was one of twenty entries in the 2009 D.o.E. Solar Decathlon. Throughout the project decisions were always mindful of the final purpose: the demonstration of an affordable, easily reproducible solar powered home that honors the row house tradition of Houston’s Third Ward, while taking advantage of modern durable materials and energy conversion technology, and bringing a focus on sustainability and education to the greater community.