Home Energy Performance

One initiative of the Rural Studio Front Porch Initiative is examining the total cost of homeownership, including the long-term costs and energy-saving potential in construction for low-wealth individuals. A research team, including CADC faculty David Hinson, Mackenzie Stagg, Elizabeth Farrell Garcia, Rusty Smith, and Mike Hosey, examined two prototype homes built to Passive House U.S. and Zero Energy Ready Home standards. They compared the expected and actual energy use by the homeowners over the course of a year to compare the energy efficiency outcomes for the different building assemblies. The research team presented their preliminary findings at the Auburn Faculty Research Symposium in January 2021.

Read more about the Front Porch Initiative.

View the project poster here.

David Hinson is Professor, Rusty Smith is Associate Director, Rural Studio, Mackenzie Stagg is Assistant Research Professor, and Elizabeth Farrell Garcia is Assistant Research Professor in the School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture. Mike Hosey is Field Lab Manager and Senior Lecturer at the McWhorter School of Building Science.