Spotlight

Equinox House Turning 10!

Ben and Ty wrote a 12 article series for the ASHRAE Journal in 2010/2011, describing our engineering optimization approach for designing Equinox House, a zero-plus, solar powered home in Urbana Illinois. ASHRAE publication pdfs of each article are available in our website's publications section. As a celebration of Equinox House turning 10, we begin a 12 month series of newsletter articles to review and update our work, starting in December and ending November 2020. What has changed and what hasn’t over the past 10 years?

Construction of Equinox House began 10 years ago in late 2009. When Deb and Ty Newell moved into their new home in November 2010, no grandchildren were on the horizon. Now, nearly ten years later, their 7 (plus another on the way) grandchildren, Nana and Nappys’ solar powered house is the home they know.

“Boomer” has become a derogatory term for Ty’s generation, because Boomers consumed resources at an ever increasing rate while kicking the sustainable living can down the road for others. We hope Equinox House is a beacon to guide others to an economically prosperous and sustainable future, a bright future for upcoming generations.

Equinox House has always looked beyond energy because sustainable, healthy, and comfortable living requires simultaneous, multi-faceted problem solving. Energy is important, but it is one of the simpler problems to address. Other important aspects include:

• Equinox House is the first smart ventilated home in the US, with its first gen CERV unit automatically managing CO2 and VOCs. Our very first CERV unit continues to operate today. Visit our website and see for yourself with our live CERV controller display.
• The State of Illinois Department of Public Health (oversees plumbing regulation) issued Equinox House the first permit allowing harvesting of rainwater within an Illinois municipality.
• Equinox House has been designed as a safe, accessible home for young and old. There are no steps, stairs or barriers throughout the home; 3’ wide pocket doorways; barrier free shower; and wheelchair height accessible laundry and kitchen. We think our home’s greatest cost savings feature is reduction of debilitating, unnecessary accidents that cause our aging populace to lose their independence and to be removed from their homes.
• Equinox House is a very early demonstration of a residential heat pump water heater (HPWH). Our HPWH, designed and built by Build Equinox, has reliably provided hot water to the home every day of the year since occupied.
• We installed one of the very first heat pump clothes dryers (HPCD) in a US residence in 2010. Four years later (2014), we acquired one of the first US manufactured HPCD units.
• Equinox House was designed as a zero-plus home because we anticipated the arrival of electric vehicles and their energy needs. In 2012, Deb and Ty acquired a first gen Ford Focus EV, and in 2013, they acquired a plug-in Ford C-Max hybrid. “Excess” solar energy cost effectively provides our local transportation needs much more economically than fossil fuels.

We hope you enjoy our journey to the recent past, as well as a periodic journey into the future.

Construction of Equinox House began late in 2009. Engineers Ben Newell, Alexander Long, Mbikayi Nsumuna and Ty Newell designed the “functions” of Equinox House. Architect Jean Ascoli gave it form. Note that our 8.2kW solar PV array was already installed and functioning before the house. How much energy is required for building a house? Follow our newsletter article series to find out!
Equinox House in its first year of occupancy.

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