Purdue to offer energy efficiency workshop, home tours
August 1, 2012
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University's College of Technology will offer a free workshop Aug. 11 on making homes more energy efficient, and two energy-efficient homes will be open for tours.
Workshop participants will learn about simple improvements they can make to their homes to save energy, said Eric Holt, a graduate teaching assistant in the building construction management program.
They'll also hear about more involved options with renewable energies such as solar and wind.
The workshop will be from 9 a.m. to noon at the Chatham Square community center in Lafayette. Chatham Square is at Greenbush Street and Shenandoah Drive.
Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP to Holt at eaholt@purdue.edu or 765-494-2466.
After the workshop, tours will be offered at the energy-efficient homes.
The home at 2150 Ulen Lane is a deep energy retrofit project. The city of Lafayette purchased the foreclosed house in 2010. Purdue students helped guide the process of gutting the structure and rebuilding it as a prime example of an energy-efficient home.
The Ulen Lane home will be open Saturday (Aug. 4) and Aug. 11 from noon to 4 p.m.
The second home is the INhome solar house designed and built by Purdue students for the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon 2011 in Washington, D.C. It is located in the Chatham Square development.
INhome took second place among 20 homes in that international competition and also won a Green Building Award from the National Association of Home Builders this year.
More than 200 students from technology, engineering, liberal arts, agriculture, Krannert, and health and human sciences were involved in designing, building and operating INhome.
After the Washington competition, the two-bedroom house was dismantled and brought back to Lafayette, where it was rebuilt in Chatham Square and put up for sale. It is under contract with a buyer. Closing is expected in September.
It will be open from 1-3 p.m. Aug. 11.
Writer: Judith Barra Austin, 765-494-2432, jbaustin@purdue.edu
Source: Eric Holt, 765-494-2466, eaholt@purdue.edu
