Huber Engineered Woods Helps Students Set the Standard for Energy-Efficient Building
Four U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Homes feature ZIP System™ Wall Sheathing
Media Contacts: Mary Claire Keane (w) 404-739-0141 (c) 706.202.8191 (e) maryclaire.keane@fleishman.com
Chad Corley (w) 404-739-0149 (c) 404-808-9865 (e) chad.corley@fleishman.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (October 24, 2011) – Huber Engineered Woods has partnered with four teams in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 working to design, build and operate affordable, energy-efficient solar-powered houses. Teams from Ohio State University, Middlebury College, Parsons the New School for Design and Stevens Institute of Technology and Team Massachusetts: Massachusetts College of Art & Design and The University of Massachusetts at Lowell used ZIP System™, which is an all-in-one structural wall panel, moisture barrier and air barrier that delivers a tight building envelope in constructing homes with superior energy-efficiency.
The goal of the Solar Decathlon is to demonstrate the benefits of designing affordable homes that combine energy-efficient construction and renewable energy systems. Collegiate teams featuring over 4,000 students from around the world assembled the highly energy efficient solar-powered houses to showcase building technology and techniques that result in more efficient homes. The student teams are competing in 10 contests throughout a 10 day period to design and construct a house with optimum performance, livability and affordability. The student teams are spending more than two years working on and testing their houses to ensure maximum energy-efficiency for their product and design.
Four of the teams used ZIP System sheathing products to ensure their homes perform at the highest levels in these tests. The competition tests the amount of energy needed to provide lighting, to run appliances, and stress the homes infrastructure. The teams using ZIP System sheathing rose to the challenge of “whole building design,” considering the interactions of all building components and systems to create a more comfortable building, save energy and reduce environmental impact.
The Department of Energy recognizes that air barriers help prevent air leakage in homes, which can account for 30 percent or more of a home’s heating and cooling costs. The ZIP System® tape gun is used to install the insulated panels with the ZIP System tape, which provides moisture resistance for seams, valleys and ridges, can help reduce air leaks as recommended by the Seal and Insulate with ENERGY STAR® effort and is code recognized as window and door flashing tape when used with ZIP System wall sheathing (ESR-2227).
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 is an award-winning program that challenges collegiate students from around the world to design, build and operate solar-powered houses that are affordable, highly energy efficient, attractive, and easy to live in. The competition shows consumers how to save money and energy with affordable clean energy products that are available today. The nearly two-year projects culminate in an unprecedented display of affordable green living and design on the National Mall’s West Potomac Park from September 23 – October 2, 2011. The Solar Decathlon also provides participating students with hands-on experience and unique training that prepares them to enter our nation’s clean energy workforce, supporting the Obama Administration’s goal of creating an economy based on clean energy technologies while saving families and businesses money.
For more information about ZIP SystemTM Sheathing , visit www.zipsystem.com.
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Huber Engineered Woods LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of J.M. Huber Corporation, a diversified, multinational supplier of engineered materials, natural resources and technology-based services to markets ranging from paper and energy to construction. An innovative building solution provider for the housing market, Huber Engineered Woods offers such specialty products as AdvanTech® flooring and sheathing, as well as the new ZIP System® wall and ZIP System® roof products. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Huber Engineered Woods has manufacturing operations in Maine, Georgia, Virginia, and Oklahoma, as well as research and development facilities in Georgia. Huber Engineered Woods also serves industrial markets with products for door manufacturers and the transportation industry. For more information, visit www.huberwood.com.