Spray Foam To Be Used In 2011 Solar Decathlon
ARNOLD, MARYLAND - March 18, 2011 -
C & R Insulation of Arnold, MD will be installing spray foam insulation on a house that will be used as the University of Maryland’s 2011 entry in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s website describes the Solar Decathlon as “an award-winning program that challenges 20 collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.”
“The first Solar Decathlon was held in 2002; the competition has since occurred biennially in 2005, 2007, and 2009.” This year’s event will take place at the National Mall’s West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. in fall 2011. “Open to the public free of charge, visitors can tour the houses, gather ideas to use in their own homes, and learn how energy-saving features can help them save money today.”
The Solar Decathlon website states that the purpose of the competition is to “educate student participants and the public about the many cost-saving opportunities presented by clean-energy products”; to “demonstrate to the public the opportunities presented by cost-effective houses that combine energy-efficient construction and appliances with renewable energy systems that are available today; and to “provide participating students with unique training that prepares them to enter our nation's clean-energy workforce.”
The site also lists the attributes that should be achieved by the winning house:
- Is affordable, attractive, and easy to live in
- Maintains comfortable and healthy indoor environmental conditions
- Supplies energy to household appliances for cooking, cleaning, and entertainment
- Provides adequate hot water
- Produces as much or more energy than it consumes.
C& R Insulation will be helping the University of Maryland meet the energy efficiency requirements of the competition by applying Sealection Agribalance and Heatlok soy foam insulation.
The University of Maryland's entry, called the “WaterShed”, “draws inspiration from the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, connecting the landscape and the people who live in it. The house form provides a variety of indoor-outdoor living arrangements and gives flexibility to its inhabitants.” It “is formed by two rectangular units capped by a butterfly roof, which is well-suited to capturing and using sunlight and rainwater.” The school’s website lists the WaterShed's most notable design features as follows:
- Constructed wetlands that filter storm water and greywater
- A green roof that retains rainwater and minimizes the heat island effect
- An optimally sized photovoltaic array that harvests enough energy from the sun to power WaterShed all year
- Edible landscapes that support community-based agriculture
- A liquid desiccant waterfall that provides high-efficiency humidity control in the form of a beautiful indoor water feature
- A solar thermal array that provides enough energy to heat all domestic hot water, regenerate the desiccant system, and provide supplemental space heating
- A time-tested structural system that is efficient, cost-effective, and durable.
- Innovative, smart technologies that allow residents to control temperature, ventilation, humidity, and light for year-round comfort.
- Building and finish materials that are beautiful, sustainable, cost-effective, and durable.
About C&R Insulation
C&R Insulation, LLC of Arnold, MD was founded in 2008 by Ronald Larson and Chris Ignaczak. They started the company “in order to provide high quality green insulation products to the Mid-Atlantic region. Our goal is to bring quality green building products to the Mid-Atlantic so that homeowners and developers have the opportunity insulate their projects with the best product available. Their “projects range in size from retrofits in existing homes of all sizes to very large custom homes and commercial projects.” For more information, visit www.sprayed-in.com or email info@sprayed-in.com.
