About the House

 

The Interlock House has been designed for the Iowa climate, one of the most extreme climates in North America with hot and humid summers and very cold winters, with resulting design temperatures (drybulb/wetbulb) ranging from 90ºF/74ºF (32.2 ºC / 23.3 ºC) in summer to -3ºF (-19 ºC) in winter (ASHRAE 2005). Still the house aims to provide an example of how net-zero energy living is affordable and possible today. Transforming to accommodate the extremes of the Iowa seasons and interlocking with the outdoor environment, this house balances a reduction of energy consumption through design with solar power production. An advanced sensor and data acquisition system has been installed into the home to monitor energy consumption to validate the design prediction and to develop prediction models investigating the impact of human behavior on building energy consumption.