UMass Solar Decathlon Entry Includes Drexel Cool Metal Roof System
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The UMass team's 4D home design included a Drexel Metals Cool Roof System. The roof assembly included above-deck venting for maximum efficiency. Click images to enlarge.
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Ivyland, PA - Drexel Metals donated the materials needed by students at the University of Massachusetts to install a cool metal roof system on their team’s entry in this year’s Solar Decathlon competition.
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is an award-winning program that challenges 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 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 took place at the National Mall’s West Patomac Park in Washington, DC, September 23-October 2. The event was open to the public, giving visitors the opportunity to tour the houses, gather ideas to use in their own homes, and learn how energy-saving features can help them save money today.
Team Massachusetts’ entry was the New England-inspired 4D Home. The solar-powered home was designed as a prototype of an affordable, ultra-efficient house that could be adapted to a family’s changing needs. Its dynamic interior was conceived to make compact living viable for a small family. Features of the home’s design included an exterior composed of fiber cement board and wood-clad windows; asymmetrical timber trellises that provide seasonal shading and a covered transition to the interior; a two-bedroom layout with sliding partition walls for easy reconfiguration; furniture, décor and housewares designed and fabricated by student team members.
The home’s photovoltaic array utilized 28 monocrystalline silicon cell panels that are 19.1% efficient. Hybrid solar thermal panels were mounted behind the photovoltaic modules for efficient heat transfer to the domestic hot water system. The home was insulated with a combination of blown fiberglass and closed-cell polyurethane spray foam insulation for air tightness. The Drexel Metals Cool Roof System’s design included above-deck venting for maximum efficiency.
About Drexel Metals
Drexel Metals Inc. is a leading provider of equipment, materials, engineering and warranties for the production of standing seam metal roofing systems. Drexel Metals enables its contractor and distributor customers to market a proven, branded and warranty-backed standing seam metal roof system. Drexel Metals is a portfolio company of Arborview Capital (www.arborviewcapital.com). For more information, call (888) 321-9638 or visit the Drexel Metals website at www.drexelmetals.com.