Prepared for TTP 289: A Path to Zero Net Energy

20 selected colleges to design, build, operate the most attractive, effective and energy-efficient solar-powered home. The University of California Davis was selected as one of the participants for the 2015 competition. The UC Davis team has decided to delegate areas of architecture, design, engineering, and sociology to specific courses and extracurriculars to fully engage students and maximize productivity. The course, Path to Net Zero Energy: A hands on approach, was one course that was asked to contribute to the Solar Decathlon competition. In this course, a team of both graduate design students and engineers were selected in order to create and showcase an energy load profile to estimate the electrical energy requirements needed throughout the competition, and to research and brainstorm innovative energy saving ideas. The energy load profile team worked with Tom Ryan, the Solar Decathlon Design & Engineering Coordinator, in order to successfully obtain an accurate energy load profile model that could immediately assist the Solar Decathlon members and estimate the size of the solar panel needed to provide energy for the home.. The energy load profile was created as an adjustable computer model by using Microsoft Excel. The competition committee gives an extensive list of rules for the competition and state