UNA STUDENTS TO BUILD SOLAR-ENERGY HABITAT HOME

By Josh Woods — Director of University Relations

FLORENCE, Ala. — A group of University of North Alabama Habitat for Humanity student volunteers weren’t content with the traditional three-bedroom, one-bath home as they made plans for their next project.

“We started with the idea of going green with the house,” said UNA Habitat chapter president Sabrina Balch. “But as we did our research, we came across the idea of zero energy.”

A zero-energy, solar-powered home would reduce or eliminate energy costs for a family in need. However, such a home would also come with significant additional building expenses, which is why the students’ plan for the home wasn’t sealed until they came across a grant from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.

The department’s Division of Weatherization and Technology was to award three Habitat zero-energy projects up to $75,000.

Balch, along with UNA students Jennifer Butler, Sihya Smith and Shina Southard, spent a month researching and writing their grant proposal and, five months later, were awarded $26,342 to move forward with their Habitat project.

“It was a great way to get some grant-writing experience, especially with a non-profit,” said Balch, a professional writing student.

The UNA Habitat chapter has selected Sheffield, Ala., to build the zero-energy home, because the city will enable the homeowners to sell back any unused energy. The students will monitor the home’s energy consumption for the first year in agreement with ADECA.

The home is being designed by architecture students of Auburn University and will be built through Shoals Habitat for Humanity.

While the primary goal is to keep the home’s energy as affordable as possible, the student volunteers are still planning to keep the house as environmentally friendly as possible. For example, it will be equipped with all Energy Star appliances, and the walls and roof will be built of structurally insulated panels — panels made of foam between two sheets of plywood. The home’s reflective metal roof will also maximize its use of solar energy.

“Our goal is to benefit people in need with decent, affordable housing, but we also want to benefit the environment by leaving as small of an environmental footprint as possible,” said Balch, a UNA senior who has volunteered with Habitat for six years.

Among her volunteer projects was a two-and-a-half week trip to El Salvador last summer, when she and Smith worked with Habitat’s Global Village Build.

“I like the fact that Habitat gives a hand up, not a handout,” Balch said. “We get to work alongside the homeowners. It’s a unique experience.”

According to Habitat guidelines, future homeowners must invest sweat equity in the home, working alongside volunteers. In turn, they must then serve as volunteers on someone else’s home.

Last September, the UNA Habitat chapter received the Clarence Jordan Award — the second-highest award a campus chapter can receive. The award is presented for creativity and innovation in helping accomplish Habitat’s mission.

-30-