Solar home provides affordable housing

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Purdue students will bring affordable, energy-efficient housing to Lafayette.

The students built a solar home they hope will win top prize in an international competition, but it will also win the hearts of those in need of affordable housing in Lafayette.

The home will become the center of a Lafayette neighborhood redevelopment project. The house will find its permanent home in the Chatham Square mix income development, that is in the Glen Acres neighborhood in Lafayette.

Chatham Square consists of 89 rental units and about 10 homes. One of them will be the solar home built by more than 200 Purdue students.

The home features net-zero consumption, which means it produces as much energy as it uses. The construction manager said that feature will help cut bills for families in need of affordable housing.

"They will not have an electric bill. They will not have a gas bill. It will be very inexpensive to run,” explained Eric Holt.

The solar home will find a permanent place in Chatham Square in October 2011. First, it will travel to Washington D.C. for the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon 2011. Purdue's solar home will compete against 20 universities for the best design.

You have a chance to take a free tour of the solar home Saturday, August 22, 2011 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m . It's located on McCormick Road in West Lafayette next to the Purdue West shopping center. It's worth checking out some of the interesting features. The entire home is wireless and you can access lights and appliances from a mobile device.