It’d be nice if our houses used energy as efficiently as our cars did. While Automakers like Ford and Toyota have been investing 10’s of millions of dollars to eke out every last drop of efficiency from the cars they sell, home builders have been producing the same inefficient houses for decades.
Your car has dozens of sensors measuring temperatures, airflows, pressures, acoustics, chemical concentrations, and more – all in an effort to increase fuel efficiency. There are powerful computers in your car running advanced, adaptive software to optimize efficiency under every condition you put your car in. The most advanced material are used in your engine, tires, and chassis to reduce friction and weight so that every gallon of gasoline you put in your tank will take you as far as possible. Automakers have hoards of scientists and engineers pushing technical boundaries out to make each new model year more efficient than the last.
And then there’s your house. Your biggest asset. A big energy user. A huge energy waster. There was no effort made by your home builder to minimize energy usage. Does that sound controversial? It shouldn’t. Installing fiberglass insulation doesn’t’ qualify as minimizing energy usage. Your home builder didn’t employ scientists or engineers to optimize your home’s energy usage. Your home builder didn’t contemplate using advanced materials, developing software algorithms, or using sensors or actuators to direct energy where it’s needed. Your home builder didn’t worry about innovation; he followed the status quo.
The problem is that the status quo sucks.