On October 21, 2008, Portsmouth Abbey celebrated the opening of its newest alternative energy initiative, an energy-efficient solar house that was donated last spring to the School by the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). The dedication ceremony took place at the new permanent site of the solar house, located at the southeast end of campus near the wind turbine.
Before a group of nearly 100 people who attended the dedication, Portsmouth Headmaster Dr. James De Vecchi talked of the solar house's significance: "The completion of the solar house signifies the completion of a wonderful partnership in energy-efficient living between RISD and Portsmouth Abbey School. Portsmouth is proud to have been chosen by RISD as the location for its award-winning solar house and, thus, to be so recognized yet again as an energy leader in our region." He added, "The solar house is also an important step toward the fulfillment of our School's campaign goals regarding detached faculty housing."
The 1,600-square-foot house will be used as a single-family faculty dwelling, with one bedroom, two baths and an office/den. Energy-efficient features include: net metering; a Viessmann condensing gas boiler; Viessmann 300 series tube-type solar panels; an Outback solar system with Sanyo photovoltaic solar panels; radiant heating; air conditioning; a high-efficiency washer and dryer; an energy recovery ventilation system; thermal mass storage units; and Energy Star® appliances. The house was originally designed for the 2005 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon competition by Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) architecture students under the guidance of Professor of Architecture Wilbur Yoder and Assistant Professor of Architecture Jonathan Knowles. RISD donated the prize-winning solar house to Portsmouth Abbey in the spring of 2008 due, in part, to the success of the School's wind turbine.
Portsmouth's Director of Operations, Mr. Paul Jestings, was instrumental in bringing the solar house to campus. He recognized the many dedicated, hard-working professionals - many of whom donated their services - who helped see the project through to completion: "I thought when Br. Joseph (Byron) and I took on the building of our wind turbine that we had accomplished our life's most significant contribution to the environment. With the tremendous support of a committed team of people who were passionate about accomplishing this important project, however, I think we have achieved another 'first' for our community.
"It has never been more important for us to push the limits of technology to find innovative ways to build efficient, green homes that will have minimal impact on our environment," Mr. Jestings continued. "This is a good example of that effort."
Mr. Jestings thanked, in particular, Brother Joseph, the Monastery, Dr. De Vecchi and the Board of Regents for their commitment to the project as well as the original RISD team of Jonathan Knowles, Will Yoder and Jonathan Strnad, for the donation of the house and for "daring to push the envelope of design and innovative engineering."
Newport Collaborative Architects, located in Newport, RI, donated their services to add an additional 800 square feet of living space to the original 800 square feet to make the house a more practical space for faculty housing. They also enhanced site-layout and aesthetic features to soften the structure's radical and innovative contemporary design. The original part of the house was constructed of Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) made from a thick layer of foam (polystyrene or polyurethane) sandwiched between two layers of Oriented Strand Board (OSB), plywood or fiber-cement.
The just-completed house underwent a thorough ENERGY STAR audit to determine its actual level of energy efficiency. Equipment such as blower doors, which measure the extent of leaks in the building envelope, was used during the extensive testing and evaluation process. The Portsmouth solar house scored higher than any house previously tested by the ENERGY STAR representative.
