SMUD's E-House: State of the art

Located in the lobby of SMUD's Customer Service Center, 6301 S St., E-House is an educational tool designed to showcase the latest and greatest in energy-efficiency techniques and materials in home-building and remodeling. The latest E-House is a vastly upgraded version of the one thousands of SMUD customers have visited over the years.

SMUD's E-House

This Energy & Technology Center exhibit is a full-scale walk-through model of an energy-efficient home. It showcases techniques and materials in home framing, roofing and insulation; energy-efficient windows and new daylighting products; a ground-source heat pump; whole-house fan; solar orientation; photovoltaic tiles that turn roof shingles into power plants; radiant barriers; advanced lighting technolgies; and sustainable finishes.

Residential customers and commercial contractors/building designers use E-House for energy-education purposes and as a hands-on tool to understand specific energy products and applications.

The original E-House was constructed in 1996. Many of the features included in the renovation were donated by partners to minimize cost impact to SMUD customer-owners.

SMUD's E-House

E-House additions on the horizon include "smart home" building automation technology, smart appliances, AMI meter, energy generating and consumption interactive software and electric vehicle integrated into home energy infrastructure.

The lobby is open to customers 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

To see a video tour of the new E-House, click here.

E-House components

Framing
Using advanced framing techniques, E-House demonstrates how to reduce annual heating and cooling costs by 5 percent.

Insulation
See how insulation helps to create an energy-efficient house and comfortable living environment.

Windows
Learn how to utilize energy-efficient window materials to help regulate temperatures while maximizing natural lighting.

Roofing
See how E-House
merges roofing products with high solar reflectance values and emissivity, keeping the house cool when the weather is hot.

Lighting
Energy-efficient lighting can be effective if skillfully incorporated into a home’s design. E-House shows you how.

Ventilation/HVAC
Using whole house fans, ceiling fans and HVAC zoning, E-House demonstrates how to reduce your energy usage dramatically.

Vegetation
Planting a shade tree can reduce a home’s cooling costs within a few years of planting. Upon maturity, it can cut cooling costs by 20 to 40 percent.

Finishes/HVAC
E-House uses recycled, local and rapidly renewable products which reduce the energy required to grow, extract and transport to manufacturing or construction sites.

Water efficiency
The many water efficiency products used in E-House can show you how to ensure fresh water availability and while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Download detailed technical information.