Weber State University Team Profile
Monday, September 21, 2020
The Net Zero Wildcats of Weber State University, hailing from Ogden, Utah, join us for our first TEAM PROFILE of the 2020 Solar Decathlon! Thanks for taking the time, folks, so let’s get right to the questions.
First, with a team name like that, I have to ask – do you have a mascot?
We do–Waldo the Wildcat!
We have to see a picture of this mascot…
Now, is this your first time participating in the Solar Decathlon?
This is the first time we have participated in the Solar Decathlon Build Challenge. We have previously competed twice in the Race to Zero competition [now called Solar Decathlon Design Challenge].
How many team members do you have right now?
We have had as many as 50 students work on the project, but the current team is comprised of 12 students.
What is the craziest major among your team members?
Bachelors of Integrated Studies.
I have no idea what that would include, but it sounds pretty interesting. Maybe we can follow up on that! Next, what kind of house are you building?
We’re building a Single Family home.
What inspired the design for your house?
The neighborhood it is in is primarily Craftsman and Bungalow, so we combined the architectural styles to create our version of a craftsman-bungalow.
The coronavirus situation is a worldwide health emergency. How is your team staying connected during COVID?
We stay connected by holding Zoom meetings and site visits with social distancing and face masks.
What will happen to your house once construction is complete?
The home will be sold at the appraised value. We are participating in Solar Decathlon as a Local Build project, so we were not planning to transport our home to the competition location. It was permanently constructed at 2807 Quincy Avenue in Ogden, Utah. The house will be as a private residence.
We are including a provision in the sale that they must allow us to view their electricity bill for a minimum of two years and allow us to make adjustments if the HVAC and solar systems if they are not performing as they were designed.
What other unique information should we know about your team and/or house?
Our website is full of awesome information and photos.
One cool thing is the collaboration that was undertaken on this home with the city, the Ogden Civic Action Network, the University, and our department. It was all funded by the university as a way to give back to the community as well as to provide real world experiences to students. We shifted our design from a duplex in Salt Lake City to this home in November. (The re-zoning was not going to be approved in time to start construction in January). Our team completed the home less than 6 months later!
We’d like to thank the Weber State University team for being part of this event and for joining us to share how they are meeting this challenge. Come back soon for our next team profile!