Mission Zero Home
Carbon footprint calculator with model:
Fall 2019
The Carbon Zero house model was developed as part of Scott King’s Mission zero environmental project.
Mission Zero is a series of independent projects that aim to spread awareness about how we can reduce our Carbon Footprint through sustainable practices.
To help with this general goal, our student team developed a physical house model and control board that would allow a user to visualize how different appliances contributed to their carbon footprint. Our model uses average KWH and Carbon lb values for various types of appliances, and adds them together in real time to demonstrate just how quickly it all adds up over time.
In addition to controlling these values, users also get to see appliances turn on and off, via a wireless toggle system in our full house model. This model aimed to represent a typical house model, and used actual average values for all appliances to really show just how quickly carbon builds up over time.
Overall, it was an absolute pleasure to work with the Mission Zero group in helping spread awareness about carbon emissions.
Early house model in AutoCAD
3-D Paper model home
Wireless toggle system
The Super Zero team from CU's Fall 2021 GEEN 2400 course developed a model home to help people relate their home to the power it consumes. It gives the user the ability to control the energy and see what it means to be carbon zero. As the team developed this model they realized that solving climate change is accessible and does come from everybody making small improvements to their daily energy consumption. Their model shows that small changes to your home can make a big impact in reducing your carbon footprint.
Building or upgrading to carbon zero isn't more expensive, it isn't some faraway goal, it's possible now. Converting homes to carbon zero will help curb climate change by reducing our dependence on the fossil fuels that produce greenhouse gas emissions.
Engineering course working on the Super Zero model: colorado.edu/eplus/courses/geen-2400-engineering-projects-community
More about Mission Zero: missionzero.io
