Energizing the Industry: CMU Homebuilding Startup Puts Energy Efficiency at Forefront

The Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation supports impactful work that strives to optimize resources and reduce environmental consequences associated with energy production and use. Module is a Pittsburgh-based design-build company that builds right-sized, energy efficient homes using prefab construction. Co-founded in 2016 by a CMU alumna, their mission is to support their customers' health and wellbeing in a well-designed, highly functional home that will last 100 years. Module homes are assembled in a factory using modular construction and are built to Zero Energy Ready home standards set by the U.S. Department of Energy. Scott Institute talked with CEO Brian Gaudio, CDO Hallie Dumont (CMU School of Design, ‘08), Director of Construction Ankur Dobriyal (CMU School of Architecture, ‘17), and Director of Real Estate Development Lu Zhu (CMU School of Architecture, ‘18) about how CMU helped prepare them for their roles with Module and the steps they're taking towards building net-zero homes.

What inspired you to make energy efficiency a core component of module homes?

Hallie: It's always been about the end homeowner and how we can best design a home for them. This means making the most energy-efficient home, whether it's a lower utility bill for the homeowner, reducing the use of fossil fuels for the environment, or using less electricity so we can eventually move to net zero.

Brian: A lot of times, investing in things that are energy efficient also provide better comfort and peace of mind for the homeowner. We have a great building envelope on the walls, roofs, and windows. That reduces the operating cost of your house because there aren't leaks. It also makes for a quiet house. For example, our Black Street project is on the main thoroughfare, but when everyone walks into the house, they comment on how quiet it is.

What emerging technologies are you seeing come to market around home energy efficiency? 

Hallie: Developments in high-performance doors and windows are rapidly improving. These are some of the biggest pieces to having a well-insulated, tightly sealed envelope. Cost-effective high-performance doors and windows have been huge, especially for our affordable Black Street unit. We couldn't have done that without materials like uPVC, which is a step up from vinyl and more stable. 

Brian: Conservation Labs, founded by CMU Alum Mark Kovscek, has a machine learning system where they're able to sense leaks and pipes in the house, but also help the homeowner use less water as well through tracking water usage throughout the house. We're seeing a lot of IoT devices that are tracking utility usage. Another Pittsburgh company called Hibersense is doing room-by-room HVAC control through an IoT-connected device.

What's next for Module when it comes to energy efficiency in your homes? 

Hallie: Net-zero is next. We've been developing an upgrade package that involves a roof notch PV system. We are offering Zero Energy Ready capabilities in our homes. Our homes are solar-ready. Two of our homeowners have already added Solar One, without battery backup and one with battery back backup. In the future, we would love for that to be our standard offering. Our homes are also already all-electric.

You recently announced a new CMU home buying benefit provided through Module. Can you tell me a little bit about the benefits of this program and your involvement with CMU?

Brian: The program is called the Module Preferred Homebuyer Program. We're working with a few select employers in the region. It benefits the CMU community including staff, students, and faculty. The first benefit is we offer a closing cost credit of $2,500. The second benefit is partnership discounts from some beautiful local and national home goods companies. The third benefit is exclusive access. When we're building a project or developing a series of homes, there's a period before those homes officially go on the market. Right when we're finishing up the land entitlement phase and we're securing the financing, CMU homeowners will get first dibs effectively on new projects that we're building. We will share those updates through our CMU channels.

Hallie, Ankur, and Lu - How did CMU help you prepare for your work with Module? 

Hallie: As far as my design training, it was multidisciplinary. I did industrial, communication, and information design. It allowed me to carry a large portion of the architecture side of the design at Module. I like making our floor plans more illustrative, always incorporating architecture and furniture into the spaces. That way people can get a sense of what they can have in that space and what it might feel like to live in that house. Our homes are contemporary, so there is a level of simplicity and being straightforward. It's just very clean lines, open spaces, not complicating anything. I think that's kind of been ingrained in me from my time in undergrad.

Ankur: The multidisciplinary Architecture-Engineering-Construction Management program made it very easy to collaborate with different aspects of Real Estate & Construction. Be it the management of supply chain partners or the design-build process, the real-life projects I participated in during my time at CMU made it a smooth transition going on to work at Module. The faculty have been very supportive and I continue to seek their advice having graduated almost 4 years ago.

Lu: CMU is a diverse and sharing community, it is beyond a single program. The platform provided by the Urban Design program and the community gives unique learning and collaboration experiences across different disciplines. These help shape the design thinking and problem-solving skills that benefited me in the long term.

Brian: As an employer in the region, we've benefited from the quality of the graduates from CMU’s programs. Ankur started his career as an intern with us, and upon graduating, we offered him a full-time position. Lu, Director of Real Estate Development, completed his master's thesis on how to leverage the benefits of modular construction and our unique kind of system to redevelop neighborhoods in Pittsburgh. When I saw Lu’s thesis and the fact that he was using our company's design guidelines and protocols to think about how this could help Pittsburgh, I knew we needed to hire him.

Technologies developed at Carnegie Mellon University have the ability to enhance energy generation and the consumption of that energy in our buildings, transportation, industry and homes. Learn more about CMU's latest energy startups.