The B1M’s latest article explores how e-houses are revolutionizing construction. These prefabricated transportable substations are ideal for challenging project situations, allowing for reduced installation time and schedule predictability with less.
Energy Efficiency
In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, energy-efficient homes reduce operating costs. They also offer health benefits. For example, airtight construction and insulation minimize moisture, which can cause mold and mildew, leading to respiratory problems.
Today’s home buyers increasingly seek energy-efficient homes that exceed their area’s required insulation or R-values. These homes may also include various energy-saving features eligible for tax credits.
E house is a pre-engineered modular outdoor enclosure designed to house various electrical and automation equipment. They are fabricated entirely in a factory setting, which helps to reduce the amount of on-site labor required. It allows for quick deployment and a consistent product.
Interstates recently worked on an e-house project at a cage-free egg-laying facility in the Midwest. Utilizing these modular solutions helped to reduce build cycle time, lower project costs, and improve efficiency by shifting trade stacking activities from the field to the factory. It decreased risk and improved safety for workers on the job site. It also reduced the time spent terminating wires on-site and enabled a quicker install and commission process once it reached its final destination.
Convenience
E-houses are self-contained, making them easier to install and maintain. They can also be relocated more efficiently than traditional brick-and-mortar substations, which require complex foundations to support heavy equipment. Additionally, E-houses can be fabricated and tested off-site, which saves time in the field and reduces overall project costs.
Working with a company that manufactures E-houses can also make it easy to customize a solution for your specific needs. For instance, adding additional doors or air conditioning is a simple process when you work with experts from the start of the design process.
A specialized manufacturing facility can build multiple E-houses in parallel, allowing greater efficiency. It is compared to traditional stick-built structures that require a team of engineers and technicians to coordinate the construction of different elements. It is precious for customers in remote areas where qualified personnel are scarce and costly.
Safety
E houses provide a safe and reliable environment for control systems, helping to avoid dust and temperature fluctuations that could affect equipment performance. The E house also protects against fire hazards that can be hazardous to personnel working on or around the equipment.
Modular E houses can be built in various ways to meet state and local building codes and ADA compliance if needed. A professional manufacturer can custom design an e-house to fit the needs of your project and create an insulated and protected power solution for LV and MV switchgear, marshaling panels, and breaker controls.
These walk-in modular power solutions can be delivered to the site ready for installation, saving cost and reducing construction lead times. They are also tested at the factory for safety and other requirements before being shipped to their final location, which can help to minimize downtime.
Flexibility
E-Houses are created entirely off-site and assembled on the truck, making them ready to go with minimal construction work. They can reduce project lead times, optimize transportation, installation, and commissioning costs, and help you meet sustainability goals efficiently.
The e-house design depends on customer and project requirements but generally consists of a frame, a skid or wheel-mounted base, walls, and ceilings. The frame must consider the weight and position of equipment in the e-house as well as structural calculations for stress and deformation to ensure safety during installation, shipment, hoisting, and operation. For blast e-houses, the frame also includes the walls for protective coverage.
E-houses can be used in various industrial applications like power generation, mining, oil and gas, paper mills, steel mills, and many more. They’re easily movable and can be installed close to the equipment they control, which helps minimize power and communication cable lengths. They are tested before and after shipping, including the electrical equipment, making them a safe and cost-effective alternative to traditional on-site buildings.
Storage
E-houses can house various electrical equipment, including capacitor banks, switch houses, and junction and splice boxes. These can be designed in several ways depending on the type of equipment required, the sizing requirements, and the dimensional needs for clearances.
Typically, the equipment is pre-installed, wired, and tested at the factory and arrives at the job site ready to work with minimal installation and commissioning time required. The e-houses are built on skid or wheel-mounted bases, making them easy to transport to and from the site and allowing for a more cost-effective solution than building on-site concrete structures.
Regularly maintaining an e-house will keep it in optimal working condition for years. It will also prevent costly repairs and breakdowns. A technical expert is essential when carrying out these maintenance steps, as minor problems can quickly escalate into more significant issues. It can include checking fastener tightness, water intrusion, and structural integrity. It can also include regular air change calculations to ensure the equipment operates at a comfortable temperature and humidity level.
