Sustainability Demonstration House

Sustainability Demonstration House Outside

 This is the back of the house.

Sustainability Demonstration House Recreation Area

 This is the living room on the first floor.

Sustainability Demonstration House Kitchen

 This is the kitchen on the first floor.

Sustainability Demonstration House Front of House

 This is the recreation room on the basement level.

Sustainability Demonstration House Bedroom

 This is bedroom #1 on the first floor.

Welcome to the Sustainability Demonstration House, a residence for students operated by Residence Education and Housing Services at Michigan Technological University.

The 5,000 sq ft residence is located at 21680 Woodland Road, within walking distance to campus and comfortably sleeps six students in six separate bedrooms. The Sustainability Demonstration House provides students with the opportunity to become involved in a demonstration of sustainable living within the community of Houghton. Residents of the house are encouraged to recycle and compost, while exercising good habits of sustainability by being mindful of power and water consumption. Residents will work side by side with the Alternative Energy Enterprise to showcase that sustainability can be extraordinarily successful, even in Houghton’s harsh climate. For additional information, visit the SDH website.

House Description

This is a two story house with an additional basement. The main entrance to the house is on the first floor. From the main entrance, a bedroom and an office or small bedroom are on the left. The larger bedroom includes a private bathroom. There is an additional bathroom in the hallway opposite the office/small bedroom. The living room is directly off of the main entrance. The kitchen, dining room, utility room, and a bedroom with a bathroom is to the right of the main entrance. Also to the right of the main entrance are stairs to the "walk out" basement which has the boiler room, storage, a bathroom and a large recreation room.

Stairs to the second floor are to the left of the main entrance in the hallway. There are three bedrooms and two bathrooms on the second floor.

View Sustainability Demonstration House Floor Plan

Rates

Semester rates for July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024 are as follows:

  • Per Bedroom - $3,600 Fall / $3,375 Spring

All utilities are included in the cost of the rent.
Each participating SDH resident will be given a 50% scholarship credit for their SDH participation.

Furnishings - Bedroom

Each student is provided with an extra long twin mattress and bed frame, a dresser, desk, and desk chair.

Furnishings - Common Space

Common space furnishings include couches, dining table, dining chairs, two ovens, dishwasher, stove, pots, pans, and two refrigerators.

Internet & Cable

Internet and cable will be provided throughout the home by Residence Education and Housing Services at no additional charge.

Resident Expectations

Residents will be expected to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability via the following tasks:

  1. Upkeep house sustainable systems
  2. Host two public open houses and one workshop per semester
  3. Clean solar panels as necessary
  4. Monitor composting process
  5. Cleaning common areas
  6. Upkeep SDH social media and website
  7. Special projects

Residents are expected to commit about five hours per week for their sustainability commitment.

Meal Plans

Students are not required to purchase a meal plan if living in the Sustainability Demonstration House. If a student is interested in an on-campus meal plan please visit Dining Services.

Parking

The garage of the house is used by the University and is not available for storage or vehicles. Therefore, parking is not available at the house as it must be kept clear for University access to the garage. Parking permits are available in residential lots. Please visit Transportation Services located in the Administration Building Room 100 for more information. There is a parking lot adjacent to the house.

Application

The SDH Tenant selection process occurs once a year during the Fall semester. There are three stages to the application process: a written application, a group interview, and finally, an individual interview with a current SDH tenant and the current SDH faculty advisor.

Written applications open for a two-week period in mid-late October. Once applications have been submitted, the current SDH tenants review all applications and select a pool of applicants to move on to the group interview stage. The group interview takes place at the SDH (or virtually as needed) with the current SDH tenants. 

After the group interview, a smaller pool of applicants is selected to move onto the individual interviews. After all interviews are over, a final decision is made by the current SDH tenants and the current SDH faculty advisor. Notifications of selection are typically sent out the week before Thanksgiving break.

The SDH houses six tenants at one time. Once accepted, tenants do not need to reapply every year. The number of available slots fluctuates depending on how many current tenants are staying for the upcoming school year. 

Applications, when available, can be found https://sdh.mtu.edu/index.html.