You can have the keys to both — the car and the house — if you’re selected as the next occupant or occupants of the Honda Smart Home US, located in UC Davis West Village and available to UC Davis faculty, staff or graduate students starting Sept. 2.

In a collaboration with UC Davis, American Honda Motor Co. built the home six years ago to showcase Honda technologies that enable zero net energy living and transportation — that is, the amount of power coming from the home’s own renewable sources is sufficient (more than sufficient, actually) to meet its annual consumption — including electricity for the Honda Fit that comes in the garage.

The university’s Energy and Efficiency Institute recruits the home’s occupants, and Honda makes the selection.

Here are three things to know upfront:

• You will have a research assignment, which can be custom-tailored to fit you (see downloadable exhibit as an example).
• You will pay $1,500 per month for the 1,944-square-foot home, two-bedroom home, furnished, and use of the car in the garage.
• Your feline and canine occupants are not being considered at this time.

First occupied in 2014 (construction began the year before), the Honda Smart Home has had four sets of occupants (the agreements generally last a year, but there have been a couple of extensions).

The house comprises two bedroom suites upstairs and a guest room/study on the first floor — thus, the number of occupants during any one agreement is flexible.

Energy and water efficiency

With a Honda-developed home energy management system and an energy efficient design, the house uses less than half of the energy of a similarly sized home in the Davis area for heating, cooling and lighting. The home is also three times more water-efficient than a typical US home. 

In addition to showcasing Honda’s vision for sustainable, zero-carbon living and personal mobility, the home functions as a living laboratory where the company, along with researchers from UC Davis and Pacific Gas and Electric Co., evaluate new technologies and business opportunities at the intersection of housing, transportation, energy and the environment.

The top five things Honda has learned at its smart home.

Interested?

• Honda Smart Home Occupancy Agreement 
• Honda Smart Home Occupancy Agreement-Exhibit A (research assignment)
• To be considered, please read both of the above documents thoroughly and complete this online interest form.

For full consideration, complete the form as soon as possible, but no later than 5 p.m. Friday, March 13. Submissions will be viewed as they come in. The chosen occupant will be notified March 23.

Need more information, have questions? Send an email to Michael Koenig, project leader, Honda Home Smart.

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