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UWF's Innovative Home

The University of West Florida will break ground by late June on a demonstration home showcasing energy-saving technology and hurricane-mitigation techniques. The half-acre project will be a combination class laboratory for UWF's construction program and a community model home when completed in 2008, says UWF Associate Vice President Jim Barnett.

Builder Philip Russell, recipient of a Department of Energy National Award for Energy Innovation, expects the home to attract thousands of visitors. "I want them to go to their builder and say, 'This is what I want.' ''Among features: Hydrogen fuel cell, photovoltaic cell and solar power, geothermal heating and cooling and new insulation systems.