Team UT-Battelle has supported Habitat for Humanity's mission of providing affordable housing for low-income families for many years. ORNL staff have helped in home construction, fundraising efforts, and energy efficiency projects for Habitat affiliates in Roane, Anderson and Morgan counties.
The most recent home build was in the Clinton area, where over 50 volunteers worked a total of 370 hours over 17 days to provide a new home for a local family. Similar efforts, in conjunction with the Atomic Trades and Labor Council, resulted in a new home for one of the families who lost their home in the Morgan County tornado outbreak in late 2002.
At the Lenoir City Habitat subdivision, ORNL researchers teamed up with the local affiliate to bring zero-energy homes to the partner families, providing a demonstration of the latest in energy efficiency, as well as affordable utility bills for the homeowners.