With folks taking the effort to go green these days, have you ever considered whether the home that you live in is green enough? Statistics show that homes actually make up 23% of the energy consumed in the US, while comprise of 18% of carbon emissions. When you throw in heating and cooling bills during extreme summers and winters, you can be sure to bust your monthly budget in the process. How about a zero-carbon house? That’s still some way in the future, but a 2,600-square-foot house that has been constructed is very near to being able to generate all of its own power, according to architect Jonathan Boyer.
Some of the features of this home include an “upside-down” roof that hides a bunch of solar arrays in addition to the ability of capturing rainwater meant for irrigating the garden’s native plants. Apart from that, there is a special system that treats gray water from the washing machine with chlorine and ultraviolet light, where it will then be used to flush the home’s dual-tank toilets.
A trio of geothermal wells located underneath the home will stash away warm water (which in turn has been heated partly by the rooftop panels), where it will then circulate this water to the house for heating and cooling purposes.
A triple-coat glaze on the glass will offer more than double the thermal resistance of standard double-paned glass, while honeycombed shades ensure more heat is retained – perfect for lowering your heating bills in the winter. We do hope to see more and more homes like these arrive in the future, that’s for sure, and soon.
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