Eco-house to be seen at the state fair is designed by David O’Brien Wagner of Sala Architects. It is an Eco-house to its core. A complete net zero house, it makes the energy to be used all by itself and the interiors are also made from the materials available from the lap of Mother Nature. According to Rachel Maloney, the owner of Natural Built Home, “It is the biggest and the best Eco-house so far”. With this house the bills like gas and electricity will vanish completely from your life. You can live with minimum of ecological footprint, when you have a solar chimney and a two story glass wall, south facing triple panels that give a lot of light and warmth in winters, but not in summers. When you move in to the toilet, you see a two handled flusher that uses grey water. Grey water is the term applied when waste water is used for irrigation. Here it is paralleling the concept to the toilet that has a sink attached to it. As you wash your hands in the sink the water flows down in the tank that is later used for flushing.
The toilet, sink and shower is lined around with the recycled glass tiles. And, when you cast your eyes on the floor, You see Marmoleum on the floor, which is completely safe, durable, colorful and easy to clean. The carpet is also completely recycled, as the carpeting is renewed every time there is a need to buy a new one, instead of throwing it away. The floor on the kitchen has cork, which is specially installed to take care of your feet. The counter-tops on the kitchen are made of crushed walnut shells. The mechanical room has all the pipes that keep your home warm in winters, at the same time saving the money and the environment. The electric meter runs backward; this little weird quality of the meter allows you to sell the electricity back to the utility company at the ongoing rates, which is the law. So, the electricity made on the normal sunny days will not only let you use it, but also help you get a check by he end of the day. The rain and the snow water also goes into the ground, qualifying you for the Minneapolis Storm Water credit that reduces the fees you pay to the city. If this is not enough, it also has an electric car housed in the green-roofed carport. Use some solar panels and you can take a ride in the car for free. With all this at your hand you can drive the car for free for 40 years. This awesome creation is spread over the area of 2,500-square-foot, having four-bedroom and two-bathroom. It wears the price tag of $630,000, after state and federal rebates, including everything but the lot. You also have the option of buying the model at the fair, which “We can make that happen for a discount,” says architect Marc Sloot of Sala Architects.
Via: StarTribune
