Zero Energy Home Glows Green When it’s Good for the Planet
So often Prius owners are accused of being pious and smug – just wanting you to know how virtuous they are; by doing the right thing for the planet.
This zero energy home takes that protest-too-much quality one step further: It advertises frankly to the neighbors when it is creating more energy than it is using.
How? Energy efficient (LED of course) lights under the house glow eco-virtuous green when it is producing more than enough energy for its elegantly simple and spartan needs.
But what if the house is not making enough energy for its inhabitants? Well, when when it’s using more energy than it is making, this little house “blushes” an eco-embarrassed red.
Wouldn’t that make your house next door feel just a little piggy? After all, your house always uses more energy than it makes. This house is really setting a whole new standard in devising new ways of keeping up with the Joneses.
But, on the other hand; this has its good side. I’ll bet the neighbors are dropping by to see just why those lights are sometimes green and sometimes red and to find out just how it works this magic! Want to know? Here’s how to build this zero energy house. (Well, zero or better.)
It’s not so hard to make your home an energy producer rather than an energy consumer.
Solar on the roof, geothermal heat exchange in the ground, super insulation in all the walls and low emissivity glass windows.
The south-facing side of the roof is almost half solar panels. The roof hosts an array of panels that are perfectly tilted for this region’s sun.
Ground temperature remains always an even 55 degrees or so, regardless of surface temperatures; whether it is an icy 20 below or whether it’s lemonade weather – 110 in the shade.
So simply passing pipes through the house and down in the ground can cool a summer house and get the warming of a winter house begun. If you are starting with 55 degrees F it is not nearly as as much work to heat a home to 70 degrees F — than if you are starting from 20 below zero!
Geothermal ground heat exchanges are a green option for moving liquids through radiant floors and radiators at the sides of rooms. This zero house in Maine needs no furnace —so it does not use a forced air system; and that is healthier because the air is fresh and cool, but your feet are warm on the radiant floor. And you can bet those features are probably going to be advantageous on a free efile for next year.
Glass can also be a heat loser, so this home uses low-emissivity glass, that does not let the heat escape in winter, and does not let the summer heat in either.
So the super insulation works both ways: even in the lazy barefoot days of long hot summers, this spartan and minimal house never loses its cool.
From Bright Built Barn
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33 Comments so far to “Zero Energy Home Glows Green When it’s Good for the Planet”
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January 21st, 2009 at 10:47 am
The green glow is not such a bad idea – a lot of people like to brag without bragging. The red light on the other hand… People do not like that. Not to mention if you are using more than you are producing you are just making the trouble worse by those lights – even if they are efficient they are a non-zero draw.
So – FAIL – but close.
January 21st, 2009 at 12:01 pm
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January 21st, 2009 at 1:39 pm
I support the idea of making home eco-friendly, but I’m not quite sure I’d want it to glow. A little excessive maybe?
January 21st, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Where is this house?
January 21st, 2009 at 5:42 pm
It’s in Rockport, Maine.
I know a Prius owner who drives more efficiently now, because his dashboard tells him (with the equivalent of the green glow versus the red glow) when he is being efficient and getting better milage.
So it actually affects his behaviour.
So, if you lived here, maybe if all your neighbors knew when you were being a hog, you’d turn off extra electricity.
January 22nd, 2009 at 8:59 am
Is it just me or does that look more like a lab than a house? Not something I’d call comfortable but maybe my dogs would like it!
January 22nd, 2009 at 9:48 am
I agree with Frank, the lights are counter-productive. Doh!
January 22nd, 2009 at 1:10 pm
My dream, a “Zero upkeep, Zero running cost” home is almost a practical reality! Here’s a Light for your yard: – http://www.ecofriend.org/entry.....-and-wind/
and a toilet that pays in free heating gas:
http://www.gardinerch4.com/
Refrigeration can be done, free, from the sun! and don’t forget the windmill! It can run your computer for free! We are entering a new and happier age for mankind, spread the joy, spread the information!
January 22nd, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Interesting concept, but the external indicator lights are highly pretentious. Isn’t the point of going green to help the environment NOT to provide another forum for competition. If you need the threat of scorn from your neighbors as a result of a house that glows red too often, your motivations are misplaced. On the other hand, the idea of indicators as to the efficiency of your house on the INSIDE is a great idea as most people are probably unaware of just how much energy they use on a daily basis.
January 24th, 2009 at 1:35 am
It’s art, at best. Like Brad said, the lights are pretentious. Also, I’d say that the homeowner would be wasting 500w on a statement.
January 24th, 2009 at 3:17 am
Americans come from a different tradition than that green light type of bragging. Our historic past suggests that we should instead provide rewards for every hour of running green and penalties for every hour of running red. Perhaps we could dun people a large fee for running red and send it to the people who are running green. If the penalties are severe enough all monetary power would shift to those who conserve and produce energy.
January 24th, 2009 at 3:36 am
looks like an heat pump or ac unit on the right hand side of the second picture.
January 24th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
It’s a lovely little house in style and spirit. I like the idea of trying out new ways of communicating our ethics and values to each other, instead of our status or wealth. We already know that fur coats and titanic SUVs are effective symbols, but we need some pilot projects like this one to explore new ways of rethinking our social values and their expression to our community. Let’s wait and see what happens with the lights.
January 25th, 2009 at 12:43 am
What? Good for the planet? Where did you hear that shit? Does anything we do except maybe launching all the nukes we ever owned could destroy over 0.000001% of all life on Earth?
January 25th, 2009 at 1:22 am
looks dumb. on the inside i mean.
January 26th, 2009 at 1:46 am
I ride a bike to work and my desktop background is a picture of a clearcut, so yes, I would go for the green lights and pretentiously harp about how I’m Captian Freakin’ Planet every chance I got.
Whoa, nice Excursion, good neighbor. Why do you hate the environment?
January 28th, 2009 at 9:34 am
cool house but the green/red light is visual polution
January 28th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Excellent post. I love how this home uses peer pressure to keep people doing the environmentally friendly thing. However, I cant say that i would want lights on in front of my house or all my neighbors houses all the time. Seems like so many lights would be a bit distracting. Maybe there is a better way to incorporate such social pressures into how we live with out constant lighting.
I also think that using geothermal heating is a really good solution to our heating needs. After all, there is an abundance of heat below the surface of earth that is completely untapped.
January 30th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
“Mike O’Brien Says:
January 24th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
It’s a lovely little house in style and spirit. I like the idea of trying out new ways of communicating our ethics and values to each other, instead of our status or wealth. We already know that fur coats and titanic SUVs are effective symbols…”
if this catches on and becomes widespread this will create a whole new dynamic, instead of red state v. blue state it will be red house v. green house. it will be income based in most cases, those with better means will live in green ‘hoods and those with lower incomes will will usually make up all red ‘hoods giving new, broader meaning to the term ‘red light district’. due to all this overwhelming advertisement of whose who, segregation will be better highlighted and class warfare will only intensify.
January 30th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
yeah… i know, it’s who’s, not whose. i ‘m a fool.
January 31st, 2009 at 3:22 pm
lovely>>
cool house…
excellent ground heat exchanger
February 1st, 2009 at 5:50 pm
thanks..
February 1st, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Geothermal systems are problematic above the Mason/Dixon line. Great A/C in summer but kind of glitchy in winter especially in the more northern areas. Your article also doesn’t mention the enormous cost of building such a structure nor the toxic fluids in the geothermal system and the hazardous materials in solar panels and low e glass. Nice try though!
February 1st, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Although going green is one of the best things we can do for our planet, i fucking hate how its constantly exploited as a bragging right. You shouldn’t have to show of to you neighbors about how environmentally friendly you are, you should just be environmentally friendly. Also it just seems like a wast of resources, I mean, oil was abundant once, and maybe we should learn our lesson, and not wast materials for frivolous aesthetics.
February 4th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
I wish the house design was som what nicer looking outside however it’s eco friendly. Plus great informative ways to make improvements to your escapes for a greener tomorrow that will contribute to your energy saving and make our planet healthier and cleaner!
February 5th, 2009 at 10:01 am
when i saw this zero energy design home.. it make me remembered “the day the earth stood still”..
February 6th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
çok güzel olmuş emeğinize sağlık
February 9th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
(linkback) Cool or Lame? Zero Energy Home Glows Green When it’s Good for the Planet [VOTE] – http://www.thriveorfail.com/26c00
March 10th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
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March 31st, 2009 at 11:32 am
That is so cool! Green is the way to go!
April 17th, 2009 at 12:22 am
I like the red glow. It reminds me of my days in Amsterdam.
August 11th, 2011 at 5:23 am
If the lights cause changes in behavior that is more efficient, it could bring about a net gain. Still, seems a bit much.
March 3rd, 2013 at 3:28 pm
Zero energy homes are now becoming mainstream. We have some in a neighborhood near us, though they don't turn colors. Isn't the color thing just a waste of power?