What would be the perfect “green” home?

For starters, its location in relation to the sun would maximize solar heat gain in the winter and minimize it in the summer. It would have a geothermal heating and cooling system, and it would also boast two different solar technologies — solar thermal for heating water and solar electric (photovoltaic) for generating electrical power.

In fact, even at 3,400 square feet, the home would be so energy efficient that it could be heated and cooled for less than $75 a month.

The house would also be furnished with products that are environmentally sustainable, like bamboo floors and tile made from recycled glass. The gardens would feature native plants that tolerate the region’s climate and soil conditions, and most of the gardens’ water needs would come from a 12,000-gallon cistern system that collects rainwater from the roof.

The Cliffs Cottage at Furman is Southern Living magazine’s first “green” showcase home. It was built on campus in 2008 to serve as a model of environmentally responsible design, sustainable building techniques and materials, and energy-saving systems.

The home features a passive solar design, which integrates an assortment of building features to reduce the need for cooling and heating and daytime artificial lighting. The home is situated along an east/west axis to maximize solar heat gain in the winter and minimize it in the summer. On the south side of the cottage, a long roof overhang shades the house in summer and allows the sun to heat the home in the winter months.

The home uses an energy-efficient, precast foundation, natural stone and two types of insulation to seal the home and preserve its thermal mass. The exterior stone absorbs heat that is slowly released after the sun goes down. The spray foam insulation, free of formaldehyde, seals off air leakage, moisture, airborne allergens and noise pollutants. The fiberglass insulation is environmentally sound, with a minimum certified recycled glass content of 25 percent. The pervious concrete, permeable brick and gravel pave used across the site in parking areas and main walkways allow stormwater to filter back into the soil instead of draining into streams and rivers.

The Cliffs Cottage has a geothermal heating and cooling system, which is the most environmentally responsible and energy efficient system available. The direct exchange ground source heat pump uses the earth’s constant underground temperatures to heat the home in the winter and cool it in the summer. Ground source heat pumps can reduce heating and cooling costs by as much as 50 percent, and they usually last three times longer than air source systems.

Read more . . .

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Tags: airborne allergens, artificial lighting, bamboo floors, geothermal heating and cooling, geothermal heating and cooling system, Innovation, native plants, noise pollutants, passive solar design, recycled glass, responsible design, solar technologies, southern living magazine, thermal mass

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 7th, 2009 at 3:07 pm and is filed under Innovation, Science Digest / Science Daily, environment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.