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Swedish Passive Home Could Cut Carbon Footprint by 8x
Posted By
Bridgette Meinhold
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Architecture,Environment |
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The One Tonne Life project was started and sponsored by Swedish wooden home builder A-hus, renewable energy firm Vattenfall and car maker Volvo. Designed for a four person family, the One Tonne Home is an experiment in low carbon living.
The home includes many hallmarks of solar passive design, including a tight building envelope, thick insulation, shaded windows, and a strong insulating foundation. These measures ensure that the home can be powered completely by thin-film solar panels on the roof of the house and the carport. The home will be built by A-hus, whose goal is to build climate-smart wooden houses.
Inside, energy efficient appliances, LED lighting, energy monitoring, daylighting, and a specialized recycling and waste management system help to reduce the environmental impact of the family. The family chosen for the experiment will also receive a Volvo Electric C30 that can be fully charged in 8 hours using the home’s solar panels and a home charging connection made by Vattenvall.
During the experiment, the family is expected to go about their normal day-to-day lives including work and school, and they will be interviewed and filmed about their experiences. The goal of the project is to reduce the average Swede’s carbon emissions from six to eight tonnes of CO2 per year down to just one tonne by placing the family in an energy-smart house, with an electric vehicle and a source of clean electricity. Do you think you have what it takes to live a One Tonne Life?
Via Treehugger
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This beautiful One Tonne Home was designed by Gert Wingårdh, as an experimental test house for low-carbon living. The two-story home makes the most of its small footprint and utilizes solar passive design to maintain an extraordinarily degree of energy
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The goal of the project is to see if a family of four can reduce their carbon footprint from 6-8 tonnes of CO2 per person down to one tonne per person.
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A-hus, Volvo and Vattenfall have partnered to design the house in order to reduce the family’s footprint, while still allowing them to live a normal life.
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The family will be given a Volvo Electric C30, which can be fully charged in 8 hours from the home’s solar electric system.
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The family will stick to their normal lives and schedules and go to and from work and school.
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The electric car will use a charging station made by Vattenfall that is mounted in the home’s car port.
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The photovoltaic solar system on the roof and the car port should provide enough energy for the entire househould, with enough leftover energy to charge the car once each day.
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The Volvo Electric C30 takes 8 hours to charge and has a range of 150 km on one charge.
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The top speed of the Volvo C30 DRIVe Electric is governed to about 130 km/h. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h takes 10.5 seconds.
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Water and energy-efficient appliances will be used throughout the home.
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The family of four chosen for this experiment will also be expected to take part in interviews and filming of their experiences in the home.
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Daylighting, a tight building envelope, and thick insulation are key features that make the home very energy-efficient.
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The home was designed by architect Gert Wingårdh and built by wooden house experts A-hus.
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The two-story home is inspired by traditional Swedish architecture with a modern twist. It has three bedrooms and one that could function as a guest room or office.
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