Swedish Passive Home Could Cut Carbon Footprint by 8x

This beautiful One Tonne Home was designed by <a href="http://www.wingardhs.se/php/flash.html" target="_blank">Gert Wingårdh</a>, as an experimental test house for low-carbon living. The two-story home makes the most of its small footprint and utilizes <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/06/14/japan-gets-its-first-passive-house/">solar passive design</a> to maintain an extraordinarily degree of energy efficiency. Soon a lucky family will move into the super energy-efficient home in Hässelby to see what it takes to live a "One Tonne Life" - 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.

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.

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.

The family will be given a Volvo Electric C30, which can be fully charged in 8 hours from the home's solar electric system.

The family will stick to their normal lives and schedules and go to and from work and school.

The electric car will use a charging station made by Vattenfall that is mounted in the home's car port.

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.

The Volvo Electric C30 takes 8 hours to charge and has a range of 150 km on one charge.

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.

Water and energy-efficient appliances will be used throughout the home.

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.

Daylighting, a tight building envelope, and thick insulation are key features that make the home very energy-efficient.

The home was designed by architect Gert Wingårdh and built by wooden house experts A-hus.

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.