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green design, renewable energy, solar decatha, solar decathlon europe, solar powered home, solar thermal, sustainable design, Virgina Tech Solar Home, aerogel panel, dual heat pump, adaptive solar hous

The home is modest is size. In fact, you can simply hook a semi to it and move it anywhere you want. But don’t be fooled –  they packed a lot of living into the Lumenhaus. The center of the home houses the bathing area, while the outer walls are flanked by a bedroom and kitchen. Many pieces of furniture have the ability to tuck away to adapt the space for other activities. The dramatic outside screens can close when the home detects hot or incremental weather, but still let natural light in through the aerogel translucent wall panels. The solar array on the roof adjusts its pitch to maximize its solar profile and provides the energy to run a dual heat pump.

green design, renewable energy, solar decatha, solar decathlon europe, solar powered home, solar thermal, sustainable design, Virgina Tech Solar Home, aerogel panel, dual heat pump, adaptive solar hous

The heating system uses radiant floor heat that is served by a water-to-water and water-to-air heat pump connected to a ground source coil. This allows the home to get maximum efficiencies depending on internal and external conditions. The integrated controls in the house let you adjust the entire lighting and climate system from an iPhone interface or let the home smart metering do the thinking for you. You can even change the light color rending with the advanced LED lighting system. Learn more on their 10 min video documentaryexplaining how the home works.

+ LUMENHAUS

+ Solar Decathlon Coverage on Inhabitat