Eco Factor: Off-grid home generates solar electricity for a low carbon footprint.
With the rise in environmental awareness among the masses, a vast majority of people who’re building new homes want them to be green so as to reduce their carbon footprint and also lessen the amount they have to pay on utility charges. While there aren’t many individuals who can afford a truly off-grid home, architects and designers are leaving no stone unturned to let them have what they want at a cost which is comparable to traditional grid-connected dwellings.
Inspired by a bike rack, Palo Alto Architect, Joseph Bellomo, has designed a sustainable, off-grid prefab home called the House Arc. The house is expected to make a debut sometime later this year on the big island of Hawaii. The design incorporates the use of roof-mounted solar electricity generating film, which will generate enough electricity to power all the appliances and the lights used indoors.
The home is intended to be made from tubular steel armature and is to be placed above the ground on concrete piers or a wood deck and then covered in translucent polycarbonate plastic. The architect believes that an 800-square-foot House Arc would cost about $100,000, which is quite comparable to the cost people pay for a normal house with the same area.
