Eco Factor: Solar-powered prefab homes from Blue Sky Homes.
Different designers have different views on sustainable living. While some of them want you to sacrifice all modern amenities for the sake of the environment, others want you to live the life you want but use the most sophisticated eco-technology to help you keep your carbon footprint minimal. Blue Sky Homes believes in the second alternative, which is clearly shown in their prefab prototype installed in Yucca Valley in California.
The prefab home, which is touted as an “excellent example of clean, efficient, contemporary, desert architecture,” has been installed to test the company’s building system and methodology. The house is based around light-gauge steel framing allowing easy assembly on the site without polluting the ecosystem in the vicinity.
Avoiding construction waste is just one side of this modern eco-prefab home. Exceeding Title 24 Energy Requirements by 15%, this house is powered by solar energy, hot water is provided by a solar thermal system, gray water is recycled for non-potable uses and the paints used to beautify the dwelling are ecofriendly as well. The entire gadgetry is Energy Star Certified and the interiors are kept as open as possible to allow the sun to illuminate the house during daytime.
The company claims that a base model of the prototype would cost $275,000 with $75,000 worth of upgrades, which is not as cheap as some other shipping container prefab homes, but it definitely is a great way to prevent you from going back to the Stone Age.
Via: GreenPacks
