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Cool Environmental Innovations for Home Construction

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by Grizzled, May 9, 2002.

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  1. Grizzled

    Grizzled Member

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    As some of you are doubtless aware, there are a number of experimental houses around the world that were constructed with various high-tech and low-tech environmental innovations. These homes are often called Sustainable Homes for those who may want to do a web search. One such home with a low-tech emphasis was built here in Calgary. One of the key features of this house is that it was designed to be completely free from city services. That's right ladies and gentlemen, no sewer, no water, no power.
    http://www.ecobuildings.net/
    The potential elimination of the reliance on city water is especially impressive since in many North American cities the average water consumption is around 400 litres (100 US gallons) per person, per day! The water purification systems in the ASH, both the potable water and the greywater recycling system, have some glitches, but nothing that couldn't be corrected in subsequent designs, IMO. All the systems used are scientifically advanced, but low tech.

    The blackwater system (toilet waste) is this:
    http://www.compostingtoilet.com/
    A family of four can go a year without removing the compost. Human waste is over 90% water, which evolves off in the composting toilet greatly reducing the end volume. The decomposition process leaves an odourless, garden compost like material, when removed.

    The greywater system (everything else except the drinking and cooking water supply) is purified and recycled through a kind of mini constructed wetland, fish tanks and tanks of aquatic plants and other organisms, based on this technology:
    http://www.livingmachines.com/htm/home.htm

    The potable water is collected from rainwater and then purified with a slow sand water filter:
    http://www.davnor.com/products/products.htm
    and a UV disinfection system. Other filter can also be used.

    One more thing. The home only cost around 15% more than traditional construction, and given that if fully functional it would use no utilities, that premium would pay for itself. The owner, an architect who designed the house and lives in it, is also negotiating with the city for a reduction in his taxes, given that he uses none of the city's infrastructure for water and power.

    Does anybody else know of other sustainable homes or other interesting environmental innovations for home construction?

    (I did a short report for an environmental eng. class several years ago on the water systems in this house and so could try to answer basic questions on them if anyone has any.)
     
    #1 Grizzled, May 9, 2002
  2. Jeff

    Jeff Clutch Crew

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    Cool post, Grizz.
     
    #2 Jeff, May 9, 2002
  3. RunninRaven

    RunninRaven Member
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    Wow, that is awesome. And the fact that it is only 15% more for construction is even more impressive. Certainly I would think there would be some drawbacks of this approach...for instance, what are the odds that the "odorless" compost left over from the human waste is truly odorless? I would say not so great. But all in all, this is an amazing accomplishment, and one that I would certainly look into when I end up buying my first home.

    My only question is this...quickly glancing through the links you provided, I don't see anything mentioning how the house would be a free of the needs of city power. Does it just utilize solar panels to provide energy, or is there some other revolutionary technique (relatively so, of course) to be free of reliance on a power plant?
     
    #3 RunninRaven, May 9, 2002
    Last edited: May 9, 2002
  4. Vengeance

    Vengeance Member

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    I want one!
     
    #4 Vengeance, May 9, 2002
  5. Joe Joe

    Joe Joe Go Stros!
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    Certainly I would think there would be some drawbacks of this approach...for instance, what are the odds that the "odorless" compost left over from the human waste is truly odorless?

    The final compost would be truly odorless. Once compost gets going, its very odorless. Its all about the method of decompostion. If you keep the decomposition aerobic, you won't have a problem. The final compost will have a dirtlike texture the same as if you composted wood since the remaining material is pretty much the same chemically except it may have a better Carbon to Nitrogen ratio.

    Anaerobic decomposition...run for the hills.
    As long as the first chamber is kept at a pressure less than 1 atm, the toilet shouldn't have odor problems. The first chamber will get the new stuff which may take a day or two before it is mixed into to the pile.

    Does it just utilize solar panels to provide energy, or is there some other revolutionary technique (relatively so, of course) to be free of reliance on a power plant?

    Not on this house, but it has been proposed that a fuel cell could be used to power a house. A fuel cell is like a battery in which you add hydrogen to keep it charged. Currently, industry is working to make reformers which will be able to take the hydrogen from hydrocarbons (propane, natural gas, gasoline) to bridge the gap from an oil economy to a hydrogen economy. Still very expensive.

    Fuel cells do produce the harmful emission dihydrogen monoxide which has been found in cancer cells, which many overdoses of it have been fatal, and is commonly known as water.

    A side note, if instead of composting your biologiocal waste, you let it decompost anaerobically...it would produce methane and some stinky stuff which could be run through the fuel cell for energy. If you attempt this, make sure you eat a bunch burritos the day before the superbowl.
     
    #5 Joe Joe, May 9, 2002
  6. Grizzled

    Grizzled Member

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    Edit: You beat me to it Joe Joe! I like your idea of hooking the fuel cell up to the septic tank. :D And I bet y'all didn't think sh*t was worth anything. ;)

    Well, I've toured it several times and couldn't smell anything. The odour comes mostly from anaerobic decomposition, from microorganisms that live in an environment where is no oxygen. Organisms that live in an aerobic environment, where there is oxygen, don't tend to produce offensive odours. The Phoenix toilet uses several different techniques to keep the waste well aerated.

    These toilets have been in use for some time in remote locations where out-houses are impractical or no allowed. They're not cheap though. Several years ago this was a $6000 item, IIRC. There are a number of other systems on the market too. Search "composting toilet" and you will get quite a few hits. The architect who built this house had to do a lot of explaining to the city to get them to allow him use his systems. They are still not well understood by traditional construction and regulatory people, but he made his case and they allowed him build it. Anybody wanting to use similar systems in their houses will probably face some similar problems, but I think the awareness level is rising, as is the general awareness of the need to find more environmentally friendly solutions.
    He uses solar panels, but he also reduced his need for electricity in some clever ways. First the main living areas are all along the south wall, which has large windows (it's the side shown in the photos). The living and dining rooms are on the main floor and the kitchen is open to the dining room and get quite a bit of light too, as well as window on the east wall. The master bedroom is on the second floor. These rooms are quite bright and require very little electric lighting. In the other bedrooms upstairs he has "light pipes" which are like light periscopes that capture sunlight and reflect it into the rooms. He also has an oven built into the massive fireplace that fronts the living room and backs onto the kitchen. He can bake and cook in it when he has a fire going. He also has a portable "solar oven" that he uses outside on bright days. And he has high efficiency appliances, of course. He feels that by adding more panels he could become a net generator of electricity. This would see him hooked up to the city grid, but be a net producer, and hopefully be able to sell his excess to the power company. Interesting idea, but to the best of my knowledge he hasn't arranged this yet. I should note that he is a conservationist at heart and lives a relatively simple lifestyle with just him and his wife. A more "normal" family would have increased electrical needs so perhaps his system would just offset rather than eliminate the need for city power for them.
     
    #6 Grizzled, May 9, 2002
  7. Mango

    Mango Member

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    <b>
    ........Does anybody else know of other sustainable homes or other interesting environmental innovations for home construction? </b>

    I don't think cooling issues are important in Canada, but just in case........
    <A HREF="http://www.buildinggreen.com/features/mr/cooling.html">Passive and Low Energy Cooling Survey</A>


    <A HREF="http://www.azsolarcenter.com/design/passive-3.html">NATURAL COOLING</A>



    Mango
     
    #7 Mango, May 9, 2002
  8. Jeff

    Jeff Clutch Crew

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    The cool thing about solar power is that there are quite a few people in different parts of the country who power their entire homes with solar and even have enough left over that they are able to sell power BACK to the local utilities! Even about a 1/2 roof of panels can bring as much as $300 per month from local utilities. Man, Reliant paying ME! How cool would that be??!!! :)
     
    #8 Jeff, May 9, 2002
  9. Cohen

    Cohen Member

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    Plant materials I understand, but even carnivore waste?
     
    #9 Cohen, May 9, 2002
  10. HayesStreet

    HayesStreet Member

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    Interesting post. Here in England i've seen a TV show that details different eco-homes every episode. I'll see if I can find a link, but I have been really amazed at some of the innovations. Some of the stuff I would have no problem incorporating into a home I was building, and I'm probably not the most eco-friendly person out there.

    Many of the homes with solar power are still on electric grids, but the solar panels used in combination with batteries provide almost all the electric you need. On the occasions where the panels collection of energy is inhibited, the batteries usually are more than enough to provide for the home. If more is needed they are still hooked to the grid. I think at this one house they said they went from around $200 a month to about $5 a month in electric charges, and that goes a long way to paying for the solar setup in a relatively short time.
     
    #10 HayesStreet, May 10, 2002
  11. Joe Joe

    Joe Joe Go Stros!
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    Yes, but it does takes atleast a day or two if the pile is done right. The day or two is going to be smelly, but the first chamber of the compost toilet is at a pressure less than atmosphere to keep the smell from fresh waste from leaving.

    Being done right consists of four important things
    Carbon to Nitrogen ratio needs to be about 30-1
    Moisture content about 60%
    Needs to be well aerated (mixed).
    Heat

    The big thing with compost toilets is to keep the fresh stuff from the final compost. If I was to design a compost toilet I'd have three chambers. One chamber, for receiving and initial processing, which would need odor controls such as a vacuum. The other two chambers would be long term composting areas. This way you can alternate between chambers every 9 months to ensure your compost has spent atleast 9 months in a chamber before removal. I'd also only remove a half of the compost to have something to mix fresh stuff with.

    After nine months, the wastes from carnivores would be nearly the same as that from that from wood.
     
    #11 Joe Joe, May 10, 2002
  12. Grizzled

    Grizzled Member

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    Mango:
    Interesting. I don't think I'd really appreciated the extent of the cooling problem you have there. We have hot summers, but even then we often get cool breezes from the mountains at night. The Alberta Sustainable Home has no natural gas hook-up either, and has R90 walls and R20 windows to keep the heat in during the cold winters. Actually, much of the design of the house is centred around capturing and holding heat. The massive fireplace is exposed to the sun through the south wall windows and absorbs heat during the day and gives it off at night. The fireplace is designed to capture the maximum amount of heat from the fire and transfer it to the rest of the house. There is an infloor circulation system that also captures and distributes heat from the fireplace … Something like a geothermal heat pump might work in your area, though. The architect of the ASH says he would use this technology in his next sustainable house.
    http://www.eren.doe.gov/erec/factsheets/geo_heatpumps.html

    Jeff and Haystreet:
    I think the potential there is incredible, especially when the systems are left hooked up to the grid. Other technologies like wind power are coming on line too.
    http://www.eren.doe.gov/windpoweringamerica/pdfs/wpa/wpa_update.pdf

    There is some real hope for our energy future. Now we just need to collectively take the leap and make the future the present.
     
    #12 Grizzled, May 10, 2002
    Last edited: May 10, 2002
  13. Joe Joe

    Joe Joe Go Stros!
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    Fiddlesticks!!! I meet a solar power guy the other day and I forgot to ask how resistant the latest PV cells were to hail storms.

    The problem with solar power from panels in Texas is that Texas has a large supply of cheap power. Texas added about a quarter of the US's wind power in 2001 and solar panels are far off from beating the wind (off by atleast a magnitude or power of 10) which is also a solar source because is is created by the uneven heating of the Earth.

    Also, the big mirror solar power plants don't work in most of the state because humidity disperses the light.
     
    #13 Joe Joe, May 10, 2002
  14. right1

    right1 Member

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    Has anyone here ever participated in the building of a cob or strawbale home? I know they have workshops all over the country where it's possible to learn the technique. I've also seen that a group of friends or those interested in learning this type of construction have come together to build a small natural earthen (cob) house in a week's time.
     
    #14 right1, May 12, 2002
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