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ZeroHouse: Automatically Generates Power, Collects Own Water
inhabitat.com — This completely self-sustaining prefabricated house generates its own power, collects its own water, processes its own waste and is 100% automatic. Versatile, durable and site-sensitive, ZeroHouse can be erected in almost any location in one day with steel frame components and a helical-anchor foundation system that requires no excavation.
jaybol- 796 diggs
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- nahsrocketeer75, on 03/28/2008, -0/+5Wow. The thing looks so cool, almost like it's ready to take flight. One question I have is dimensions: I'm thinking it's probably quite small since they don't seem anxious to talk about it.
- ihavebeenseen, on 03/28/2008, -1/+1on the website http://www.zerohouse.net/ they talk about a house brain.
hmmm, I seem to remember an Outer Limits episode like that. It did not work out so well. - Wrathernaut, on 03/29/2008, -0/+1I'm surprised there's no mention of a way of completely darkening the TV viewing area, as you could place the TV in a much lower brightness (less power consumption) viewing mode... or for the daytme viewing your (temporarily) light-sealed room could have a translucent white screen behind the LCD TV that's backlit by the outdoor light.
- ihavebeenseen, on 03/28/2008, -1/+1on the website http://www.zerohouse.net/ they talk about a house brain.
- DrWho520, on 03/28/2008, -0/+10I have a huge interest in all the modern pre-fab homes I have been seeing lately. My biggest question is would this meet to Florida building codes? It does not even look like it would survive a cat-2, much less a 3 or 4.
- MacEnvy, on 03/28/2008, -0/+2It says it's good up to 140 mph winds.
- bubba9999, on 03/29/2008, -1/+2It has a cistern on the roof weighing 2700 gal x 8 pounds/gal = 21,600 pounds. 15 tons is a lot of weight to hold a little house like that down.
- smurfsahoy, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Weight that is on the roof... Try tying a sandbag on the top of a pole and see how easy it is to keep upright.
- DeskFlyer, on 03/28/2008, -0/+22It's only a matter of time before it becomes self aware.
- Dotcommer, on 03/29/2008, -1/+1i'd love to live here. Get my laptop. Some eco friendly car to take me to the store to get food stuffs, a copy of WoW, or other computer game that eats up all of your time, and I can be the modern hermit!
- gamebittk, on 03/28/2008, -1/+5Only problem is, they make it look like you'd be living in the middle of nowhere.
- ManOfVirtues, on 03/28/2008, -1/+9To be more fair, they are implying that you could live in the middle of no where.
- DeskFlyer, on 03/28/2008, -1/+2I think that's the point.
- roflbrothel, on 03/28/2008, -1/+2Doesn't sound like a problem to me.
- spaceman84, on 03/29/2008, -0/+2Property is cheaper in the middle of nowhere.
- adamblinov, on 03/28/2008, -3/+17dugg.
The more we discuss and start thinking about positive changes, and becoming an environmentally friendly self-sustaining society, the closer we come to achieving it.- ihatepaulspam, on 03/29/2008, -1/+1If hippies really cared about the environment they would commit suicide.
Now that would be a positive change
- ihatepaulspam, on 03/29/2008, -1/+1If hippies really cared about the environment they would commit suicide.
- supernova17, on 03/28/2008, -0/+2I thought it was a futuristic windmill at first heh. Love the design.
- kingcesar, on 03/28/2008, -0/+5Being able to build it in one day is what surprises me.
- topapito, on 03/28/2008, -0/+2You don't build it in a day, it is assembled on site in one day, it is prefabricated. Still awesome.
- smurfsahoy, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1That replaces construction workers with robots, though, who work about 100 times faster and don't need health insurance. Should be dirt cheap.
- topapito, on 03/28/2008, -0/+2You don't build it in a day, it is assembled on site in one day, it is prefabricated. Still awesome.
- Designliving, on 03/28/2008, -3/+0This is pretty cute - I want one!
- h0ser, on 03/28/2008, -1/+4Yea, it looks to be about the size of a small apartment. There was two bedrooms, pretty small ones though. Still I think it'd be great to have a house like this, save a tonne of money on bills, assuming that they don't cost a million dollars. I don't understand why people would continue to build regular houses when ones like these are available.
- Skitzzo, on 03/28/2008, -0/+1I would imagine that they should be able to make larger or more modular versions fairly easily once they really get going.
- scamerica, on 03/28/2008, -1/+10That's a nice tent!
- Nudar, on 03/28/2008, -5/+5Looks nice but please resubmit the article when one of these is actually built (ie, never).
- ProfessorLX, on 03/28/2008, -16/+2but does it suck yo dick?
- vinnythekidd, on 03/29/2008, -0/+1Yes
- FlameInduced, on 03/28/2008, -3/+3Perfect refuge from the imminent zombie infection.
- soot, on 03/28/2008, -2/+4Cool, another floaty dream innovation that will never take off on the market.
- Mrdudeperson, on 03/28/2008, -3/+1And now all we need are some robot overlords.
- ToxicDose, on 03/28/2008, -1/+1And hack it so you can play Doom on it.
- D3koy, on 03/28/2008, -1/+3Make them stackable, so we can put them in cities...If I live in a house that small I want to be near other people...
Can we put the two parts side by side, or straight up, so as to make them more efficient? and can we stack them 15 or 20 high?- BriscoeJr, on 03/28/2008, -0/+2In imagination land anything is possible.
- Kumah, on 03/29/2008, -0/+1I thought this was a sucky Dr. Seuss rhyme. Side by side would work so long as nothing overlaps. Stacking them would block sunlight, therefore blocking energy. So no, you can't stack them.
- Gephoria, on 03/28/2008, -0/+3I want one, ***** paying bills
- waggowaggo, on 03/28/2008, -1/+1Diving board!
- redwritinghood, on 03/28/2008, -0/+7I wonder what the cost to build it is. They conveniently left that out! It's great looking though and beats the heck out of earlier tries, like the dome house!
- junkwheel, on 03/28/2008, -1/+1Just think of all the energy used to earn the money to be able to afford it.
Unless they thought of that too and are giving them away for free. Hint, hint. - wolfdancer41, on 03/28/2008, -3/+0Personally I Think That It's Way Cool and If We Had Some Of These To Put Our Homeless In , They'ed Have A Place To Go!!! The Gov't Probhably Like It Though!
- Aokitsune, on 03/28/2008, -0/+2It's definitely a step in the right direction. The more technology and concepts like these that are considered and developed, the sooner it will be that those things will make it into the average house. It'll be good once every new house is designed and built to be as green as possible.
- doctechnical, on 03/28/2008, -0/+2It looks like a Habitrail for Humans. I suppose they can install a running wheel hooked up to a generator for that extra battery charge.
Seriously, get back to me when someone has actually lived in on of these things for a year and has logged the ups and downs.- Heysal, on 03/29/2008, -0/+2Exactly what I thought of it. I'm not sure I wanna live somewhere that looks like a pet cage unless it can be stuck out in the country on some acreage.
- GeekyGerge, on 03/28/2008, -0/+1Anyone notice how that site's comment moderation logos look surprisingly similar to Digg's?
- roflbrothel, on 03/28/2008, -0/+1***** YEAH! DO WANT!
All they need to do now is improve satellite internet to the point that it's game-worthy. - zekemorgan, on 03/28/2008, -0/+4Somehow I feel the rainwater system won't be as efficient...in Arizona..
- sn0t, on 03/28/2008, -4/+1Anyone notice the Bedroom with no door? Epic Fail.
- WasabiBomb, on 03/28/2008, -0/+3Um... just install one?
- spaceman84, on 03/29/2008, -0/+1What, are you worried about your parents walking in on you?
- Akisej88, on 03/28/2008, -0/+1This is amazing, but is it just a concept, or does someone live in this? Has it been tested, and does it achieve the things it claims? Has this house been hit with 140mph winds? I'd like to see a testimonial from someone who lived in that for a year or two. Also, how many people could it comfortably hold? It looks like something suitable for one or two people, but no more than that.
Still, I'm totally interested. - WasabiBomb, on 03/28/2008, -0/+2Do Want.
I just wish they'd say how much it costs, though. Looking at it from the outside, it doesn't look as though it'd be too expensive- and, heck, the build time and preparation are almost nil compared to a regular house. However, there're a lot of internal features that I think could really drive the price up- plus, it's got the one-manufacturer factor... they can charge whatever they want.
Still, I want one. - x0epyon0x, on 03/28/2008, -0/+1My only question: how would these dwellings fare in areas prone to tornadoes or hurricanes? Sure, it can withstand winds up to 140 mph, but it looks like a strong updraft would rip the solar panels right off or just completely destroy the structure.
- Adam87, on 03/28/2008, -0/+3This is not a new concept. If anyone has heard of an Earthship, it has many of the same principles (Self Sustaining water, power, waste, etc.). This ZeroHouse does have an advantage since it is built in one day...supposedly. Earthship's are primarily made from tires for the walls and the building of one is a lot of hard, manual labor. I agree it is funny how they leave the $ out. I know for an Earthship, you would need at least $75,000-$100,000. For ZeroHouse I would say more, maybe $150,000.
- topapito, on 03/28/2008, -0/+1One question that comes to mind is, when the house is first built, how do you fill the water tank if it does not rain much where you live? Or for that matter, I would also think that the batteries would need to initially be charged no? And in the event that the sun is weak for over a week, what happens then? These are just some of the reasons why houses like these don't pick up more steam.
- WasabiBomb, on 03/28/2008, -0/+6After a bit of research, I've found that there's one ZH in use- in Hawaii. Fitting, because it's designed as a vacation home. It's a bit small for normal living- only 650 square feet. The price looks to be about $350k. They'll need to seriously drop the price before I'll be willing to get one. Hopefully, they'll start getting some competition soon.
- Rosco, on 03/29/2008, -1/+2It looks like two house trailers stacked on top of each other.
- mikeyeah, on 03/29/2008, -0/+1I wonder how long until the Energy companies buy this one and shelve it indefinitely?
- qwertycopter, on 03/29/2008, -1/+1"foundations that only touch the ground at four points to offer minimum site disturbance."
"The house’s garden even gets in on the self-sufficiency act, being fed twice a year by the waste that the house collects and turns into compost."
Um... I have to store poop in my house for 6 months at a time?- numbdigger, on 03/29/2008, -0/+0It's organic.
- bubba9999, on 03/29/2008, -0/+1You store it in your pants for 24 hours first.
- marsbeyond, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1We need a house like this to power our air cars of the future.
We spend seven times as much energy driving around as we use in our homes. A green job boom is what you can expect from the democrats. - jjjust, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1I was thinking the same thought as Mikeyeah. If this has any chance of possibly making it to market there will be plenty of companies that would buy the right and shelve it. Not only will it take money form them, it will take away jobs from all sorts of industries. ANd we don;t want to take away jobs.......(sarcasm!)
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