A Current Street View of the House in Palo Alto
The goal of Project Green Home is to provide its residents with a high quality of life with regards to air and water temperature while still minimizing energy usage.
Some of the technologies they plan to use are:
1. Radiant floor heating for surface/air heat. Radiant Floor Heating is a form of central heating and cooling which utilizes heat conduction and radiant heat or cold for indoor climate control, rather than forced air heating which relies on convection. Heat can be provided by circulating heated water or by electric cable, mesh, or film heaters.
2. The water for the house will be heated by a solar thermal system, backed by natural gas to be used on cloudy days.
3. Shower water heat will be reclaimed using a device similar to the one outlined here: http://www.gfxstar.ca/specifications.htm, and will be recycled back to heat more water. Additionally, the maximum temperature of the shower and the sinkwill be equal to increase both simplicity and efficiency of the system.
