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A Solar-Powered House of the Future
on August 14, 2009
Ever leave the house and forget to turn off the oven? Or get irritated that the computer is sucking electricity while you're away? There's an iPhone application for that and it was designed by Virginia Tech computer-science students for the school's newest solar-powered "smart house," The Roanoke Times reports.
But that's not the only innovative feature in the house, known as LumenHaus. If it gets too hot outside, the house reduces the need for air conditioning by drawing its shade panels. When temperatures drop in winter, high-efficiency insulation panels slide in place to conserve heat. The house even brews coffee and turns on your favorite music before you get out of bed.
The name comes from "lumen," meaning "power of light," and "haus," a nod to the Bauhaus architectural movement that inspired the new prototype. The 800-square-foot house will be the university's entry in the 2009 U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon.
The LumenHaus is a big step from the original Solar House design that won Virginia Tech high marks in the 2002 and 2005 solar decathlons.
With solar panels and geothermal heat pumps, the house is designed to maximize natural light use and expand the living space to the outdoors using expansive decks. The new prototype also uses computer automation to save energy and create a more comfortable living space, said Joe Wheeler, an architecture professor and project faculty adviser.
The original solar house was designed by former Tech architecture graduate students Bryan Atwood and Brett Moss.
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