Seven Sexy Solar Homes: a Slideshow

#3 – America’s First LEED-Platinum Home

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyZWK5djuGw[/youtube]

LivingHomes is a leading developer of high-end, energy-efficient pre-fabs and noteworthy recipient of the first ever LEED for Homes Platinum certification for this super-energy-efficient home in Santa Monica, California. It’s a 2,500 square-foot prototype built in 2006 for LivingHomes founder Steve Glenn. The model home is a—get this—Zero Energy, Zero Water, Zero Waste, Zero Carbon and Zero Emissions home. Solar thermal collectors heat water for use in showers, sinks and for the radiant floor heating system. A 2.4-kilowatt solar electric system provides up to 80 percent of the house’s electricity demand. Given the size of the house, that is a small home solar power system providing a large percentage of energy, illustrating the use of passive solar design and efficient construction to minimize heating, cooling and electrical needs. The LivingHomes model was built in a factory and assembled on site in only one day.