Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Mid winter visit

Courtyard and Dining roomGlass slot to lower Media Room filled with sunshine Dining/Play room




It's been some time since the last visit to the ecohouse. The bananas by the pool are now huge, as are the bamboo-type grasses across the fence. The house has taken on a personalised feel now with family bits and pieces and an eclectic mix of furniture. The youngest member seems to have taken over the best places: the sunny courtyard and sun-filled dining room.





The garden is awaiting its new-improved makeover to reduce maintenance for the residents. After that, we hope use of the greywater and rainwater will be highly used. With all of the technology in the house, hiccoughs do occur. It seems that one of the water switching devices has failed as the house has been drawing on town water rather than the full rainwater tanks recently - soon to be fixed.



The subterranean "Media Room" has become a very tranquil bedroom with warming sunshine spilling in through the glass ceiling slot.
Post-occupancy analysis of energy use has shown that with a family of 5, energy consumption is higher than originally estimated and exceeds the daily energy generated by the solar panels. However, with the paperwork finally sorted out with the energy supplier, the owners should now be earning money from their solar panels during the daytime.