The most cost-effective steps towards a reduction in a building’s energy consumption usually occur during the design process. To achieve efficient energy use, zero energy design departs significantly from conventional construction practice. To successfully design a zero energy house we combine time tested passive solar principles with onsite assets. Sunlight and solar heat, prevailing winds, and the temperature of the earth below a building, can provide daylight and stable indoor temperatures with minimum mechanical means. ZEBs are normally optimised to use passive solar heat gain and shading, combined with thermal mass to stabilize diurnal temperature variations throughout the day, and in most circumstances are super- insulated.
This house was designed as a ZEB house. Its concept is using wind and water to cool during the summer, glass and conductive surfaces to heat during the winter. The clear and purist layout leads to an unambiguous assignment of private areas.