Build the house and its systems
The house layout, then electrical, mechanical (heating, cooling, hot water), water from rain, ground and air, drinking water, sanitation and waste.
Work through it in this order
- House design: This module takes you from a written brief to a permit-ready, buildable house design that heats and cools itself as far as the climate allows. It covers climate analysis, orientation, glazing, shading, thermal mass,.
- Power: This module takes you from a list of the appliances you own to a working, safe, stand-alone power system. You will measure your energy needs, check your sun, wind and water resources, choose a system layout and.
- Heating and cooling: This module takes you from a heating and cooling load estimate to working systems for space heating, cooling, ventilation, hot water, cooking and refrigeration, all sized to run without utility connections. It puts.
- Water: This module takes you from a daily water budget to a working, tested supply of safe drinking water. It covers conservation, choosing and assessing sources (rainwater, wells, springs), storage sizing for the dry season,.
- Sanitation: This module takes you from understanding what wastewater your household makes, through the legal approval route, to choosing, sizing, building and running a safe system. It covers septic tanks and drainfields, mounds.
- Waste and compost: This module shows you how to measure your waste, cut it at the source, and turn food, garden and animal waste into compost, worm castings and, where it makes sense, biogas. It also covers how to store and legally.