PowerHouse is a builder that is looking to make a real difference by building tiny homes that pull off a pretty neat little trick. A PowerHouse home arrives on the back of a single flatbed truck, and is set up in a single day.
Thats right at the end of the day the home is in place and running off solar energy to top it all off. PowerHouse wants to be a green builder, and to this end they have made they designs sustainable and very energy aware. The PowerHouse concept for the PowerPod is likely to capture the imagination of many, as this unique design has the added additional benefit of instant gratification. Homeowners can start living in their home the same day it arrives.
A big trend in tiny and green homes is for the homes to be off the grid. There is a definite move towards creating homes that are freed from the wide array of problems that are associated with being tethered to the power grid. The first thing that will strike many about the design of PowerHouses PowerPod is that the entire concept seems to be built around staying off the grid. There is a passive solar design that incorporates a solar butterfly roof and solar array. A high level of insulation has also been put into the PowerPod to make the most out of it’s solar roof panels. There are other energy sipping features built into the design as well. The PowerPod uses SIP design and R-28 walls, insulated water tanks, radiant floor heating and high efficiency lighting. PowerHouse believes that their mixture of technologies may enable homeowners to cut cost by up to 80%. The notion of reducing energy consumption by 80% is a very attractive one, especially when one considers the unpredictable nature of home heating and cooling prices.
Water usage has also been taken into consideration. There is also a rainwater collector built right into the roof as well. Composting commodes and grey water technology are additional possibilities which all contribute to making the PowerPod a tiny home that could be completely off the grid.
PowerHouses PowerPod is yet another good example of a homebuilder that is attempting to provide customers an easier and energy independent option. They are incorporating technologies and approaches that were overlooked just a few years ago, and in the process helping usher in a new era in homebuilding.