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Sharp Corp has completed an eco house at GREEN FRONT SAKAI in Osaka, and has begun operation with the aim of realizing a house that emits zero CO2 emissions. Sharp’s dual goals for the eco house are to minimize power consumption and contribute to a comfortable living environment.
The eco house is equipped with cutting-edge energy-saving appliances integrated into a network using HEMS (Home Energy Management System). This makes it possible to use displays, such as AQUOS TVs and LCD tablets, to show how much electricity is being consumed, and it will eventually give residents of such a home a quantitative look at their energy consumption and energy savings.
The eco house is also equipped with LED lighting, which will be evaluated for energy-saving performance and for its ability to adjust the brightness and color of the lighting to the most comfortable levels.
Also to be evaluated is the ability to use HEMS to properly control the energy created by the photovoltaic modules, stored in the storage batteries, and consumed by the appliances.
The Eco House will use state-of-the-art technology in Sharp’s efforts to develop the ultimate in future home comfort. For example, the energy generated by the photovoltaic modules will supply DC (direct current) power straight to DC appliances without conversion to AC (alternating current), while an electric vehicle (EV) traction battery will work in conjunction with the Intelligent Power Conditioner as a storage battery for the house. In addition, a large 180-inch LCD screen will be evaluated for suitability to today’s green-conscious world.
© Japan Today
7 Comments
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YongYang
Will THIS house have insulation?
123chachacha
Why doesn't the gov subsidize for LED lighting to be installed in every house.
YongYang: Japan does seem to have a problem with insulating houses. Thats where they cut costs. There is no law or policy which encourages insulation in the building code.
Foxie
"Green" homes are often a complete fraud! Home builders know buyers want "green" homes. So they leap on the easiest opportunity to make a few simple modifications to the home and then slap a green label on it. To justify this "green" label, they seal off all the air flow between the home and the outside world, thereby creating an "air tight" home that has virtually no air leaks. Because this results in lower costs for air conditioning and heating, they call this a "green" home. However when there's no air exchange with the outside world, the density of toxic chemicals in the air INSIDE the home skyrockets!
Meanwhile, even though these homes are called "green" homes, there is virtually NO reduction in the use of toxic chemicals in the construction of those homes. So all the materials used inside the home are still the same nasty toxic cancer-causing chemicals used in non-green homes: It's the same paint, same glue, same caulking, same treated wood, same pesticide sprays around the foundation, and so on. There's actually nothing GREEN about these homes at all!
To truly qualify as a "green" home, a house would need to be built with low-VOC or no-VOC paints, sustainably harvested wood from a local source, no chemical pesticide sprays on the foundation, and no glues, resins or caulking that gives off toxic chemicals.
Truthfully, the greenest home you can buy is one that's already built because no new materials are needed to build you a new home.
Frungy
I agree with YongYang and 123chachacha. The inclusion of insulation should be legislated.
electric2004
Well, looking at Germany, real zero emission house exist for quite a while, designed and promoted by the Fraunhofer research institutions. These keywords should suffice to look up.
GW
To me this just reaks of mass consumption, I mean 180" screen WTF!
What on earth are they refering to by:
There isnt even a word about what this ""Eco House"" is even made of.............................
JeffLee
Is this a joke? The bulk of a home's energy consumption comes from climate control, heat and air conditioning, in a climate like Japan's
Mind you, the world's leading makers of insulation, glazing and furnaces are foreign, not Japanese. So expect the Japanese to continue waste energy while staging these disingenuous "feel-good" PR campaigns.