Check it out. The price tag is $900,000 for a home that looks like a trailer. It's 800 square feet, which is about the size of a "mobile home" in any trailer park.
The significant feature is that it was designed to be "off the grid." That means
It was supposed to be a shining example of the green movement -- a completely independent solar-powered house with no gas or electrical hookups.So...
Seven months ago, officials gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the $900,000 house owned by the city of Troy that was to be used as an educational tool and meeting spot.
But ...
it never opened to the public. And it remains closed.
Why?
Frozen pipes during the winter caused $16,000 in damage to floors, and city officials aren't sure when the house at the Troy Community Center will open.
"It's not safe right now, and there's no estimated opening time because it depends on when we can get funding," said Carol Anderson, director of the city's Parks and Recreation Department.
Imagine that ... frozen pipes in Michigan's winter in a home that's solar powered. Seems that the sun rarely shines during snowy below-zero freezing days.
As a result of the problems, the Oakland County Planning and Economic Development Department, which advertised tours of the house for its Tuesday Oakland County Green Summit, cancelled the tour.
Bret Rasegnan, planning supervisor for the department, said the solar tours have been removed from the finalized agenda for the summit.
"It is disappointing that we can't tour, but the summit will still be of great value. I don't think it's reflective of the technology."
Oh, but it is fully "reflective of the technology." That's the point.
This is the very reason to have the tour. Too many tours of the future show it as being perfect, pristine, a utopia. How about showing dystopia? It would be even more educational to show the results of plans that go awry. We rarely learn from our successes; instead we learn from our failures.
And what would be the lessons learned here? First and foremost the cost is out of line by a factor of 10 even if everything worked perfectly. Second, the technology is not there or even anything near there for people who want to live “off the grid.” There are people who do. They are known as African villagers or Ted Kacynski.
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Good news! The Troy Solar Decathlon is open for a tour on Saturday as part of the 2009 Michigan Sustainable Homes and Businesses Tour (October 10, 10 am - 4 pm)!
ABOUT THE HOUSE:
ALOeTERRA permanently resides at the Troy (Mich.) Community Center as a demonstration home for public enjoyment and environmental engagement. The Lawrence Technological University ALOeTERRA home was part of the Solar Decathlon 2007, an international competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and later purchased by the City of Troy.
Though the space is small, you’ll find it has much to offer inside and out, serving as a demonstration of some of the sustainable strategies that can be used in your home or workplace, including an exterior built of environmentally-friendly structurally insulated panels (SIPs) and a recyclable natural titanium zinc material. The solar panels (36 photovoltaic panels on the roof) are intended to generate enough electricity to live comfortably and power an electric car. Inside, the home is illuminated with energy-efficient fluorescent lights and LEDs. Evacuated tube collectors save energy and the solar chimney protects indoor air quality.
Come and see it for yourself!
ABOUT THE TOUR:
The 2009 Michigan Sustainable Homes and Businesses Tour
October 10th, 2009, 10 am - 4 pm.
The Michigan Sustainable Homes and Business Tour (MSHBT) takes place in conjunction with the ASES National Solar Tour. While the National Solar Tour has a main focus on buildings and systems, that use solar in some element of the design of the building. This can be passive solar, solar heating, or solar electric. The MSHBT is geared towards all forms of renewable and alternative energy, including wind and solar, encompassing geothermal, landscaping, and a multitude of different sustainability options.
More info or to register: http://www.glrea.org/events/solarBuildingTour2009/
Also check out this link for more info:
http://www.michigan.gov/dleg/0,1607,7-154-25676_25693_48709-222867--,00.html
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