New Vegas home: luxury minus the energy footprint
The New American Home 2009 that will highlight this week’s International Builders’ Show and Nextbuild in Las Vegas could qualify for McMansion-plus status, if it weren’t for its high levels of energy efficiency.
The 8.721 square-foot (810 square meters) home that’s five minutes from the famed Las Vegas Strip has all the amenities you’d expect in a home that shares a neighbourhood with Wayne Newton: swimming pool, wine cellar, fountains, courtyard waterfall and a smart electronics system with 10 high-definition televisions throughout. But it’s also spectacularly efficient in terms of efficiency.
Among the home’s green features:
- A 56-panel, 10.64-kilowatt photovoltaic system;
- An airtight building shell;
- Ductworks that provide natural, mechanical ventilation into the home before air is cooled or warmed;
- Solar thermal heating for the swimming pool;
- Low-e windows, spray foam insulation and natural gas-powered tankless water heaters;
- Energy Star-rated appliances and LED/compact fluorescent lighting;
- Window “eyebrows” for shading from the hot desert sun;
- Native, drought-resistant landscaping;
All the features add up to a home that consumes 70 percent less energy than you’d expect for heating, and 61 percent less energy for cooling. The estimated annual electric bill? Just $467.
The New American Home will be open for tours throughout the hours of the building show. For those of you who can’t make it to Vegas in the next day or two, you’ll find a collection of interior and exterior photos at DVICE.
