I think it is important, in a changing and impermanent world, to be as absolutely independent as possible. At the moment I am considering the option of building a house with autonomous life support systems, a closed cycle and environmentally friendly. Everyone decides for themselves about the place (region) of construction and, moreover, there are many articles and posts about this. I decided to share the information I found and my thoughts on this matter. I mostly post pictures for clarity. There are a lot of options, I’ll show you some of them.
It all starts with design. There are many factors to consider. An eco-house must be provided with heat, hot water and electricity only due to solar energy and be a net-zero energy home (using no non-renewable energy sources). Thermal energy is obtained from solar radiation in solar (air or liquid) collectors, and electrical energy- in solar panels. Excess thermal energy is accumulated and stored in seasonal and daily heat accumulators. Architectural and design solutions also contribute to long-term heat retention in the house, effective insulation materials. If there is a lack of “solar” heat and electricity, the eco-house uses other heat generators using renewable fuel, as well as a centralized energy system. Local materials should be used to build an eco-house building materials, low-cost in terms of extraction, processing, transportation, allowing the use of house construction technologies without heavy equipment. When operating an eco-house, it is necessary to use natural biointensive technologies for processing and disposal of organic waste (solid, liquid) and to increase soil fertility and grow agricultural products. This can be ensured by maintaining organic farming and growing compost crops to fertilize the garden without bringing fertilizers from outside. An eco-house must ensure the accumulation of the ecological resource of the site on which it is built.
Example.
1. Solar collector.
2.Ground seasonal heat accumulator.
3. Frame pipes with ventilation ducts.
4.Straw blocks.
5.Fans of the forced ventilation system.
6. Heat exchanger-recuperator.
7. Channel in the ground.
8.Reinforced glass
9-10.Polymer corrugated tube.
11.Thermally insulated hot water tank.
12,14,15,20. Air drainage channels.
13. Thermally insulated gravel foundation.
16,17,18.Valves.
19. Local system of bioprocessing and recycling of wastewater to increase the fertility of a personal plot.
Architecture
An example of a house with elements of solar architecture.
The design must take into account the number of members of seven and future needs. 
Architecture of an eco-house-cottage. Appearance and layout 
Architecture of an eco-house-farmstead made from different buildings
When planning, we must strive to reduce the size of the adjacent area taken from nature (the area of the house itself and areas with hard surfaces). The layout of the site assumes optimal relative position house, flower garden, botanical site, taking into account the natural slope, wind direction, surrounding vegetation, soil distribution. 
Layout of the site and surrounding area for an eco-house with active agricultural activities on the site.
Insulation.
Insulation. We will proceed from how a traditional house loses heat. 
All internal heated rooms in different options eco-house structures should be so thermally insulated from external environment so that heat loss per year is less than the amount of heat that can be received per year from the sun and accumulated in the house. Special attention It should be ensured that there are no cold bridges in the housing design. 
How should an eco-house be insulated?
Insulation schemes different designs eco-house buildings.
Foundation
The following types of foundations are traditionally used: columnar, strip, small block foundations.
For the construction of an eco-house from these types of foundations, a bored foundation is better suited. 
Advantages. A bored foundation minimally destroys the landscape; it is cheaper because... digging a pit is excluded; such a foundation does not require insulation, waterproofing or vapor barrier. Its construction requires less concrete and its execution is possible without heavy construction equipment. Radon protection is not required.
Comment. With such a foundation, the eco-house does not have a basement. To accommodate engineering equipment, a special technical underground is built, much smaller than a basement. The equipment can also be placed in ground floor or in technical room first floor. 
Strip foundation for a house. 
Foundation made of small blocks.
Drainage system for foundation construction.
To increase the durability of the foundation and protect it from groundwater, rain and melt water seeping from the surface of the earth, a drainage system is arranged around the foundation. 
Junction of foundation, ceiling and wall. 
When designing the joint between the foundation, floor and wall, it is necessary to avoid cold bridges. 
First floor covering
There are three possible flooring options for the first floor:
a) above a heated basement
b) above a ventilated underground
c) on the ground. 
Walls
During the construction of eco-houses they can be used various types walls It is important to provide the necessary thermal protection and thermal inertia of an eco-house. The structure of the wall looks like this, if we consider it layer by layer from the inside - out: first there is a layer of finishing (whitewash, wallpaper, etc.), then a layer of plaster, vapor barrier, load-bearing part of the wall (made of brick, concrete, wood, soil blocks etc. or frame), insulation layer, ventilated gap, cladding. To strengthen the wall structure, special connections are made between the layers. The wall may consist of homogeneous heat-insulating material, or may consist of a heavy load-bearing part and light insulation. In the latter case, the insulation is always located outside. 
Insulation
During construction energy efficient home You can use any insulation. It is best with a service life equal to the service life of the house. The insulation must provide such thermal protection for the house that the total heat loss in winter is less than the amount of solar energy accumulated in the seasonal battery in summer.
The two most widely used types of insulation are backfill with lightweight material and slabs made of thin artificial fibers. When using backfill, it is necessary to provide for future shrinkage. Insulation boards are used according to the manufacturer's recommendations. If the lifespan of the insulation is less than its service life, it is necessary to provide technology for its replacement, including dismantling the cladding. 
Second floor covering
The overlap between the first and second floors is ordinary, if the second floor is heated 
Roof
Roof types: combined (used for attic floor) and cold traditional (for an ordinary one-story and an ordinary two-story house). 
Windows, doors.
The simplest way to improve the energy efficiency of a window is to eliminate the ventilation function and use thermally efficient shutters. Simple design windows with internal sliding heat-efficient shutters. 
Triple glazed window with thermally efficient sliding shutter.
Entrance vestibule
The entrance vestibule can be quite small - have dimensions equal to the thickness of the wall and the size of the doors. For convenience, access to the technical basement and cellar in winter time years can be made from a vestibule, making it large enough (it is not necessary to make an exit from the vestibule into the glacier, since it is used in summer time year). 
Heating system
Air solar heating system.
If you build a warm eco-house, as described in the previous chapter, then the direct use of solar energy from mid-February to May and from September to October will provide the eco-house with heat.
During this period, the easiest way to heat an eco-house is with the help of air solar collectors. Typical system air solar heating is shown in Fig. The system consists of an air solar collector, air ducts, and a fan. If the room temperature is insufficient, then hot air from the collector enters the room. Cooler air from the room is supplied to the air collector and heated there. If the rooms are warm, then hot air enters the heat accumulator. The air begins to circulate when the fan, which is powered by a solar panel, is running. This system is convenient in that the fan only works when the solar battery generates electricity and at the same time the solar collector heats the air. In spring and autumn, the system works to heat the room and accumulate heat in the daily battery. In summer, this energy is stored in a seasonal battery. 
Airborne solar collector
The area of air collectors required to heat the premises in an eco-house is determined thermal parameters Houses. In the absence of sun, the lack of heat is compensated by a wood stove slow burning with catalytic afterburning of flammable gases. 
Catalytic slow burning furnace
Currently solar system heating system is not able to provide complete heating of the entire house heating season. Therefore, additional stoves using vegetable fuel are used to heat the eco-house. The best are slow burning wood stoves with catalytic combustion of combustible gases (Fig. 6.3). Low heat loss of an eco-house allows the use of stoves low power. In addition, firewood is a renewable source of energy. 
Warm floor.
Air heating
Installation diagram of the heater furnace for the system air heating Houses:
1 - heater; 2-4, 6 - channels; 5 - grate; 7 - fan. 
Furnace heater 
Heater furnace, section 
Connection of the heater with the firebox 
heat flow distribution diagram in a house with air heating
DHW system.
Water heating systems using solar energy are of two types: with natural and forced circulation of water. 
Thermosyphon hot water system with solar water collector 
System solar heating water with forced circulation.
Daily water heat accumulator
Daily water heat accumulator.
EG - electric generator;
TG - heat generator;
1 - water tank; 2 - chimneys; 3 - casing; 4 - channels for supplying warm clean air; 5 - lower (entrance) smoke chamber; 6 - top (output smoke chamber; 7 - smoke supply to the regenerator; 8 - supply of clean air to the heat exchanger; 9 - casing; 10 - heat exchange surface; 11 - intake of clean cold air; 12 - intake of warm exhaust air; 13 - exhaust pipe; 14 - switch; 15 - channel for supplying exhaust air to the greenhouse; 16 - curtains; 17 - vertical ventilation ducts; 18 - smoke exhauster.
Cold
Winter refrigerator built into the wall 
Cellar 
Tired of city noise, dirt in the entrance, receipts for electricity, water and everything else?
In this case, the best solution for you is an autonomous house, and if you have been dreaming about it for a long time, then listen, read, remember. An autonomous home must begin with design. This takes into account the landscape of the area, climatic conditions, wind strength, annual quantity sunny days, slope of the site, proximity groundwater, annual precipitation...
What else is this for – precipitation, wind, sun? Reasonable interest: such knowledge provides an answer to the question of what materials a house should be built from: wood, brick, stone, or homemade adobe. No matter what area you take, you always have to adapt to the whims of Mother Nature.
In the southern regions, it is a good idea to provide additional natural ventilation and position the bedroom so that the first rays of the sun wake you up (it is very good for your health to wake up and get up at dawn). In the evening, the bedroom should be in the shade so that it does not heat up at night. We were going to live in the north - then there were fewer wide windows to preserve heat, and on the north side of the house there should not be them at all. Smallest details must be included in the planning stage. It will cost more to redo it later.
But this is not the most important thing. The concept of “autonomous house” conceals many engineering structures for using the energy of the sun, earth, water, and wind. Such a project has incorporated the definitions - passive and smart home. Passive – simply put, warm. Which has walls made of low thermal conductivity material. Windows – triple glazing. Expanded polystyrene blocks used in the construction of such a house make it possible to reduce labor costs, costs, and construction time.
You may be wondering: what is a “smart” home? - ABOUT! This is a high-flying project that not everyone can handle. Anyone can dream, but make it happen... A problem with three unknowns.
But after solving it, the “smart home” project will ensure your safety, comfort, saving electricity, heat, water due to the complete automation of familiar, everyday actions. Let's show it clearly.
You have several rooms at home on different floors. In some, for example, in the library, you visit only in the evenings, after work. And all day long it heats up to 22-24 degrees, when there is no one there. For what? This situation cannot be called rational. Such, at first glance, little things add up to a huge waste of energy and money.
Or you are in the living room when you meet guests. And they only come to you on Saturdays. What, the batteries will “plow” like crazy for a whole week in the vast hall? A lot of energy is wasted. For what? – Smart home, regulates heat, supplies it to the room when you are there, reduces the access of hot water to the radiators when you leave. That is, it is automatically created comfortable temperature in each room separately, as needed. Set low and high temperatures on the remote control - the system will accurately carry out your settings. Leave the room - the temperature drops to the lower limit, come - the temperature rises to the upper level you set. Thus, you will forever forget what it is like to be hot or cold in your home. Ideal environmental conditions!
Or you drive up to your house by car, press the remote control button a hundred or two hundred meters away - the gates of your estate automatically slide apart, then the garage opens and you, without stopping for a second at the gate or getting out of the car, freely and quickly put it in place. Without pressing the remote control, the gate automatically closes behind you. Fairy tale? – No, this is the work of the smart home system.
You enter the room - the light appears without your intervention, leave - the light goes out. When you turn on the TV, the overhead lights automatically go out and the wall sconces so as not to tire your eyes when watching movies or TV shows.
That is, you forget about turning the lights on and off, about heating, air conditioning rooms, about round-the-clock surveillance of video cameras over your territory, and in case of any interference, the system will immediately report it.
When installing such equipment, you must, of course, first spend a fair amount of money. But after three to five years, the costs are compensated and you receive these fabulous benefits completely free of charge for the rest of your life. This is what a “smart” home is.
The concept of “autonomous house” includes both definitions: it is a passive (that is, warm) house and a house equipped with a “smart” system. For those who have the financial means, you can always order whatever you want. Your home will turn into a fairy-tale palace: warm, light, cozy! And without your intervention. Everything happens automatically. Far from the noise of the city and among nature. Inside the house there is the entire civilization that any metropolitan resident can only dream of.
Where do the firewood come from?
Indeed, where will an autonomous house get heat, electricity, and tap water if there is only one wonderful nature in the area - a forest, a river and no civilization nearby? Is it really possible to use firewood to heat and provide light?
Autonomous house Look at this photo: do you like the house? Noticed the solar panels on the roof? And in the ground there is a metal spiral for collecting heat and transferring it to the house. That is, a geothermal heating system has been installed, where heat is supplied to the house using the working fluid - freon. And solar panels and a wind generator installed near the house provide electricity that lights the house, pumps water from the well, and energizes all smart home devices.
Here is an alternative to “firewood”. Energy reserves will never run out, because the wind, the sun were, are and will be, and the warmth of the earth is at your service. There can be no talk of any firewood: you do not cut down the forest, do not destroy the surrounding beauty, and do not take anything from nature except environmentally friendly wind and solar energy.
A few lines about the details of equipment installation. When arranging an independent water supply system, one cannot avoid such work: it is necessary to analyze the quality of groundwater, drill a well or equip a well, install water filters, install a pump, install a water supply from the well to the house, and arrange an internal water supply.
Another important detail: it is better to drill a well than to dig a well. This will keep the water from getting outside contaminants.
Your home will become completely independent from public utilities, which will free you from the problems of accidents and interruptions in water supply during network maintenance, hot water interruptions, and heating shutdowns. Autonomous system cold and hot water supply will completely eliminate the obligation to pay monthly, without knowing what the payments are for. It’s a humiliating task to pay without knowing what for.
What is good...
Let's talk about the pros and cons of the "autonomous house" project. Are there any benefits from such a residential complex:
Free maintenance of constant comfort and healthy microclimate in living rooms with annually rising energy prices;
Equipment independent of public power grids and communication structures;
Complete independence in maintaining your home, protected from fluctuations in market prices for utilities;
Thanks to high technology equipment increases the service life of the premises;
The danger of fires and explosions is completely eliminated due to the absence of a boiler room or fuel tank;
No harmful emissions into the atmosphere;
Modern fashionable exterior and internal view structures.
...And what is bad:
High cost at the construction stage, installation of equipment and a significant payback period of up to 5 years;
There is a shortage of qualified specialists who can cope with the tasks of high-quality installation of equipment.
Some people consider the price autonomous home high. In fact, if you calculate carefully, it is only 15 - 20% higher than when constructing a conventional building without any equipment.
But all the disadvantages are completely surmountable, you can find a way out of any impasse if you really want to live after the entire construction epic, without paying for electricity, for heat, for hot water, for sewerage. Live, enjoy freedom, the autonomy of your family nest, the nature around, a river full of crucian carp for your morning fish soup. Don't forget to wake up at dawn. This adds health and vigor for the whole day.
The article was borrowed from the site altenergiya.ru
Probably many of you have heard about unconventional methods energy production. These methods are applicable to the concept of a self-contained home. In the nomenclature it is also sometimes referred to as an autonomous house.
Such a house should not consume anything from outside. It can be successfully separated from gas, electricity, water supply and sewerage systems. You can live in it almost for free, with the exception of covering the temporary costs of removing garbage, purchasing some goods that cannot be produced on your own...
The concept of “independent”, in principle, should be considered in a slightly broader sense. It is probably more appropriate to use the concept of an independent estate (farm). This should not be understood to mean that the house should be surrounded by groves of vegetables and fruits, but still a piece of land will be necessary.
So, what do we need in the house?
For typical house it is necessary to use some things (services), without which living would be very difficult and unpleasant, namely:
- heating,
- hot water supply,
— electricity for household appliances,
- energy for cooking in the form of gas, flammable liquid or electricity,
— drinking water,
— wastewater disposal.
The most important thing for you on this list will naturally be heating. Firstly, because in your climate the most energy is spent on meeting this need. Due to the small energy of the sun's rays, it will not be enough for you to use it for your purposes, although the concept of solar heating is starting to gain interest among investors. Even with austerity, a house needs at least 15 kW/m2 of energy per year for heating. This is not a lot, because this figure corresponds to burning about 3-4 kg of firewood, but you will need to purchase firewood.
It’s just that firewood, or briquettes made from industrial waste, which are becoming more widespread these days, are best suited to meet the heating needs of a home.
To heat hot water, you can use solar panels, supported as needed by a conventional heat source - this could be a central heating boiler.
An alternative to firewood and combustible briquettes is independent production biogas. It can be produced in a simple biogas plant, which you can make yourself at home. Unfortunately, in the process of converting biomass into biogas, more than 50% of the energy contained in it will be lost. On the other hand, a huge number of different raw materials can be used in the production of biogas, for example, manure, anaerobic digestion products, grass clippings and plants.
What about the power supply at home? You can easily get your electricity from renewable energy sources, namely wind turbines and photovoltaics. You need this source because turbines and solar panels produce electricity on their own, without any additional effort on your part. And also they do not require expenses, except for occasionally replacing the batteries.
Unfortunately, batteries are needed to constantly store energy between the times when it is produced (the sun is shining during the day, the wind is blowing) and the times when it is used when electricity production is not possible (at night, calm).
Another solution is to produce electricity using generators that run on the biogas you already produce. Using the heat from cooling the body of such a generator, you can get hot water or even heating almost free of charge.
Drinking water can be obtained from your own well. This solution is the most popular, but not only. You can also collect rainwater and, after processing, use it for food purposes. Here it is important first of all to ensure a sufficient amount of rainwater storage and efficient use, providing for the abandonment of toilet cisterns, etc.
Wastewater discharges on its own and is not difficult to manage and provide for independent biological treatment by plants.
Many people sometimes think about building an autonomous house. I want to live away from other people, in nature, to listen to the singing of birds and the buzzing of insects, and not the noise of city streets. For people living in remote rural areas where communications have not yet been established, an autonomous house may simply be a necessity. But actually building such a house is expensive and not at all easy, especially in the cold climate of Russia. However, it is still possible to make an autonomous house with a competent approach, using currently available technologies and taking into account Russian realities. So, What is an autonomous house?
Autonomous house is a house that does not depend on infrastructure, external electrical and gas networks, water supply and sewerage systems, etc. The undoubted advantages of an autonomous home are reduced maintenance costs and a reduced impact on the environment, which corresponds to.
Minimum power consumption
First of all, to build an autonomous house, it is necessary to reduce energy consumption to a minimum.
Electricity consumption can be reduced by:
- use of devices with energy efficiency class A+, A++;
- (although you need to know that LED lighting has);
- use ;
- heating systems with A+ pumps;
- septic tank with ultra-low electricity consumption and/or;
- ventilation systems with heat recovery.
The concept of passive was proposed in Germany back in 1988. In accordance with it, the indicator of the energy efficiency of a house is the loss of thermal energy in kilowatt-hours per square meter per year (kW h/m²). According to the standard, a house is considered passive if its heat losses are below 40 kWh/m² per year, in European countries this figure is limited to 15 kWh/m² per year. On average, the heat loss of an ordinary brick house amount to 250-350 kW h/m² per year. A passive house must be very well insulated. Effective insulation must be provided for walls, floors, ceilings, attics, basements and foundations. Walls should not “breathe”; to create a good atmosphere in the house, they must work forced ventilation. Ventilation system in passive house should be provided with recovery, but in Russian conditions Often due to moisture condensation, this system requires too much energy. Therefore, it is necessary to choose energy-efficient equipment for these purposes.
In accordance with the principles passive house windows should face south side and are made very large. Requirement for large size windows are not very suitable for Russian climatic conditions. In winter, large windows in cold climates cause more heat to be lost than gained. When designing a home, you need to find a balance between maximizing the use of daylight and minimizing heat loss through the glass. About houses with large windows I also already wrote. You can, of course, use thermal shutters, but their operation requires additional energy consumption.
Thus, it is not rational to use all the principles of a passive house when building an autonomous house in Russia.
In our conditions it is reasonable to build a house
- with a super-insulated sealed circuit;
- a minimum of north-facing windows, which are best used in regular size, but of high quality;
- it is rational to locate technical rooms in the northern part of the house;
- The ventilation system must provide for heat recovery.
Heating and hot water supply
Typically, energy in a home is needed for space heating and cooling, hot water, cooking, and food refrigeration ( kitchen stove and refrigerator), lighting, washing clothes and various other household purposes. In the case when all the energy in the house is obtained from electricity, in moderate or cold climatic conditions more than 60% of energy is used only for space heating and hot water supply.
Heating sources
There is not so little sun in Russia. It is quite possible to use water heaters as heat sources to provide the home with hot water and heating. thermal collectors, I wrote about them in. You can store heat in a large-volume seasonal heat storage tank.
You can use conventional wood-burning stoves (since trees can be grown on your own plot, this will ensure autonomy).
Can be used heat pumps, however, they still require electricity to operate.
Heating type
It is irrational to use electric heating, since it leads to high energy consumption. It is best to use a coolant, water with alcohol, for example. It is safe and does not release toxic substances, as is the case with ethylene glycol. And water with alcohol freezes at a lower temperature than just water.
To heat with a low-temperature coolant (since heating to high temperature coolant in an autonomous house is a waste of resources), it is necessary to increase the heat exchange area, so it is best to use a heated floor in this case. There is an assumption that warm floors are harmful to the human immune system, and that it is better to walk on a cold floor. I haven’t found any research on this topic, but warm floors are actually not that hot, only 25-27°C. In summer, ordinary floors can warm up to this temperature.
Providing electricity
You can again use the sun as a source of electricity. However, in the central regions of Russia, additional sources of electricity are still needed, for example, a diesel generator or, if the power grid is still connected, a network. Solar energy can provide approximately 80% of the home's electricity. The use of wind energy is also possible, but we are not very strong winds, especially in winter, so large number It is difficult to obtain energy from a wind generator.
To obtain electricity in the evening and at night, when the sun has already set, it is necessary that the home's energy management system be able to store daytime solar energy in batteries.
There are a lot of subtleties and nuances when building an autonomous house - more than when building an ordinary house. Since such a house turns out to be expensive, all materials and equipment must be durable and reliable in order to pay for themselves during further use.
I also recommend watching a very interesting and useful lecture on the topic of a real autonomous house in Russia by Igor Glushchenko.
(13,784 views | 1 views today)
Solar-powered electrochromic window
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One of my acquaintances, a radio mechanic by profession and vocation, found an interesting use for his abilities. He realized his love for inventions in his house, making it virtually autonomous with his own hands. Those who yesterday laughed at Pavel’s ideas, today, after the rise in prices for utilities and the increase in the cost of electricity, are quite envious of the savings that a non-volatile house provides.
Pavel's two-story house is located in the regional center near Kirovograd. And although his street cannot be found immediately, it is impossible to pass by the inventor’s house. A windmill can still be seen from afar. As you get closer, you see solar panels sparkling on the roof of the house. About a hundred house flowers are placed on the glass veranda and in the hall of the house. The house is really warm, there is a heated floor under your feet. Not far from the door - small staircase to the second floor, which resembles a workshop. There Pavel conjures his inventions.
The man says that the idea to make the house energy independent arose five years ago. According to the opinion, the energy workers themselves were in no hurry to change the poles when people were sitting without light.
Background
It all started in 2010. There was another increase in tariffs, and then, in the fall, a planned replacement of poles was carried out in our neighborhood. We sat without light. Nobody knew when electricity would appear in homes. And despite the bright sun, I thought: nature provides so much light, so much energy, but the house is dark, we don’t use it. Besides, who knows what will happen next? How long will the lights be turned off? What if some kind of emergency arises? That’s when the desire to be energy independent appeared,” Pavel recalls.
Stage I
First, the man bought an autonomous inverter. Explains: this is a device that works autonomously. When the power goes out, it starts running on batteries and supplies beep. The device converts low-voltage battery voltage into 220 volts.
Then there were not enough batteries, I gradually bought them, charged them from the generator, the inverter supplied voltage, everything was silent and worked well. That’s how I got electricity in my house, while my neighbors were without electricity,” says Pavel.
Stage II
He subsequently purchased a solar battery. I ordered it from the Home Energy online store. Then, he recalls, the device cost about three thousand hryvnia. Today Pavel has four batteries. One, he admits, was not enough.
Stage III
After some time, I also purchased a wind generator. The wind can be strong, so I also wanted to use it. Besides, it's not always sunny. Less solar energy is produced in winter. Especially this year. It seems this winter has been less sunny for the last 130 years. That's why I didn't completely give up electricity. When it is sunny, the house is independent of the central power supply. If not, automatic switching is triggered. If there is a lot of sun, there will be charging and shutdowns; if there is little, then the central power grid is partially used,” explains Pavel and adds that the lighting in the house turns on and off automatically.
Evening comes - the light turns on, morning - turns off. All light bulbs are 12 volts, some are 24 volts. They are installed throughout the house. IN dark time for a day there is light everywhere, as if it were day. You won't even see any switches! These bulbs use unconverted electricity, which means minimal costs.
Future plans
In the near future, Pavel plans to install a solar concentrator. Explains: this is a rotary device. It collects solar energy and focuses it, directing it to those places in the battery that are not directly hit by rays. He says this will allow you to receive the maximum possible amount of solar energy at any time of the day. The man has already equipped his own autonomous heating system, refusing gas boiler. He says he developed it from all the heating systems existing today.
Briefly about home heating
Recuperator, air conditioner, heat pump - this system is very difficult to explain. In short, under the floor I have a chamber with batteries, under which all kinds of rubbish smolder - grass, garbage, wood. It smolders like a cigarette and transmits energy through pipes that are connected to common system Houses. One goes through specially built channels carbon monoxide, for others - clean air. This system is called a recuperator, and can also be called a kind of boiler. Smoke comes out through chimneys. It is already cold, since the temperature of everything that burns is transferred directly to the batteries, explains the inventor.
The plans include manufacturing a collector. He assures that this is a device that he plans to place on the second floor of the house, to heat the house without any solar panels. I'm planning to make a collector. It will be a large box, black inside. The collector catches the rays, heats it and pumps it warm air straight to the house,” explains Kirovograd Kulibin.
A couple of tips for those who want to make their home efficient and autonomous
The person admits that he has not calculated exactly how much money he saves by making the house virtually energy independent. However, he claims that energy costs are now 70% less. Many people now want to make their home energy independent. But a lot of money needs to be spent on this. Five years ago it cost me about 20-30 thousand hryvnia. But I tried to save money on everything. Of course, you can't save money on solar panels. But you can use batteries, and besides, I’m good at using them. From several old ones, for example, I collected two or three powerful ones,” explains Pavel and gives advice to those who want to start really saving and little by little making their home autonomous.
Firstly, you need to insulate the house. Very large expenses go towards heating the street, especially in those who use central heating. Main task- keep what warmth there is. You can insulate the room yourself. It is enough to cut out foam plastic plates of the required size, attach them to the walls with Ceresite, and make external finishing and that's all. For example, I am planning to make a kind of chamber around the house - from glass flasks that will give the effect of a thermos,” says the radio mechanic.
Secondly, purchase a minimal “gentleman’s” set. An inverter to be able to use electricity when the lights are turned off, and at least a battery,” advises Pavel. Installing solar panels is somewhat problematic. For many of them there is nowhere to go. In addition, in apartment buildings, appliances can be stolen. It is more convenient to install both a solar battery and a collector for those who have private houses.
When I first started making my home energy independent, many people were skeptical and said that nothing would work, that my intentions were nonsense. It is cheaper to pay for utilities than to buy solar panels. But now, after the rise in tariffs and government announcements about raising prices in the fall, such reproaches no longer exist. Many people are interested on the contrary. True, our region is somewhat backward in this sense. In the south and west of the country there are many owners who have installed solar panels. People are beginning to understand that autonomous houses are the future,” Pavel campaigns.
How to make an autonomous house with your own hands: real experience
The article describes a person’s experience in creating an autonomous house with his own hands, as well as different ways heating the house.
We build a house with our own hands
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Autonomous private house
Probably many of you have heard about unconventional methods of energy production. These methods are applicable to the concept of a self-contained home. In the nomenclature it is also sometimes referred to as an autonomous house.
Such a house should not consume anything from outside. It can be successfully separated from gas, electricity, water supply and sewerage systems. You can live in it almost for free, with the exception of covering the temporary costs of removing garbage and purchasing some goods that cannot be produced on your own.
The concept of “independent”, in principle, should be considered in a slightly broader sense. It is probably more appropriate to use the concept of an independent estate (farm). This should not be understood to mean that the house should be surrounded by groves of vegetables and fruits, but still a piece of land will be necessary.
So, what do we need in the house?
For a typical home, it is necessary to use some things (services) without which living would be very difficult and unpleasant, namely:
- heating,
- hot water supply,
- electricity for household appliances,
- energy for cooking in the form of gas, flammable liquid or electricity,
- drinking water,
- wastewater disposal.
The most important thing for you on this list will naturally be heating. Firstly, because in your climate the most energy is spent on meeting this need. Due to the small energy of the sun's rays, it will not be enough for you to use it for your purposes, although the concept of solar heating is starting to gain interest among investors. Even with austerity, a house needs at least 15 kW/m2 of energy per year for heating. This is not a lot, because this figure corresponds to burning about 3-4 kg of firewood, but you will need to purchase firewood.
It’s just that firewood, or briquettes made from industrial waste, which are becoming more widespread these days, are best suited to meet the heating needs of a home.
To heat hot water you can use solar panels, supported as needed by a conventional heat source - this could be a central heating boiler.
An alternative to firewood and combustible briquettes is the independent production of biogas. It can be produced in a simple biogas plant, which you can make yourself at home. Unfortunately, in the process of converting biomass into biogas, more than 50% of the energy contained in it will be lost. On the other hand, a huge number of different raw materials can be used in the production of biogas, for example, manure, anaerobic digestion products, grass clippings and plants.
What about the power supply at home? You can easily get your electricity from renewable energy sources, namely wind turbines and photovoltaics. You need this source because turbines and solar panels produce electricity on their own, without any additional effort on your part. And also they do not require expenses, except for occasionally replacing batteries.
Unfortunately, batteries are needed to constantly store energy between the times when it is produced (the sun is shining during the day, the wind is blowing) and the times when it is used when electricity production is not possible (at night, calm).
Another solution is to produce electricity using generators that run on the biogas you already produce. Using the heat from cooling the body of such a generator, you can get hot water or even heating almost free of charge.
Drinking water can be obtained from your own well. This solution is the most popular, but not only. You can also collect rainwater and, after processing, use it for food purposes. Here it is important first of all to ensure a sufficient amount of rainwater storage and efficient use, which involves the abandonment of toilet cisterns, etc.
Wastewater discharges on its own and is not difficult to manage and provide for independent biological treatment by plants.
We build a house with our own hands
A house that consumes nothing from the outside world. With the exception of goods necessary for the person himself.
DIY autonomous house
The constant rise in energy prices, the high cost or impossibility of connecting to centralized gas and electricity networks forces suburban residents to look for ways to solve these problems. One option is to build an autonomous house. Our portal has already repeatedly talked about the main components of such a home. Practice shows that solving the problem of building an autonomous cottage requires an integrated approach.
So, from this article you will learn:
- What is an autonomous house?
- Why does it need additional insulation?
- Which engineering solutions most often used in an independent house.
Features of the construction of an autonomous house
Any construction country house you should start with a project, and the project is usually preceded by the idea and desire to have a cottage with a certain set of qualities. One of the key requirements that must be met country house- these are comfortable living conditions. Heat, light, water - the basic components normal life on their own land. Having excluded one of them, for example, having lost heating in winter or electricity, we switch to extreme conditions accommodation.
Therefore, any person who decides to build a house must first find out whether all the necessary communications are on the site or are foreseen in the future. You can get water yourself - by drilling a well or digging a well, but without permanent source electricity and heat, a modern house turns into a cold box.
Don't work circulation pumps, water does not flow from the tap, the heating system stops (we will leave the so-called gravity system outside the scope of this article, with natural circulation coolant), TV, computers, lighting, etc. do not work.
Practice shows that it is not always possible to connect a cottage to a centralized power grid and install main gas. The reasons are the high cost of connection, lack of sufficient electrical power, etc. The thought appears - to go “autonomous”, i.e. build a house that is independent of energy suppliers.
One day I realized that I didn’t want to live in the city. I was drawn to nature, a certain idea appeared with agriculture. I started looking for a plot for a small farm and my own house.
As a result of the search, the user found out that everything that is offered and suits his requirements does not have communications. There is no electricity, water, or gas, and they were asking exorbitant sums for connecting to the power grid. Kolhoz began to study FORUMHOUSE on the subject of alternative energy. So, over time, he got a solar power plant for autonomous living, which will be discussed below. Moreover, such a case is far from isolated.
From my site to a line of suitable power is about 800 meters. Naturally, for 550 rubles. No one was going to do the power supply for me. It’s not even worth talking about main gas. The amounts are unrealistic.
As a result, Nickd55 assembled an autonomous power supply system for himself. It included solar panels, 2 wind generators, batteries and automation. All this cost about 5 times less than what the monopoly networks wanted to get.
Since I made myself “autonomous”, I forgot what a gas generator and accidents at a substation are, when the entire village is plunged into darkness. Now I calmly wait for electricity to be supplied to me. My system will become an emergency system and will simply save my costs on network electricity.
Uninterrupted power supply - cornerstone, on which the work of all is based engineering systems modern house.
Often, when we hear the phrase “autonomous house,” the imagination pictures an expensive high-tech cottage, hung with solar panels, solar collectors and a wind turbine on the site.
Therefore, many are stopped by the price of such systems. However, for recent years changes have occurred, and equipment for building “autonomy” has become more accessible to the mass consumer.
FORUMHOUSE has already talked in detail about the features of choosing an alternative energy source for an autonomous home. Let's look at this problem from a different angle and formulate the basic requirements for such a home.
Autonomous house design
The climate in our country is harsh, cold, and heating season, depending on the region of residence, can last 6-7 months. That is, reliable and trouble-free operation heating systems in an autonomous house come first. For work modern system heating (if we do not use stove heating) requires electricity.
Electricity is also necessary for operation pumping station, submersible pumps and all household equipment in the house. The power of an autonomous power plant depends on the amount of electricity consumed. At the same time, it is overlooked important point- It’s not enough to just calculate the energy consumption in the house, you need to reduce it to a minimum.
If we don’t do this and simply increase the power of the power plant, we will end up with an unjustified increase in the cost of the entire system. Payback period of the system ( economic benefit from the construction of an autonomous house) in this case will exceed all reasonable limits.
Therefore, the house must be designed for autonomous use from the very beginning. By hanging solar panels and a solar collector on an uninsulated timber cottage, we get an unbalanced system. Those. Some of the energy received from alternative sources will simply fly out into the street.
In addition, batteries must be installed so that they are exposed to maximum sun rays(for example, on the southern slope of the roof). If the house has already been built, but during its construction it was not correctly oriented to the cardinal directions (south and north), you will have to rack your brains about where and how to place solar panels, install special fasteners, allocate space on the site for batteries, etc.
Installing solar panels or a solar collector according to the “just hang it up” principle can lead to the fact that they will look like an alien element on the house, violating the entire aesthetics of the building.
There is also another approach, when the structure of the house and its design are completely “tailored” for the installation of solar panels and solar collectors. The angle of inclination of the roof slope for the installation of photocells is adjusted to 70 degrees. There is no “decoration”, bay windows, arches, etc. The house looks more like a box.
Those. for the sake of engineering and autonomy, the beauty of the house and its architecture are sacrificed. Not everyone likes this (industrial, cubic) cottage design, and the building may simply not fit into the site.
Conclusion: the autonomy of the house must be laid down at the design stage, and every detail must be in its place. In this case, a balance of all elements is achieved.
From here - the optimal “fit” of the house on the site, the size of the windows, the configuration of the cottage, the shape of the roof, space for a solar system and solar panels, etc. - all this is thought out in advance, and not left “for later.”
The need for insulation and hiring an engineer
An autonomous house is, first of all, an economical house, with reduced electricity consumption and minimal heat loss.
You can reduce energy costs by knowing the ways in which it is lost. The ventilation system, windows, walls, floor, roof are the main “paths” along which heat escapes from the house. An autonomous house, ideally, should be built according to passive house building standards, for which a closed, hermetically sealed thermal insulation circuit is erected, cutting off all “cold bridges”.
In an energy-efficient house, all costs associated with energy consumption and loss are reduced by 30-70% compared to a conventional house.
The energy efficiency of a cottage could be determined by the coefficient of seasonal thermal energy use - E.
DIY autonomous house
Technology and design of a house independent of external electrical and gas networks. Constant increase in energy prices, high cost or impossibility of connecting
