It may look like an ordinary house, although a modern-looking one, but it is much more than that. This Australia-based establishment is a true power station that generates 100 kWh of energy a day and stores it using Tesla powerwall batteries.
The Garden House, as it was named, is located in Melbourne, Australia and it can produce more than 5 times the energy used by an average house in Australia. While an ordinary household there uses approximately 19 kWh of energy per day, the Garden House generates 100 kWh.
The project belongs to Austin Maynard Architects and it is the company’s most sustainable house so far, as admitted on their website. They describe the house as a power station that pushes far more sustainable energy in the energy grid than it uses. In addition to being a source of energy, literally, the Garden House is also a modern, hi-tech, inner-city oasis.
While you might not guess it by looking at it from outside, the Garden House was designed for a family of five and consists of four elements that look like separate buildings. They are all connected through mirrored glass corridors that reflect the garden. On the outside though, this looks like a simple, white, small cottage, which is exactly what the architects aimed for: to make it spacious enough to accommodate a large family, without looking like a large family home.
The house is equipped with 17 kWh solar panels facing North, East, and West, so that they can maximize the solar output throughout the day. The energy generated by the solar array is stored using two Tesla Powerwalls, which store 26kWh of electricity. There’s also a 15,000-liter rainwater tank under the garage. The tank is used to water the garden but also for the toilets.
The self-powered Garden House is fossil fuel free and uses no gas. The owners have Tesla Model 3 cars that are charged by batteries. The house is fully automated, which allows the owners to control aspects such as the lighting, fans, heating, and air conditioning from anywhere.
The project belongs to Austin Maynard Architects and it is the company’s most sustainable house so far, as admitted on their website. They describe the house as a power station that pushes far more sustainable energy in the energy grid than it uses. In addition to being a source of energy, literally, the Garden House is also a modern, hi-tech, inner-city oasis.
While you might not guess it by looking at it from outside, the Garden House was designed for a family of five and consists of four elements that look like separate buildings. They are all connected through mirrored glass corridors that reflect the garden. On the outside though, this looks like a simple, white, small cottage, which is exactly what the architects aimed for: to make it spacious enough to accommodate a large family, without looking like a large family home.
The house is equipped with 17 kWh solar panels facing North, East, and West, so that they can maximize the solar output throughout the day. The energy generated by the solar array is stored using two Tesla Powerwalls, which store 26kWh of electricity. There’s also a 15,000-liter rainwater tank under the garage. The tank is used to water the garden but also for the toilets.
The self-powered Garden House is fossil fuel free and uses no gas. The owners have Tesla Model 3 cars that are charged by batteries. The house is fully automated, which allows the owners to control aspects such as the lighting, fans, heating, and air conditioning from anywhere.