A solar powered house in Wales produces 30 per cent more electricity than it uses.
Solar powered house produces 30 per cent more electricity than it uses
The SOLCER House is a three-bedroom property, built by the University of Cardiff, and is able to generate 1,458 kWh of energy, and pulls much less - 1,112 kWh of energy - from the grid.
This is a 346 kWh difference a year, which will save a huge 179 kg on carbon emissions, data published in the Energies journal has revealed, with the thought this could be used in the future.
Dr Jo Patterson from Cardiff University said: "Our research has illustrated how a combination of energy modelling and detailed monitoring can lead to a better understanding of how a building performs. This is very important as we combine individual low energy components into whole systems. We aimed to keep the construction costs affordable, to provide the housing market with something to replicate, particularly social housing, where low energy costs can be a huge benefit for residents ... The energy-positive performance [of the house] can be further improved using water-efficient equipment."