New Show-Home brings power to the people

Ecos Homes NZ today unveils its next-generation sustainable show-home designed for the New Zealand climate, a home that has the potential to produce enough energy to generate income for the homeowner.

The home, in Whangaparaoa’s Stanmore Bay, is the first of its kind in the Asia Pacific region with Philips LED Ledino lighting range and the unusual capacity to produce more power than it uses.

“New Zealanders can build homes that are sustainable as well as looking good and being practical,” explains Malcolm McAll, managing director of Ecos Homes NZ. “Our homes are built to last many generations. Each house is individually designed by our own architects and built to our very high standards by carefully selected tradesmen using materials that are all audited for their environmental credentials”.

Eco homes are growing in popularity and this week Pierce Brosnan showed off his amazing $6.5 million ‘eco palace’. The newly-built mansion on the Malibu beachfront has so many solar panels that the actor will be able to heat the house, outdoor pool and guest cabana and still sell electricity back to the local grid.

Because Ecos Homes want New Zealand to be at the forefront of environmental sustainability, the Ecos Homes showcase features:

· Photovoltaic panels allowing homes to produce their own electricity with the potential to produce more than is needed, generating income by selling power back to the energy company.
· Window and door flashings adapted for NZ housing and unique to Ecos Homes, as well as soffits and gables with generous overhangs that bring back tried and tested methods to keep buildings from leaking.
· The tried and tested longevity of traditional timber glazing joinery combined with a new technology, ‘Thermo Wood’ from Tunicliffe Timber.
· Rigid sarking ‘Steico’ insulation made of natural fibres for a stronger and more protective air-tight home – this is the first time the material has been used in New Zealand.
· A new range of energy-efficient and long-lasting LED lighting from the Philips Ledino range, which focuses on elegant and contemporary design.
· Passive solar elements including large areas of glass that allow solar gain on winter afternoons, while large overhangs prevent overheating in summer.
· Wood burner with hot water booster.
· Sustainable landscaping with a living pantry of everyday foods to meet the health needs of homeowners.
“This home promotes design and build techniques that give a better quality of life and reduce environmental impact,” says McAll. “Our homes promote domestic self-sufficiency, making it easier for people to incorporate environmental choices into everyday living.”