The Sun House in Chiayi County: high-tech for store, recycling energy and water

In order to create a sustainable building that is symbiotic with the environment, the design team has integrated technology into the design, together with an energy reuse system, using solar photovoltaics, systematic energy monitoring equipment, water recycling systems and heat collection design to maximize the efficiency of all energy sources, so that the building can regulate the environment, store electricity and recycle energy. Through high-tech computing and design arrangements, not only can the house produce its own energy, but resources can also be reused through the recycling system to achieve a balance between electricity, heat and water supply and demand, allowing the house to live in symbiosis with nature while still maintaining living comfort.

Regeneration is the core concept of this project, with environment-friendly construction methods, energy is reused through various recycling systems. Interiors applied up to 90% of recycled materials, reducing resource consumption and carbon emissions during the construction process. After completion, the homeowner increased the overall building energy savings percentage from 49.1% in 2018 to 84.2% in 2021 by improving modules of battery capacity, an increase of 35% in three years. Equipped with a Heat Pump system to circulate heat to regulate the temperature, allowing the house to breathe naturally. The outdoor water collection area is designed to collect rainwater resources and store the rainwater in a 10-ton water storage tank, which can water up to 250 square meters of the garden turf.

The rooftop solar panels consist of 60 cell modules, with a total capacity of 65.57kW, which is the largest solar power generation capacity of single residential building in Taiwan. 9% light-transmitting photovoltaic panels are chosen to semi-block sunlight, allowing the house to reduce radiation heat by 40% and make the indoor temperature 3 degrees cooler than normal houses. equipped with an intelligent system and ventilation equipment, the air conditioner will only be automatically turned on until it reaches predefined degree, so when the electricity consumption is at its highest, the energy saving ratio will also increase. Unlike regular homewares that consume more energy in the summer, this project can store more energy during the most energy-consuming period.

Due to the high coverage rate of solar panels in the main house structure, the power generated with a capacity of more than 300 kWh per day, and the energy storage system is designed to store excess electricity, so that the house can generate more than 70% of its own electricity, and only 30% of the electricity at night is provided by the power company. The excess power generated can be sold back to the power company for about 110,000 sales point rebates per year, and this amount of power can offer electricity for at least 40 households in Taiwan.

In order to use up the remaining wood, the design team constructed an unique display wall on the staircase corner with each piece of wood in different length and in a square column shape and some even with lighting. The bar space on the second floor is designed with the use of the lever principle, and an extension table with rolling steel cables that can be raised and lowered. In addition, the design team placed an indoor two-storey slide adding a sense of childlike fun to the building.