Workers install Uni-Solar panels on the rooftop. Not typical glass panels, these newer, linoleum-like strips are easier to install and are designed to harness Chicago-area sunlight.
Take the best in efficient, affordable home construction, figure in the latest in home automation and add in a cache of green-friendly brainstorms and you'll get an idea of what the Museum of Science and Industry's new "Smart Home: Green + Wired" exhibit is all about.
The exhibit, which opened this week and celebrates the museum's 75th anniversary, is a freestanding, fully functioning home -- called the mkSolaire -- with 2,500 square feet of living space, running water, electricity and heating and cooling systems. To call it a house of the future might be an overstatement, since nearly all of the technologies displayed in this contemporary three-story home are available to consumers right now.
Smart Home
Where: Museum of Science and Industry, 57th and Lake Shore
Tickets: General admission, $8.50-$12; time-stamped special exhibit ticket, $10 for adults, $5 for children 3-11
Information: (773) 684-1414; Msichicago.org
As expected, there are some interesting gadgets on display: a home automation system that tunes into the weather and learns the behavior of the occupant; a security system that lets you view who's ringing your doorbell while you're away (you can even let someone in); a plant-watering system that sends a text message from the plant saying "I'm thirsty"; a smart umbrella with a color ring that changes to blue if it's going to rain and a kitchen countertop compost machine.
Some of the other cool features are: long strips of linoleum-like photovoltaic film (they cost about one-third less than traditional glass solar panels) that are applied to the roof with Velcro; shower tile made of recycled Chardonnay bottles; master bath vanity tops made of old toilets; a dual-flush toilet that regulates the amount of water used by measuring solid and liquid waste; and a rooftop garden. And, as expected, all the walls are painted with low VOC paint.
The home also puts the spotlight on how stormwater runoff can be collected to water the garden and landscaping; how toilets can be equipped to use waste water from the shower and bath; how spray-in foam insulation can completely seal a building and provide better air quality, sound reduction and reduced energy costs; and how strategically placed windows can reduce electricity and heating bills. A survey by Kouba-Cavallo Associates concluded that the Smart Home costs $837 per year to heat and $125 for cooling. (In comparison, it costs roughly $2,021 per year to heat a Chicago bungalow.)
The contemporary, loft-style home showcases the ways people can make eco-friendly living a part of their lives, said Anne Rasford, director of temporary exhibits for the museum.
"The exhibit is about choices and options [for consumers]. We were very deliberate in the choices that we made and wanted to be sure there were interesting stories for each of the products in the exhibit," she said. "People will be able to see the new innovations in renewable resources, smart energy consumption, and clean, healthy-living environments in a functioning home."
With the help of experts from Wired magazine, the home became "smart" with technologies that include a full-home automation system that allows homeowners to control heat, window coverings, lighting, security sensors and cameras. A touch screen tracks electricity and water consumption in the home on a real-time basis.
"We'll have a guide available that goes floor by floor through all the room choices made for the home," said Rasford. "It'll also be available online."
The interior architecture is designed to demonstrate the use of natural light with open spaces and energy-efficient building components. All of the materials in the home, from the windows and lighting fixtures to the counters and floors -- tell a story of sustainable engineering and eco-friendly design, Rasford said.
Also, all of the furniture in the home is renewable or reused.
"Some of the furniture is from the Salvation Army. The dining room table is a slice of a fallen ash tree from Michigan," Rasford said. "The two lighting fixtures above the table are called the Thomas Edison Twins. They're made by a local artisan, Ted Harris, and are 16-inch wide globes filled with used light bulbs in all colors and sizes. We also have hemp bean bag chairs and are using FLOR carpet tiles in some areas instead of wall-to-wall carpeting. These tiles can be easily removed and washed."
A team from the University of Illinois Extension Horticulture, Environmental and Green Educators and a landscape architect created the landscaping that surrounds the house. Some of the highlights include a sustainable vegetable garden and rain gardens.
Topping off the Smart Home: Green + Wired exhibit is the green-roof garden and photovoltaic sun panels. Rooftop gardens provide cooling in the summer and insulation in the winter. They also reduce storm water runoff and redirect the water for garden irrigation.
Note: Exhibit sponsors include Com Ed and Peoples Gas.
