First Autonomous House 001
Full-scale experimental autonomous residential building used as an R&D platform.
House 001 is our primary testing facility—a fully instrumented residential prototype that serves as the foundation for all our research. This is not a demonstration house; it is an active R&D platform where systems are tested, modified, and validated under real conditions.
Key design goals: affordability constraint; high comfort & indoor health; fossil-free; minimal intervention; design for disassembly & recyclability; circular/low-carbon materials.
The facility serves multiple functions: testing autonomous living systems in real conditions; validating cost-to-comfort trade-offs; foundation for scalable prefab/modular concepts.
House 001 is continuously instrumented for monitoring energy flux, material degradation, and inhabitant interaction cycles. Data from House 001 directly informs all our other projects.
Technical Report
Autonomy Goals & Reality
The team targets year-round self-sufficiency. Currently, with 6 kW solar panels and 45 kWh battery storage, we achieve independence from mid-February till mid-November.
Peak daily generation reaches 17-18 kWh, with excess energy charging two electric vehicles. Stage 2 plans include adding a 4 kW wind turbine and 4-5 kW additional panels.
Water Management
Consumption measures 1.5-2 m³/person/month with all systems operational. Recent testing (2025) includes aerators, MBBR filtration systems, and condensate collection from AC units and dehumidifiers. Nine months of water autonomy appears achievable.
Energy Efficiency Analysis
Heating season EUI equals 42.77 kWh/m². With assumed COP of 3, heating demand reaches 128.31 kWh/m²—significantly higher than Passive House standard (15 kWh/m²) but the team prioritized affordability over maximum efficiency.
Carbon Impact
Combined savings total 14.1 metric tons CO₂ equivalent: 5 MWh solar generation (2 tons), eliminating fossil fuel heating (1 ton), low-carbon construction (11 tons), and planted ivy (0.1 tons).
Technical Lessons Learned
- Insulation: Transitioning from settling sawdust to blown-in cellulose
- Construction: Shifting to in-house wooden I-beam panels
- Foundation: Proper ground preparation and screw connection critical
- Heating: Underestimated piping requirements for radiant systems
- Ventilation: Individual recuperators create noise/leaks; centralized HRV preferred
Videos
Project Details
- Status
- Finished
- Location
- Ivano-Frankivsk
- Timeline
- 2023-2024
- Funding
- Self-funded