Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Contact: Pam McCurdy, 651-757-2559, Pamela.McCurdy@state.mn.us St. Paul, Minn. -- A 2,200-square-foot, net-zero home that generates as much energy as it consumes in a year will be featured at the Eco Experience at this year's Minnesota State Fair. Created by SALA Architects, the 2009 Eco House is a modern-design home with four bedrooms and two baths. Construction on the house began July 22 by Showcase Renovations and Mike Otto Builders, and will be completed in time for the fair. An Eco House has been featured at the Eco Experience for two years. This year's Eco House includes several innovative, eco-friendly features, including: -- Net-zero: The Eco House is a net-zero home, which means it generates as much energy as it consumes in a year. Net-zero is different from homes that are off the electric grid in that it generates energy from the sun during the day, and stores that energy in the utility grid during the peak utility load times.
-- Solar Heating: The Eco House has a south-facing working facade that incorporates photovoltaic and solar hot water panels into the architecture. This aids in the production of energy and is designed to also serve the many other needs of the house, such as summer shading, winter passive solar heating, water collection, and operable thermal blanketing. At the same time, the thick, insulated north wall stops wind from penetrating the house. The north side is constructed of structurally insulated panels that are easy to disassemble and reuse, which also helps the Eco Experience stay true to its mission of reducing waste.
-- Solar Chimney: Another new feature for this year's Eco House is a solar chimney that heats incoming fresh air in the winter and helps with natural ventilation in the summer.
-- Outdoor Features: The Eco House features a green roof on the carport, raised beds to grow vegetables, a rain garden with native plants, and a pervious driveway to soak up rainwater.
-- Indoor Features: Inside, the Eco House features a low-flow showerhead, a toilet that has a gray water sink system, LED lights, and a kitchen countertop made of reclaimed walnut shells. Minnesota State Fair visitors will be able to see the Eco House at the Eco Experience from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 27, through Monday, Sept. 7. The Eco Experience is in the Progress Center, at the corner of Randall and Cosgrove (look for the 123-foot-tall wind turbine blade). A partnership between the Minnesota State Fair, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, other state agencies and dozens of organizations and businesses, the Eco Experience has become the second most popular exhibit at the fair. Since 2006, more than one million visitors have attended the 25,000-square-foot exhibit to learn more about clean water, saving energy, climate change, local food, transportation, green building and remodeling, and other ways to lead more eco-friendly lives. At the Eco Experience, fair-goers can discover easy and uniquely Minnesota ways to go green in their daily routines by exploring cutting-edge green technologies and having fun with interactive displays, kids activities, live performances and more. For more information, go to http://www.ecoexperience.org.