Considering the power problems that have been vexing Californians lately, maybe life off-grid isn't such a bad idea.
Air is drawn in through the eaves and along the roof's underside, where it's heated by solar panels.
The heated air is then collected at the roof apex and forced down below the first floor to a concrete slab that serves as a heat sink, which then radiates the heat back up throughout the house. According to company literature, about 20,000 of the homes have been built in Japan in the last few years. Later next year, they hope to begin selling entire panelized house kits that can be reconfigured by the buyer, somewhat like the Acorn or Deck homes. They haven't come up with any hard figures for the entire house, but OM Solar's Peter Miles says that in Japan, their houses are competitively priced. Because Japan's climate is a bit milder than ours, the house as-is may not be a blazing success in Frostbite Falls, Minnesota, but the warmer sections of the country might want to check it out.