An electric fan eliminates any lingering smell in the bathroom by drawing air from the room into the toilet, rather than the reverse. The end result of the composting process is odourless, too, as well as dry, and hence easy to transfer to the heap in the garden every six months or so. The entire flush-free sewerage system minimises water consumption. Water for washing and drinking is collected in large roof tanks. It trickles down through vertical pipes, well hidden from view, for the most part, until it reaches the cellar.
Drinking water passes through a double- filtration system.
But the Croakers have become acutely conscious of the need to conserve. The Autonomous House has never run out of water. Not even during the drought of 1995. All the same, the Croakers are constantly reassured by the sound of trickling and gurgling through the building. On rainy nights, we stand out in the conservatory and it's music to our ears.