Get your own zero–carbon home

Delegates attending a conference and exhibition on green building this week had the chance to see what manufacturers are calling the UK's first commercially viable, affordable and ready to purchase zero-carbon home. A half-hour queue snaked around the outside of the life-sized exhibition house. It was one of the main attractions at the EcoBuild exhibition, which took place in Earl's Court, London over three days this week. The house, built by a ZEDfactory, consortium of architects and specialist green manufacturers, has been awarded Code 6 status � the highest level in the government's code for sustainable buildings which all new housing will have to meet from 2016. Built with energy-saving fabric and renewable energy systems, manufacturers say the "RuralZED" house can go for a whole year without drawing on National Grid power. It is capable of coping with almost any weather without needing more energy than it generates by itself. It uses environmentally sound materials, gains heat from renewable sources, and offers green solutions for water use and waste generation.