Teaching people in Lesotho, and Africa, to build climate responsive homes that stay warm in winter - even in subzero temperature. Homes are heated with Solar Hot Water (SHW). Our prototype- built in 2015 for elderly, won a Global "Buildings" contest organized by MIT in 2016. See saridweb.org for more information. We are planning to set up a vocational center for building skills, employment generation- buildings, and require no fossil fuel for heating. Building has thermal mass for heat storage.
Most people living in poorer and colder, or hotter, regions of the world have homes that have little or no cooling or heating. Most homes rely on fossil fuels and/ or non-renewable energy sources, for heating and cooling. We have a building type for homes in colder and hotter regions. We built a prototype in Lesotho in 2015. The home is warm in winter and cool in summer using natural heating -with the sun's heat - requires no fossil fuels. Poor can build with local resources/ sweat equity.
People in Lesotho are very poor. All fossil fuel and electricity is imported. Half the country is snow bound in winter. Most of the population, the poor, close to 70% have zero or minimal heating in winter. By building a naturally heated home, we are saving the lives of the vulnerable such as children and the elderly, avoiding using of fossil fuels, utilizing renewable energy sources - reducing utility expenses - and it is labor driven so increases employment. Creates positive macro-economics.
Technology can be transferred to other countries. It can build commercial and residential buildings. It will reduce the use of fossil fuels, recycle waste provide for lower carbon footprint homes and buildings, reduce Green House Gas emissions. The building type can be adapted for poor in economies such as Haiti, Peru, Latin America, South and South East Asia, USA, and also flood, seismic, and tornado impacted communities in USA. The technology is labor driven so it will provide employment
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
