BUILDING ARCHITECTURE FOR RESIDENTIAL DWELLING

Abstract

A system that facilitates water conservation and energy savings for a residential dwelling or home is provided. The system will increase the efficiency with which water is consumed by implementing a reclamation system for reusing water for selected tasks. Energy savings are enabled by utilizing unique insulating materials that allow the climate of the interior of a home to be controlled in a more affordable manner as less fuel/energy is required to heat/cool the home's interior.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to residential dwelling and, more particularly, to conserving energy and water in a residential dwelling.

Currently, mankind is dependent on fossil fuels which are not inexhaustible. Therefore, the search is on to find technologies that can maximize the available energy resources. Renewable energy sources are abundant but mechanisms to tap into this energy source are inefficient.

Conservation of energy would greatly assist in reducing our need for fossil fuels. Renewable energy will not replace fossil fuels at the rate we are consuming. However, if the consumption of energy is lowered on an individual basis, renewable energy may become more viable because the supply of the renewable energy would then be able to sustain a house. At these reduced consumption levels existing renewable energies will work and will replace fossil fuels.

As can be seen, there is a need for a residential dwelling that enables conservation of energy and water.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An exemplary embodiment of a building architecture of the includes a

• • a plumbing system, a heating system and an insulation system. The plumbing system includes a reclamation tank for reusing water;
  • and the heating system includes a solar panel system, a radiant floor and a heat exchanger; and the insulation system includes wrapping the house with insulating materials.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic of an exemplary embodiment of a plumbing system of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a heating system of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a side of a home of the invention

FIG. 4 is an exemplary embodiment of a layout of a house of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a system for managing water use and the climate of a home. The system integrates a plumbing based cold water and fire system and a plumbing waste system that reclaims water and enables a user to recycle that water for particular tasks and an insulation system for a home that enables a user to use much less fuel to heat/cool the home. The plumbing based cold water and fire system is also connected to the fire protection system as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,044,911 to Haase which is hereby incorporated by reference.

Referring to FIG. 1, a schematic of the plumbing waste system is displayed. Gray-water from sinks and showers is fed into the system via 10. An open ball valve 16 controls the flow of water to the bypass to the sewer 12. A closed ball valve 18 controls the flow of water from 10 to the WL-55 26. The WL-55 26 is a water reclamation system. Closed ball valve 18 regulates the flow of water to supply toilets 22. A check valve 18 enables fresh water to pass through open ball valve 16 and fresh water bypass 24 for the toilets. Water to the drain to the sewer 30 is regulated by a closed ball valve 18.

The water-reclamation system treats the gray water and purifies it so that it can be used for more than flushing toilets. The treated gray water can be used to water plants.

FIG. 2 is a schematic of a house with installed elements for regulating the heat in the house. The solar panels 46 are used in conjunction with the solar thermal heat exchanger 44 and the heat exchanger 42 to provide heat to the house. A pump 38 is connected to a boiler 36 to deliver a steady supply of water to the boiler 36. The bypass 34 is also connected to the pump 38.

FIG. 3 is a schematic of a side of the building illustrating a wall, floor and a roof. The foundation 62 extends below the finish grade 60. The insulation and exterior wall assembly 58 may include any exterior siding such as a stucco system 56.

The insulation system completely wraps the house on the outside of the framing. The insulation is installed under the concrete floor of the slab, or the basement of the house if applicable. The insulation is also used to cover the top of the house, including the attic. The insulating material is made from expanded mylar coated polystyrene. This method of insulation completely envelopes the house, and eliminates all thermal bridging. Thermal bridging is a result of the way conventional homes are insulated. In a conventional home, insulation is put between the studs and roof joists before the exterior siding is put on. In conventional insulation the insulation is put between the top floor ceiling joist which leaves the attic area cold. The trouble with this method is that the wood joist contacts the outside siding and cold comes through the wood into the home. The insulation method of the invention prevents the wood joist from coming into contact with the cold.

Additionally, since the insulation is attached to the outside of the framing, a different stud size can be used for the construction. The studs required with this new type of insulation coupled with the insulation technique are typically 2′×4″ studs in an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The conventional practices primarily utilize 2″×6″ studs to fit the insulation in.

FIG. 4 illustrates the layout 64 of a house in an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The house features a bedroom 66, a bath 68, a master bedroom 70, the kitchen 72, a living room 74, a utility room 76, a toilet 78, another bath 80, a bathroom sink 82, a kitchen dish washer 84, a kitchen sink 86, a washer 88, a reclamation water tank 90 and discharge to the garden 92.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A building architecture comprising: a plumbing system further comprising: a plumbing based cold water and fire system; anda plumbing waste system;a heating system;an insulation system;wherein the plumbing waste system includes a reclamation tank for reusing water;and the heating system includes a solar panel system, a radiant floor and a heat exchanger; andthe insulation system includes wrapping a house with insulating materials.

2. The building architecture of claim 1 wherein water from the reclamation tank is used for the toilets and for watering plants.

3. The building architecture of claim 1 wherein the insulating materials are composed of expanded mylar coated polystyrene.

4. The building architecture of claim 1 wherein the heating system comprises solar panels.

5. A building architecture comprising: a plumbing system further comprising: a plumbing based cold water and fire system; anda plumbing waste system;a heating system;an insulation system; wherein the insulation system is installed by wrapping a house on the outside of the framing; andthe insulation is installed under the concrete floor of house; and the insulation is utilized to cover the top of the house.

6. The building architecture of claim 5 wherein the insulating material is made from expanded mylar coated polystyrene.

7. The building architecture of claim 5 wherein the heating system comprises solar panels.

8. A building architecture comprising: a plumbing system further comprising: a plumbing based cold water and fire system; anda plumbing waste system;a heating system;an insulation system;wherein the plumbing waste system includes a reclamation tank for reusing water;and the heating system includes a solar panel system, a radiant floor and a heat exchanger; andthe insulation system is installed by wrapping a house on the outside of the framing; andthe insulation is installed under the concrete floor of house; and the insulation is utilized to cover the top of the house.

9. The building architecture of claim 8 wherein the insulating material is made from expanded mylar coated polystyrene.