We approach designing our box with two goals; firstly, we aim to insulate the house, secondly we hope to produce our own energy. Both of these goals will promote reduced energy costs and be less damaging to the environment by being less reliant on supplied energy that is produced by coal burning/nuclear processes.
In order to insulate the home, we must find an adequate material that will trap the heat in the box. We have studied insulation results from various experiments and have decided to use a combination of aluminum foil and cotton balls. We will coat both sides of the cardboard box with aluminum foil, and then place the cotton balls around the inside of the walls. We will not cover the bottom of the box, because this is the 'floor', and ground temperature remains relatively constant.
To produce energy, we will be utilizing the wonderful and abundant resource that is solar power. We will install a Solar Hot Water Heater. This device uses solar energy to heat water, eliminating the need for electricity or gas to heat the water. The solar panels will be attached to the roof of our house.
Here is the link for the site that helped us choose to use aluminum foil and cotton balls as insulation:
http://eev.liu.edu/heat2002/data/beacon.htm
