See what our Mentee has been working on!
Our mentee, Cameron Hughes from Brandeis High School, has developed a Sustainability Package which enables the Elbow Room to function off the grid.
Sustainability Package Upgrade
The concept of sustainability and eco-friendly practices is an important value of Elbow Room. We believe in creating ADUs that are both functional and ecologically responsible. Our sustainability package creates a high-quality, environmentally conscious space that has been carefully curated for all of your living needs.
The sustainability package consists of four components that make it fully functional and off-grid capable: power, water, sanitation, and communication. Each of these features effectively minimizes the environmental impact while maximizing efficiency.
The Benefits of the Sustainability Package
The industry standard accepts that ADUs increase your total property value by 30%. By adding our sustainability package to your ADU, you are investing in a space that is self sustaining and dependable in an ever changing climate. Your potential return on investment is limitless in this regard. There are numerous other benefits to purchasing the sustainability package:
Power: Solar Panels
Living a sustainable lifestyle off the grid is readily supported using a solar power reserve system. Elbow Room has partnered with Solar Edge Pros to create a power plan consisting of a roof panel system with backup batteries that can supply the adequate power for your electrical needs. Solar power has no emissions while silently generating pure clean energy. By powering your off-grid Elbow Room with solar energy, you avoid 4 tons of carbon annually. In the lifetime of your system, this equates to saving 66,402 car miles and planting 687 trees. Based upon your unit size and electrical demand, our Solar Edge Pros partners will provide your unit with exactly what you need.
Water: Rain Harvesting and Water Delivery
We offer a variety of different sized tanks to fit your water needs. The tanks utilize rain harvesting as the primary water source, which is then filtered to be useable. Rain harvesting is a process of collecting, storing, and using rain water for your water needs. This practice reduces reliance on traditional water sources while mitigating water and energy use, which boosts sustainability efforts. Additionally, if rain is insufficient for your needs, water delivery companies can supplement your usage. There are various water delivery systems that can fill your tank with water if needed.
Sanitation: Composting Toilet and System
We ensure our sustainability package provides you with efficient and eco-friendly sanitation through implementing a composting toilet. The composting toilet can save the average family over 30,000 liters of water a year, promoting water conservation and ensuring your water needs will be sufficiently met through the rain harvesting system. Through including our electric-waterless compost toilet and composting toilet system, your waste needs will be exceeded while providing a sustainable sanitation solution that doesn't rely on external utilities.
Communication: Starlink Mobile Package
Your internet explorations are endless through using the Starlink mobile internet package, a feature of our sustainability package. It provides you with high-speed internet no matter where you decide to build your Elbow Room. Furthermore, Starlink reduces the environmental impact of construction that is employed from building and maintaining traditional internet infrastructure, as Starlink provides internet via a satellite that is powered by solar panels, located in earth's orbit.