Ecorazzi

When he’s not spending $700 for speeding in a Prius, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is focusing on a new passion: super energy-efficient housing. ECN Magazine recently caught up with “The Woz” and had him explain a little more about what type of home he’s getting ready to build. From the article,

“You build a home out of a type of wood that keeps the temperature constant without air conditioning or heaters. The miracle wood in this category is Southern Yellow Pine. As for renewable resources, more Southern Yellow Pine trees are planted each year than are used. I’m told this is the only tree with this benefit. The Southern Yellow Pine has a resin inside that melts and freezes at 71 degrees F., a very comfortable temperature for humans. The chemical actions of melting and freezing work to balance the temperature. If it’s a hot day, some small amount of the resin melts (it takes a huge amount of energy to melt a tiny amount) and the melting process pulls heat from the surroundings, from the home. When it gets colder at night, the resin-wood emits heat as it freezes.”

The type of home that Steve is talking about is actually being built by a company I’ve mentioned before on GroovyGreen called Enertia. The homes are designed in an envelope fashion with 2 layers of wood and a space between them for natural air circulation around the home. Take a look at some of the designs here.

Jump over to the full interview to hear what Wozniak has to say about solar cells, biofuels, and many of the other clean-tech topics making noise today. A truly interesting read.

Thanks to  super-cool Shea Gunther for the tip!