Fitted out with a photo voltaic (solar panel) roof system and high-tech wall panels, the Solcer house collects and stores thermal and electrical energy

Introducing the house of the future – which generates more energy than it consumes. The walls of The Solcer house, which was designed and constructed by the Welsh School of Architecture, collect and store thermal and electrical energy. Located at Stormy Down, near Bridgend, the building also has a photo voltaic (solar panel) roof system and has been funded through the Low Carbon Research Institute (LCRI) programme funded by Wales European Funding Office (WEFO).

Professor Phil Jones, chair of Architecture Science at the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff, said their aim was to develop the technology so it could become as cheap as normal housebuilding. Prof Jones said: “Our intention is to demonstrate that you can build this sort of house which generates more energy than it uses at a cost comparable to standard house construction and using off the shelf technology.