Jean Chappert, a former refrigeration engineer, designed a completely autonomous house in Creuse. A well-designed habitat that allows this retiree to pay no gas or electricity bills.
In the heart of the Creuse countryside, its atypical shape does not go unnoticed. A house imagined by Jean Chappert, a former refrigeration engineer.
Inside, the first feature: no granite, but a wooden frame.
“I’ve always lived in concrete or cinder block stuff. Here, it’s much nicer. Humidity, you don’t experience it the same as in concrete or other…”testifies Jean Chappert.
Second big advantage, fourteen solar panels on the roof. “They provide 4.5 kw/h, enough to be autonomous. But with a normal house, you would have two hours of autonomy”specifies Jean Chappert.
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One solar water heater completes the device and soon fifteen other panels will be installed on the pergola. Objective: to remain self-sufficient in energy. This is the main idea of this house. A choice, more economical than ecological
“This is not the primary motivation. I chose to produce autonomous solar electricity and obviously I rejected nuclear power, explains Jean Chappert. Build a house like this that will use renewable energy, it becomes an ecological house somewhere.“
To avoid being connected to the electricity grid, the former engineer therefore created a device to store the energy produced by his panels. Electricity production not used by daily consumption goes into batteries.
The installation is located in a small technical room where a box displays the energy situation in real time.
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In case of bad weather, a Generator, installed outdoors, ensures the production of electricity. To assume his energy autonomy, while maintaining a certain comfort, Jean Chappert had to adopt a new way of life
“Before starting the dishwasher, even if it is full, you look at your weather forecast over the two or three days. If it’s not bright for two or three days, I’ll let what little sun I have, fuel my batteries. So I’m going to do my dishes in three days. You have to be able to do that.”
At a time when electricity and gas bills are soaring, this autonomous house has something to dream about. But this freedom comes at a cost: between €50 and €80,000 morecompared to a traditional dwelling.