site.btaZero-Energy Mobile Home: A Highlight at Sofia Exhibition

A zero-energy mobile home designed and built by the Bulgarian participants in an international project has already attracted offers from potential buyers, although it is a prototype and therefore not for sale. Currently, it can be seen at the Inter Expo Centre in Sofia, where four exhibitions are underway between March 29 and April 1.

A total of five mobile homes were devised under the EUR 1 million international project, which was supported under the EU Horizon 2020 Programme. In addition to Bulgaria, the initiative also involved Greece, Croatia, Romania and Italy, says Dragomir Tsanev, Executive Director of the EnEffect Centre for Energy Efficiency. Besides designing five homes, the money was also used to finance over 30 events related to energy efficiency.

The Bulgarian zero-energy mobile home has solar power panels on its roof. Its use does not require any costs for heating, only for cooling. The cooling system includes a thermal pump powered by solar energy. The appliances in the kitchen area use a battery which stores the energy from the solar power panels. The mixed metal-and-wood structure is covered by an outer layer of wood. The insulation is at least 20 cm thick.

The home can be moved by a van or a powerful passenger car, but in fact the idea of a mobile home is to stay in one place for a long time rather than being towed around every other day. In its various parts, the structure rises to heights of 2.5 m to 4 m, says EnEffect Design Manager Alexander Stankov.

The home was built on a budget of BGN 40,000 (approximately EUR 20,000).

The zero-energy mobile home can be seen during the Architectural Building Week at Inter Expo Centre until April 1.