California. The multi-generational home is one of the first sustainable homes of its kind to be designed to net-zero energy specifications, and uses the latest building materials and technologies.
This is the second ABC Green Home that The Toro Company has sponsored, with the goal of extending the home’s efficiency focus to the outside environment. The ABC Green Home project began as a means to demonstrate the feasibility of affordable, buildable and sustainable homebuilding elements. A team of expert engineers, architects, interior designers and building specialists designed the home, which was built with the help of Habitat for Humanity, local electric utility So Cal Edison and donations from partners like The Toro Company. The home will be sold in the coming weeks to a U.S. Marine veteran and his family through Habitat for Humanity Orange County.
To manage the climate of Southern California, the home features drought-tolerant landscaping that includes native ornamental grasses, shrubs and ground cover. The irrigation design features a mix of low-volume products, such as Toro’s drip emitters used around the shrubs, pressure-compensating flood bubblers for the numerous trees around the property and pressure regulated valves at the water source to properly manage flow. All the irrigation is controlled by Toro’s Evolution Series controller, paired with a wireless weather-based sensor. The combination of the controller and weather sensor allows the controller to automatically make adjustments to how long the irrigation system runs. The automatic adjustments are based on real-time, on-site weather data collected by the sensor. These automatic adjustments result in more efficient water delivery to the landscape and prevents overwatering.
“Toro is excited to have played a role in making the ABC Green Home 3.0 a reality,” said Orion Goe, marketing manager for Toro’s residential and commercial irrigation business. “It’s an honor to be part of a project such as this, where the aim is to drive sustainability, but also to help create a home and outdoor space to be enjoyed by this very well-deserving family.”
Until the new ABC Green Home is sold, it will serve as a design and technology showcase for the building industry and interested parties. More information about the home can be found online at www.abcgreenhome.com. More information on the Toro products used in the building of the home can be found online at www.toro.com/irrigation.
