Old house design a modern energy model

A traditional “cracker house,” a steep-pitched roof design that’s a staple of old rural Florida architecture, is being used in a pilot project on achieving peak energy efficiency. The $575,000 Off-Grid, Zero Emissions Building sits in the middle of Florida State University’s Tallahassee campus, and is intended to be entirely self sufficient for its energy needs. That includes solar panels, hydrogen-fueled appliances and other innovations for a subtropical climate.