Panasonic's EU House

Reusable Energy Generation

Just outside the front door there was a wind and solar power generation system. This, along with solar panels on the roof generates enough power to run some of the lighting and security cameras in the house.

The RFID activated front door is opened by waving a TAG which is embedded into a mobile phone. This allows access to the house.

Energy Monitor

Energy is constantly monitored in the UD house, allowing the residents to make energy efficient decisions in their daily lives. The implementation of a home fuel cell co-generation system also allows for cheaper and more environmentally friendly energy consumption.

Meanwhile vacuum insulation technology is used to keep all the heat inside the house, thus saving the amount of energy needed to heat the home, not to mention reducing the cost.

Living Room

The main living room is dominated by one of Panasonic's 103in plasma screens, which is integrated into the wall. From here residents can control all the features of the EU house. Obviously you can watch TV, but the screen is also connected to the Internet and the telecommunications network, allowing you to check email or even make video calls.

The huge screen also gives you access to all the security systems, so you can view all the security cameras from around the house - you can check to see who's at the front door and decide whether to let them in or not without having to leave the comfort of your sofa. Environmentally friendly this house may be, but it hardly encourages an active lifestyle!

Home Office

As expected there's a home office room as well. Here you can login to your office Vitual Private Network and have all those important meetings without ever leaving the house. Security is an important factor with this technology, therefore the EU house home office system requires a smartcard and facial recognition before access in granted.

Once successfully logged in you can happily instigate and participate in video conference meetings with your colleagues either in the office or also working remotely. One shouldn't underestimate that the ability to efficiently work from home is also a help to the environment, since it potentially saves on masses of commute related pollution and energy expenditure.

Conclusion

Matsushita have just announced their commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 300,000 tonnes over the next three years. The result will be a total CO2 emissions level of 3.68 million tonnes in fiscal year 2010, compared with 3.98 million tonnes in fiscal year 2007. Panasonic also intends to bring this number down to 3.60 million tonnes by 2011. Although the overall number is still huge, the important point is that things are moving in the right direction.