The building’s "lungs" were hidden deep underground. Earlier that day, Elias had toured the basement with the maintenance crew. They showed him the —loops of pipe plunging hundreds of feet into the earth, using the planet’s constant core temperature to regulate the building’s climate with almost zero electricity.
Now, Oakhaven was a carbon sink. Between the in the walls and the predictive AI that dimmed lights based on the movement of the sun, the building produced almost as much as it consumed. Sustainable Technologies for Nearly Zero Energy...
Elias remembered his grandfather telling stories of "The Grid"—a fragile, flickering thing powered by burning ancient carbon. In those days, buildings were "leaky," losing 40% of their energy through poor insulation and single-pane glass. The building’s "lungs" were hidden deep underground
A soft interface flickered onto the glass of his balcony door. The glass itself was . To Elias, it was a clear window; to the grid, it was a high-efficiency solar panel harvesting the last of the day’s ultraviolet rays. Now, Oakhaven was a carbon sink
“Energy surplus at 12%,” the house AI replied. “Hydrogen fuel cell conversion initiated.” The Pulse Below