Looking for an eco-friendly home that you don't have to sell vital organs to afford? If so, then raralZED - a group of green building companies - has some good news for you. Yesterday they revealed what they say is the first affordable zero-carbon home which meets all levels of the Government's Code for Sustainable Buildings. The even better news is, should you decided to purchase one, you could be living there in as little as three months.

Some of the highlights of the home include:

- As a pre-cautionary measure, the house is connected to the National Grid, however it was designed to make it through the entire year without ever having to utilize the grid for power.

- With the exception of an extreme situation, three times the insulation of a regular home eliminates the need for heat in the coldest months of the year and air conditioning in the warmest. In the event of unfavorable weather conditions, a small radiator, as well as a cooling system are included.

- Solar panels on the roof will generate enough electricity to power the home. Those in windy locations may be able to use wind energy.

- Roof panels and a wood chip fuelled biomass boiler provides heated water to as many as six homes at a time.

All of this can be yours for the low, low price of £150,000, not including the cost of land or installation of surrounding infrastructure.

I can't help but think this must be the way people felt when VCRs became commercially available in the 1960s: fascinated, curious, maybe a little bit hesitant to embrace the idea just yet, but realizing this is probably only a mere glimpse of what the future will look like.

» The Independent