When you run out of eggs in the future, a trip to the supermarket won't be necessary. New-age technology networks will relay your needs to the supermarket and the eggs will be replenished automatically.

The concept, one of the presentations at Eco Home, Shanghai's showcase in the Urban Best Practices Area, may be reality in two or three years.

The four-story Eco Home, inspired by an energy-saving building in Xinzhuang Industrial Zone in Minhang District, displays different age groups' living styles and new facilities possible in the near future.

About 70 percent of new technologies in the environmentally friendly building already have been realized, and the rest are expected to be available within five years, pavilion designer Yang Ming said Thursday.

The house shows what a healthy and sustainable life looks like through the needs of a three-member family.

Water will be purified after people use it to wash their hands and take a shower.

They will wash vegetables through a grey water filter and only 3.8 liters of water will be needed to flush the toilet, not the current 6 liters.

"The cost could be high to have these improvements, but your bills are sure to be cut," Yang said.

Solar energy supplies the building's lighting. The solar membrane has been not only installed on the roof but also on balcony railings.

In addition, several wind vents have been designed to save energy and supply fresh indoor air.

If people now need air-conditioning for six months, in the future in this house design they will only need it for four months.

And certain windows will automatically open once poor air quality inside is monitored.

"We just want to show people that change of lifestyle is key to energy saving and hope city dwellers can accept these ideas and products after visiting the building," Yang said.

(Shanghai Daily May 14, 2010)