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10/15/10. Team Cali Swag. Building a Zero-Energy home. Ryan Ottney , Kevin Leonard, Scott Cunningham, Pratyush Patil. Project Overview. Goal : To build a zero-energy home in State College, PA Key Features : ENERGY STAR windows, doors, & appliances South-facing windows
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10/15/10 Team Cali Swag Building a Zero-Energy home Ryan Ottney, Kevin Leonard, Scott Cunningham, PratyushPatil
Project Overview • Goal: To build a zero-energy home in State College, PA • Key Features: • ENERGY STAR windows, doors, & appliances • South-facing windows • Solar panels & a windmill • Highly efficient insulation system that makes use of Cellulose
Research Summary • Effective zero-energy homes require little energy to begin with. Accomplished by: • Modest size • Energy efficient appliances • Good insulation • Heating systems with a high efficiency • Accommodation of passive solar heating • Using renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power
Research Summary (continued) • ZEHs make their own electricity! • Solar panels have PV cells that harness the sun’s rays and convert it into electricity. • Energy is stored in giant batteries & allocated to the house as needed. • Wind power via a windmill • Alternative renewable energy fuels like biogas
Key Decisions • Picking modest, energy-efficient appliances • Maximizing solar utility(Passive solar and solar panels) • Having an open, basic floor plan • Function – no excess • Preventing loss of energy by appropriate insulation techniques
Appliances • The selection of appliances is essential as they account for 62% of the total energy used by our Zero Energy Home. • After extensive research of the different appliances in the market, we found that energy efficient appliances are much more beneficial in the long run, even though they might be more costly in the short run.
Television • Equation for the number of years until the energy savings of the Sony TV would compensate for the higher base cost. ($2300+$21.70x = $1900+$73.14x) where x is the number of years. x = 7.78 years. • Average hours of TV watched per person per week = 28 hours • Average hours of TV watched per group (4 people) per year = 5824 hours • Average lifespan of LCD and Plasma TV’s = 60000 hours • Average lifespan in years = 60000 hours/ 5824 hours = 10.3 years • Since the average lifespan of each of these TV’s in our group’s home would be 10.3 years and the energy savings of the Sony TV would compensate in 8 years, it would be a smarter choice to buy the Sony BRAVIA Television as in the long run, it will save more money.
Fridge Because the Frigidaire is cheaper all around, it makes sense to buy as it is more cost and energy efficient. There is no tradeoff, except size, in not buying it.
Dishwasher The Samsung is cheaper all around, so it also makes sense to buy it. It is even bigger than the other model, so it has more potential to run less because of a fuller load. It is also half the energy cost, so that is a great improvement.
Washing Machine *Water factor is a measure of water efficiency calculated as gallons of water per cubic feet of interior capacity. Appliances with lower water factors are more efficient. The Frigidaire model is cheaper and more efficient than the Whirlpool. Both models have similar dimensions (the Whirlpool model yields an extra .5 cubic feet). Despite this difference in size, the Frigidaire uses approximately half the electricity and about ten percent less water, making it the more energy-efficient and cost-savvy washer.
Solar Technologies 1) Solar panels on the roof • 2kWP system (size of house) • Each Solar panel contains many Solar cells • Solar cells use the photovoltaic effect to harness the sun’s energy and convert it into electricity • Highly efficient in the long run, it’s like using electricity for free! • We used Solar cells made out of monocrystalline silicon water.
Passive Solar • -Large windows on the south side • -Efficient, free way to heat and light the house
HVAC systems: Don’t waste energy! • The main heating system used for our house was the ground source heat pump. • After extensive research and study of the various types of heating devices, we concluded that the GSHP was the most efficient way of heating our zero- energy home. • Besides being efficient, this system produces no noise pollution, which makes living conditions better
Why is the GSHP ideal for State College? • State College lies in the North East of the United States of America. • It has about 5 months of winter, and the average temperature for the rest of the year is about 68 degrees Fahrenheit. • Hence, a cooling unit is not really needed in a place like State College, and we decided to use a traditional Cooler for cooling purposes. • Since the GSHP is 2 times more efficient than a regular heat pump for heating in the colder months, this fits in perfectly to our requirement in State College.
Insulation • Insulation of the house was necessary as we realized that in spite of using energy efficient appliances, some heat would be lost by them to the surroundings. In order to maintain a constant temperature inside the home, and prevent waste of energy lost by these appliances, an insulation system was necessary for the house. • We used the Cellulose insulation system for our home, which in the long run will save us about 20 to 50% on our Utility bills.
Additional Features • Nice, open green space • Solar heated in ground swimming pool. • Thick insulated exterior brickwalls
How important is designing? • For building a zero-energy home, designing is the most important aspect. Accurate designing and optimum utilization of every aspect of the design contributes immensely to the main goal of conserving energy. • Intelligent designing includes using limited resources to satisfy many requirements and needs.
What was our intelligent design? • We started off by optimizing every inch of space on the roof. Solar panels were placed on the roof, that were faced in the direction of the sun and had rotating panels that could be used to rotate them if needed. • Then, we calculated that the awning must be about 2.5 feet, and constructed the roof accordingly, so the overhang was about 2.5 feet to optimize the amount of sunlight that fell on the house
Next, we made use of large windows, made of transparent glass that facilitated Passive Solar heating • Another interesting designing aspect was put forward through the use of rain water collection! We constructed a pipeline that would go down from the end of the sloping roof, and would end in a tub! So all the water collected as a result of the melting of snow or rain, would flow down the pipeline and be collected in the tub. The tub would in turn be connected via pipes to the main water source of the house, and thus our design would enable us to conserve water.
Challenges • Dimensioning • Accounting for energy usage • Passive Solar calculations • Aesthetics (Form follows Function) • Time constraints
Favorite Features • Green space landscaping • Windmill • Amount of living area • Layout • Location • Solar Panels
Reflection • Impact=Population x Affluence x Technology • Green building requires minimalism and modesty • Awareness of ecological footprint • Energy Star Appliances
