Hello and good evening city council, we are Heat Team A. I am Dr Querticious Peff-Puff, the engineer/architect in our team. These are my teammates: Dr Ivana Huggatree, our environmental scientist/human rights advocate and dr Yzarc Leets, the team physicist. We have chosen to talk to you about Project Passive Solar.
Project Passive Solar involves making the most of free energy from the sun and the insulating power of the earth to keep our house warm in winter. This will reduce energy use and energy costs and it will cut down on production of greenhouse gases and help stop climate change.
In our design the house is oriented so that large windows face south while the north side of the house is built into an earth bank or hill. First we will talk about the landscaping that provides the shelter on the north side of the house then we will talk about the windows on the south side of the house.
During our research for Project Passive Solar we read about houses that are built into earth banks to take advantage of the insulating power of the earth. We decided to test out this idea. We designed an experiment to test the insulating power of soil and discovered that soil was a better insulator than a commercially available insulator called cellulose.
Because of the results of our experiment we decided to make use of this idea. For our house we will choose a lot that already has a hill or earth bank. If necessary we will build an earth bank on the lot.
An unprotected home looses much more heat on a cold, windy day than on an equally cold, still day. The bank and the well-located trees and shrubs that we will plant around our house will intercept the wind and cut heat loss. Infiltration or air leakage can account for as much as one-third of heat loss in some buildings. Cold, outside air flows in through cracks around windows and doors and even through pores in the walls. This produces drafts that may cause you to compensate by raising the thermostat to unreasonable levels just to maintain a modicum of comfort. Both windbreaks like the bank, and foundation plantings cut down on the penetrating power of the wind. As well as our landscaping we will of course do our best to seal cracks and reduce air leakage.
If we want to use passive solar heating in our houses we have to choos the right windows. We want high solar gain in winter so that we get the radiant energy from the sun to help us heat the house. We also want to reduce as much as possible the transfer of heat back out through the window by the processes of radiation conduction and convection. We have chosen low-e triple glazed argon filled windows. Argon gas cuts down on the transfer of heat out of the house by conduction and convection while low-e coating cuts down on the re-radiation of heat out of the house through the windows. In summer we would need to cover the windows with drapes or blinds so that the house does not get too hot.
We recommend the passive solar design for houses of the future. It makes sense to use the sun’s free energy and the earth’s free insulating power. Thank you
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
GREEN ROOFS
Our group is known as F.A.M. inc. My name is Dr. Lola Justice and along with my fellow workers, Dr Samantha Hudson and Dr. Wallace Noot, we have been working on building an energy efficient house for the last couple of months. This task required us to come up with ways to cut down on energy use as much as possible. As well as reducing costs this is important if we are to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions and help stop global warming.
We have come up with various strategies to meet our goal. Out of the six strategies that we have used in our house we have chosen the green roof as the most important device for reducing the amount of energy used. We have chosen this particular device because the green roof has been well investigated and it is becoming very popular in various countries.
A green roof is basically a layer of vegetation that grows on a layer of soil on your roof. Beneath the vegetation and the soil there are various other layers. There is a drainage layer to take water away from the roof and a waterproof roof membrane to stop water getting into the building. There is also a root barrier layer that protects the roof membrane from the roots of plants.
The cost of installing a green roof depends on the type of green roof used. There are two types of green roof extensive and intensive. An extensive roof involves simple plants, shallow soil and it is less effective at cutting down on energy transfer however it is cheaper to install. It costs $8-20 dollars per square foot. An intensive green roof involves a variety of different plants that are more visible and have more colour and beauty and this green roof has a deeper soil layer. The cost of installing this type of roof is $15-25 dollars per square foot.
There have been a lot of scientific investigations done to determine the effectiveness of green roofs at cutting down on energy transfer. I would like to tell you about experiments that have been done in Ottawa by Dr Karen Liu working for the National Research Council of Canada.
In her experiments Dr Liu has measured the amount of heat transferred through an extensive green roof and compared that with the amount transferred through a regular roof for each month of the year. During the spring and summer the green roof reduced the amount of heat transferred substantially. The green roof was very helpful for keeping the building cool in summer. She reported that “the average daily energy demand for space conditioning was reduced by 75%”. She found that during the winter when the green roof was frozen and roofs in Ottawa were covered with snow, the green roof did not make as much difference.
Having done this research on green roofs we have discovered that they can cut down on energy use in buildings and therefore reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help stop global warming. As energy costs increase in the future we believe that green roofs will be very useful at cutting costs, especially for cooling in summer. We recommend that city council investigate using a green roof on a municipal building to cut energy use. We appreciate that you have allowed us to come and give our speech today.
We have come up with various strategies to meet our goal. Out of the six strategies that we have used in our house we have chosen the green roof as the most important device for reducing the amount of energy used. We have chosen this particular device because the green roof has been well investigated and it is becoming very popular in various countries.
A green roof is basically a layer of vegetation that grows on a layer of soil on your roof. Beneath the vegetation and the soil there are various other layers. There is a drainage layer to take water away from the roof and a waterproof roof membrane to stop water getting into the building. There is also a root barrier layer that protects the roof membrane from the roots of plants.
The cost of installing a green roof depends on the type of green roof used. There are two types of green roof extensive and intensive. An extensive roof involves simple plants, shallow soil and it is less effective at cutting down on energy transfer however it is cheaper to install. It costs $8-20 dollars per square foot. An intensive green roof involves a variety of different plants that are more visible and have more colour and beauty and this green roof has a deeper soil layer. The cost of installing this type of roof is $15-25 dollars per square foot.
There have been a lot of scientific investigations done to determine the effectiveness of green roofs at cutting down on energy transfer. I would like to tell you about experiments that have been done in Ottawa by Dr Karen Liu working for the National Research Council of Canada.
In her experiments Dr Liu has measured the amount of heat transferred through an extensive green roof and compared that with the amount transferred through a regular roof for each month of the year. During the spring and summer the green roof reduced the amount of heat transferred substantially. The green roof was very helpful for keeping the building cool in summer. She reported that “the average daily energy demand for space conditioning was reduced by 75%”. She found that during the winter when the green roof was frozen and roofs in Ottawa were covered with snow, the green roof did not make as much difference.
Having done this research on green roofs we have discovered that they can cut down on energy use in buildings and therefore reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help stop global warming. As energy costs increase in the future we believe that green roofs will be very useful at cutting costs, especially for cooling in summer. We recommend that city council investigate using a green roof on a municipal building to cut energy use. We appreciate that you have allowed us to come and give our speech today.
SAVING ENERGY BY DOWNSIZING AND USING A HEAT RECOVERY VENTILATION SYSTEM
In the year 2020 we are trying to build a house for sustainable living. Taking into account the fact that energy prices will be higher our task is to build an energy efficient home with a financial limit of $300,000. There are three scientists on each team. On our team: the engineer Dr Abdul Daman, the environmental scientist, Dr. Kendra Acre and myself the physicist Dr Luna Spacey. We will be talking to you amount two methods we used in our house design to reduce energy use: downsizing to a smaller house and the heat recovery ventilation system.
During our research we got the idea to downsize our house from an experiment we did. It showed that the amount of heat energy needed to heat a substance to a particular temperature depends on the mass of the substance. We realized that the amount of heat energy needed to bring the air in a house to a particular temperature depends on the mass of air contained in the house. In other words, the bigger the house the more energy needed to heat or cool it.
Our house for a three person family has just 648 square feet of space to be heated in winter or cooled in summer. It is cozy and comfortable. Our house is a single story home which makes it easier to maintain a balanced temperature. We have additional unheated space that includes a garage, porch and patio. During the summer the family have more space to use. We believe that downsizing is the single most important thing we can do to reduce energy use for heating or cooling a house. Reducing energy use would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help stop global warming.
The second method we would like to describe is the heat recovery ventilation system. Ventilation is important for your home. It is a way to keep your house safe from dangerous chemicals like carbon monoxide, or toxins from smokers, gas leaks or just household products like hairspray. In modern homes the architectural structure and design is so airtight that even small amounts of chemicals can have a large impact. In winter normal ventilation systems extract hot air from the house and bring in cold fresh air.
The heat recovery ventilation system heats the cold fresh air using heat energy from the warm outgoing air. To do this it uses a heat exchange system of aluminum passage ways that are in close contact with each other. When the air in the warm passage ways touches the walls it transfers heat through the aluminum from the hot to the cold passage ways. The heat recovery ventilation system can result in up to 85% of heat staying in the house while allowing appropriate ventilation.
In winter in Canada the HRV must have a defrost damper. With a defrost damper if the HRV gets frost inside, the damper shuts down the HRV for a few minutes while the ice melts, then the HRV starts running again. This keeps the HRV in good condition. The HRV system is generally placed in the basement or attic and is connected to the supply air-return vents in the house’s main ducting.
The unit costs between $700-2000 depending on the size of the house. We highly recommend the heat recovery ventilation system to city council. It is a simple relatively inexpensive method to reduce energy use for heating buildings. Using HRVs would cut down on greenhouse gas emissions and help stop global warming.
During our research we got the idea to downsize our house from an experiment we did. It showed that the amount of heat energy needed to heat a substance to a particular temperature depends on the mass of the substance. We realized that the amount of heat energy needed to bring the air in a house to a particular temperature depends on the mass of air contained in the house. In other words, the bigger the house the more energy needed to heat or cool it.
Our house for a three person family has just 648 square feet of space to be heated in winter or cooled in summer. It is cozy and comfortable. Our house is a single story home which makes it easier to maintain a balanced temperature. We have additional unheated space that includes a garage, porch and patio. During the summer the family have more space to use. We believe that downsizing is the single most important thing we can do to reduce energy use for heating or cooling a house. Reducing energy use would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help stop global warming.
The second method we would like to describe is the heat recovery ventilation system. Ventilation is important for your home. It is a way to keep your house safe from dangerous chemicals like carbon monoxide, or toxins from smokers, gas leaks or just household products like hairspray. In modern homes the architectural structure and design is so airtight that even small amounts of chemicals can have a large impact. In winter normal ventilation systems extract hot air from the house and bring in cold fresh air.
The heat recovery ventilation system heats the cold fresh air using heat energy from the warm outgoing air. To do this it uses a heat exchange system of aluminum passage ways that are in close contact with each other. When the air in the warm passage ways touches the walls it transfers heat through the aluminum from the hot to the cold passage ways. The heat recovery ventilation system can result in up to 85% of heat staying in the house while allowing appropriate ventilation.
In winter in Canada the HRV must have a defrost damper. With a defrost damper if the HRV gets frost inside, the damper shuts down the HRV for a few minutes while the ice melts, then the HRV starts running again. This keeps the HRV in good condition. The HRV system is generally placed in the basement or attic and is connected to the supply air-return vents in the house’s main ducting.
The unit costs between $700-2000 depending on the size of the house. We highly recommend the heat recovery ventilation system to city council. It is a simple relatively inexpensive method to reduce energy use for heating buildings. Using HRVs would cut down on greenhouse gas emissions and help stop global warming.
Friday, May 4, 2007
Model HRV
Hey G.I Brunel, its Dr. Daman letting you know about a little experiment.
I created a model HRV, using aluminum as my conductor and demonstrated the heat transfer. The starting temp was 25/26 degrees Celsius.
I attached a hair drying to the hot outgoing air passage and blew hot air through for 5 mins.
Results (after 5 mins of heating).
The aluminum passage moving the hot air out got up to 71 degrees Celsius.
The parallel passage of cold incoming air got to 56 degrees Celsius.
Results (after 5 mins of heating).
The aluminum passage moving the hot air out got up to 71 degrees Celsius.
The parallel passage of cold incoming air got to 56 degrees Celsius.
This shows that the cold incoming air can capture the heat from the hot outgoing air so the heat is not wasted.
Pics will be sent in a few days, DAMAN!
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Time for a Picture! from Dr Stephanie Lewis
We use alot of copper but should we support copper mining regardless of the societal and environmental impact it might have on the area where the mining occurs?
This is a picture of the cloud forest in Ecuador.
There is copper under the ground here. the local people don't want mining. Should it be allowed?
Canadian companies mine for copper in Ecuador. What advice could we give them to help them make decisions?
Response to Heat Team A's question about Copper Canada
From Dr Stephanie Lewis
Recently I received an e-mail from Dr Huggatree asking about using copper in the house for HEAT TEAM A. The team was researching copper mining companies and they were wondering what the role of Copper Canada was in Copper mining. Here is the mission statement of Copper Canada. My reading of this is that the role of Coper Canada is to support those companies involved in mining and producing copper products.
The Mission Statement of Copper Canada "To represent and support the primary producers, fabricators, manufacturers and consumers of copper and copper alloys in Canada, by increasing industry and public awareness of copper's capabilities and advantages compared to other metals and materials, and by providing technical services related to copper's use.To provide assistance and teaching aids to educators, students and the public on the role of copper in society, its applications, and related health and environmental topics."
Recently I received an e-mail from Dr Huggatree asking about using copper in the house for HEAT TEAM A. The team was researching copper mining companies and they were wondering what the role of Copper Canada was in Copper mining. Here is the mission statement of Copper Canada. My reading of this is that the role of Coper Canada is to support those companies involved in mining and producing copper products.
The Mission Statement of Copper Canada "To represent and support the primary producers, fabricators, manufacturers and consumers of copper and copper alloys in Canada, by increasing industry and public awareness of copper's capabilities and advantages compared to other metals and materials, and by providing technical services related to copper's use.To provide assistance and teaching aids to educators, students and the public on the role of copper in society, its applications, and related health and environmental topics."
Check out this guarantee from IKEA
"We have found a really safe company to use for furnishing our house because they guarantee that their products are environmentally and human-righteously safe! if you want to check it out, I have the site here for the link to their statement.
the link is http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_CA/about_ikea/splash.html but you have to scroll down the page to where is says social and environmental responsibility."
"All IKEA suppliers must follow certain fundamental
rules. Working conditions must be acceptable, child labour is
not tolerated and suppliers must adopt a responsible
attitude to the environment."
Dr Peff Puff sent me this information and it looks great. Thanks Dr Peff Puff. I am doing some more snooping to check it out. Dr. Stephanie Lewis
the link is http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_CA/about_ikea/splash.html but you have to scroll down the page to where is says social and environmental responsibility."
"All IKEA suppliers must follow certain fundamental
rules. Working conditions must be acceptable, child labour is
not tolerated and suppliers must adopt a responsible
attitude to the environment."
Dr Peff Puff sent me this information and it looks great. Thanks Dr Peff Puff. I am doing some more snooping to check it out. Dr. Stephanie Lewis
Good Energy Efficiency Report
"Anglian Home Inprovements - helping to save the planet.
Reap the benefits of solar energy, retain the heat more effectively with category "B" glass for your conservatory and house glazing.
If you're seriously looking for a top quality conservatory, then we feel you should really use the best.
Anglian Home Improvements have recently been awarded a category "B" rating by the British Fenestration Rating Council, endorsed by the Energy Saving Trust for their optional White Knight Casement Window. That makes it one of the most energy efficient windows available. Most of their windows are already category "C" rated. Who else can boast that? It's no mistake that Anglian are the leading provider of conservatories in the country.
Anglian Home Improvements manufacture their own products and supply directly to you - unlike other home improvements companies - which allows them to offer utterly professional service and products at genuinely affordable prices.
Anglian Home Improvements have hundreds of thousands of satisfied customers throughout the country.
Visit www.conservatoryco.co.uk for more information."
Reap the benefits of solar energy, retain the heat more effectively with category "B" glass for your conservatory and house glazing.
If you're seriously looking for a top quality conservatory, then we feel you should really use the best.
Anglian Home Improvements have recently been awarded a category "B" rating by the British Fenestration Rating Council, endorsed by the Energy Saving Trust for their optional White Knight Casement Window. That makes it one of the most energy efficient windows available. Most of their windows are already category "C" rated. Who else can boast that? It's no mistake that Anglian are the leading provider of conservatories in the country.
Anglian Home Improvements manufacture their own products and supply directly to you - unlike other home improvements companies - which allows them to offer utterly professional service and products at genuinely affordable prices.
Anglian Home Improvements have hundreds of thousands of satisfied customers throughout the country.
Visit www.conservatoryco.co.uk for more information."
TIPS FOR TEAMS
For teams who have added a solarium, greenhouse roof, glass porch, or conservatory there is a neat site you can go to to get an estimate of the cost of installing one. The site asks you a bunch of questions and you put in your response. For example; "would you like tinted glass or plain glass? How many ventillation windows do you want? Then at the end you can get an estimate of the cost. REMEMBER OUR PRIMARY GOAL IS ENERGY EFFICIENCY MAKE SURE YOU CHOOSE THE TOP OF THE LINE ENERGY EFFICIENT WINDOWS! One thing; this is a site from the U.K. so you have to convert to $ I think X2 should put you in the right ballpark.
www.conservatoryco.co.uk/conservatory-quotation.shtml
www.conservatoryco.co.uk/conservatory-quotation.shtml
Monday, April 30, 2007
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