Energy Efficient Housing
For this project we were assigned to create an energy efficient house that is comfortable without using electricity. To do this we had to come up with ways to heat water, what materials keep the building warm or cool, to keep the building lite throughout the day, and to have a clean way to generate electricity for future changes. We were told in the end one of our building designs would be picked and built on campus somewhere but we had to stay within a budget of $5,000. We also had to keep the building within 120 square feet so we wouldn't need a permit.
Solar Water Heater:
The first thing we did to accomplish this was to find a way to efficiently heat water without electricity or fire. The first thing we did was starting to brainstorm designs. Then we came up with the design where we took a cardboard box wrapped it in foil, then put a layer of packing peanuts, and a black piece of cardboard. We ran a piece of black copper wire in and S shape threw the box and put plastic wrap over the top to magnify the light. Finally we took the flaps of the lid and angled them out to reflect more light into the box to heat up the copper wire as much as we could. Then we connected a 2 liter water bottle to the copper wire with plastic tubing to bring water threw the box and back into the water container for continual heating. After about an hour of heating we got the water to raise 4 degrees but it may have been better if we had tested it later in the day.
Solar Water Heater:
The first thing we did to accomplish this was to find a way to efficiently heat water without electricity or fire. The first thing we did was starting to brainstorm designs. Then we came up with the design where we took a cardboard box wrapped it in foil, then put a layer of packing peanuts, and a black piece of cardboard. We ran a piece of black copper wire in and S shape threw the box and put plastic wrap over the top to magnify the light. Finally we took the flaps of the lid and angled them out to reflect more light into the box to heat up the copper wire as much as we could. Then we connected a 2 liter water bottle to the copper wire with plastic tubing to bring water threw the box and back into the water container for continual heating. After about an hour of heating we got the water to raise 4 degrees but it may have been better if we had tested it later in the day.
Solar Angles/Day lighting design:
The next thing we looked into was how much sunlight comes into our building through out the year. To do this we then found a chart that showed the light angles in Novato throughout the year and we found that in winter the sun only gets up to around 25 degrees and in the summer it gets up to around 75 degrees. This is because of how far north we are from the equator and the tilt of the earth. After getting this useful information on light angles, we then created a model of a house that uses day lighting techniques to reduce the energy spent on lights. To make this work we researched things such as light shelves, solar tubes, celestial windows, and skylights. In our model we used many light shelves to reflect light into our house along with celestial windows to get lots of morning light. We had two skylights in two spots of our house where normal windows would be pointless. After building the model we tested it to see how well our day lighting techniques worked with a moveable light bulb to simulate the sun in its path of travel for Novato, ca.
The next thing we looked into was how much sunlight comes into our building through out the year. To do this we then found a chart that showed the light angles in Novato throughout the year and we found that in winter the sun only gets up to around 25 degrees and in the summer it gets up to around 75 degrees. This is because of how far north we are from the equator and the tilt of the earth. After getting this useful information on light angles, we then created a model of a house that uses day lighting techniques to reduce the energy spent on lights. To make this work we researched things such as light shelves, solar tubes, celestial windows, and skylights. In our model we used many light shelves to reflect light into our house along with celestial windows to get lots of morning light. We had two skylights in two spots of our house where normal windows would be pointless. After building the model we tested it to see how well our day lighting techniques worked with a moveable light bulb to simulate the sun in its path of travel for Novato, ca.
Site Selection:
One of the most important features of this project is where the building is located because that can be a deal breaker for true energy efficiency. To do this we first made a chart of key points needed in a location like amounts of light and visibility. We took notes on three locations. In the end we picked the strip of land behind the science building and next to the parking lot. We chose this site because it has sunlight on it for a large amount of the day, it’s easy to access, it’s visible to the community since it’s next to Novato Blvd., the ground is fairly flat, and there are no future plans for a structure here so it can be permanent. This site also helps that the building can have many different uses since the building is permanent.
One of the most important features of this project is where the building is located because that can be a deal breaker for true energy efficiency. To do this we first made a chart of key points needed in a location like amounts of light and visibility. We took notes on three locations. In the end we picked the strip of land behind the science building and next to the parking lot. We chose this site because it has sunlight on it for a large amount of the day, it’s easy to access, it’s visible to the community since it’s next to Novato Blvd., the ground is fairly flat, and there are no future plans for a structure here so it can be permanent. This site also helps that the building can have many different uses since the building is permanent.
Material Testing:
To make sure this building was energy efficient we had to test a wide range of materials to see how well they all conducted, absorbed, or reflected heat. To do this we gathered all our materials and tested their conductivity and reflectivity by hanging a light bulb 20cm from the surface of the materials. Then we measured their temperature every 5 minutes for 90 minutes (45 minutes with light on and 45 with the light off). From this we found the dark hardwood absorbs the most heat, corrugated metal reflected heat the best, stucco retained heat the best, and fiberglass batting was the best insulator.
To make sure this building was energy efficient we had to test a wide range of materials to see how well they all conducted, absorbed, or reflected heat. To do this we gathered all our materials and tested their conductivity and reflectivity by hanging a light bulb 20cm from the surface of the materials. Then we measured their temperature every 5 minutes for 90 minutes (45 minutes with light on and 45 with the light off). From this we found the dark hardwood absorbs the most heat, corrugated metal reflected heat the best, stucco retained heat the best, and fiberglass batting was the best insulator.
Building Design:
This was the main part of our project where we actually put together all the information we had been researching to finally create an energy efficient building design. We decided10ftx12ft was the best dimension for our building since it was right at the size where we didn’t need a permit and could still be useful. For this building we designed it with a slanted roof, so one wall was 8ft and the opposite one 9ft, so it could handle well in the stormy parts of the winter. For this project we also had to make blueprints to scale, 2cm to 1ft, to show how the supports would work. In our model representation we used Popsicle sticks to represent the wooden beams and cotton balls to represent the fiberglass batting. For the flooring we used dark hardwood to retain the heat well and the inner walls were all white to reflect the heat and light through out the building. We also set some of the celestial windows on the south side to let in light all day in the wintertime. The outer walls were tan painted stucco to absorb heat and we also had shingles on our roof to retain some heat. Overall our design was sturdy and served its purpose in being energy efficient.
This was the main part of our project where we actually put together all the information we had been researching to finally create an energy efficient building design. We decided10ftx12ft was the best dimension for our building since it was right at the size where we didn’t need a permit and could still be useful. For this building we designed it with a slanted roof, so one wall was 8ft and the opposite one 9ft, so it could handle well in the stormy parts of the winter. For this project we also had to make blueprints to scale, 2cm to 1ft, to show how the supports would work. In our model representation we used Popsicle sticks to represent the wooden beams and cotton balls to represent the fiberglass batting. For the flooring we used dark hardwood to retain the heat well and the inner walls were all white to reflect the heat and light through out the building. We also set some of the celestial windows on the south side to let in light all day in the wintertime. The outer walls were tan painted stucco to absorb heat and we also had shingles on our roof to retain some heat. Overall our design was sturdy and served its purpose in being energy efficient.
Justification:
The main question people always ask is why is an energy efficient house good. The best answer is that the amount of electricity people consume on a daily basis is very expensive and over time with an energy efficient house you will start saving money on you electricity. Now there are some cons of energy efficient houses like not getting enough sun for solar panels but if your house is in a good location then you will find there are more worthwhile pros to being energy efficient. As a class we researched pros and cons of different forms of energy that you can see below.
The main question people always ask is why is an energy efficient house good. The best answer is that the amount of electricity people consume on a daily basis is very expensive and over time with an energy efficient house you will start saving money on you electricity. Now there are some cons of energy efficient houses like not getting enough sun for solar panels but if your house is in a good location then you will find there are more worthwhile pros to being energy efficient. As a class we researched pros and cons of different forms of energy that you can see below.
Generation of Electricity:
The last ting we needed to look into on this project is what we could do to make electricity for future plans of the building. For this we researched HAWTS and VAWTS wind turbines to figure out which ones would be more efficient. We made a design for each of them and after testing to see the amount of electricity they made we found that the HAWTS are more efficient for generating electricity. So now if in the future we were to add electricity to our building we could use the information about wind turbines to make clean energy for the building.
The last ting we needed to look into on this project is what we could do to make electricity for future plans of the building. For this we researched HAWTS and VAWTS wind turbines to figure out which ones would be more efficient. We made a design for each of them and after testing to see the amount of electricity they made we found that the HAWTS are more efficient for generating electricity. So now if in the future we were to add electricity to our building we could use the information about wind turbines to make clean energy for the building.
Physics Concepts:
· Radiation- is the energy transmitted as rays, waves or particles.
· Convection- the transfer of heat through a liquid or gas.
· Conduction- the transfer of heat through a material such as a metal pot.
· Insulation- materials that are bad at conducting but hold heat.
· Absorption- the action when a material takes in the energy from another material.
· Refection- the action of bouncing something back such as light or energy and not absorbing it.
· Heat- having energy that can be felt as “hot.” Cold is just a lack of heat and there is always a small bit of heat.
· Temperature- is the intensity or degree of heat. It is the basic way we measure heat in Celsius or Fahrenheit. The conversion of the two is: Celsius= 5/9 x (Fahrenheit – 32) and Fahrenheit= (9/5 x Celsius) + 32.
· Specific Heat Capacity- is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a substance by one degree Celsius. If an object has a larger specific heat capacity, like water that is at 1, it takes longer to heat up but it also retains the heat longer. An object with a low specific heat capacity heats up fast but doesn’t retain the heat for very long.
· Laws of Thermodynamics- there are 4 main laws of thermodynamics which start at the 0th law through the 3rd law. The 0th laws- explains temperature. This means if two systems are in thermal equilibrium with a third system they are also in equilibrium with each other. The 1st law- conservation of energy. Energy is neither created nor destroyed and heat is a form of energy. The 2nd law- Entropy increases. As time goes on disorder will also increase. The 3rd law- heat always exists so that means temperature can never get to absolute 0.
· Radiation- is the energy transmitted as rays, waves or particles.
· Convection- the transfer of heat through a liquid or gas.
· Conduction- the transfer of heat through a material such as a metal pot.
· Insulation- materials that are bad at conducting but hold heat.
· Absorption- the action when a material takes in the energy from another material.
· Refection- the action of bouncing something back such as light or energy and not absorbing it.
· Heat- having energy that can be felt as “hot.” Cold is just a lack of heat and there is always a small bit of heat.
· Temperature- is the intensity or degree of heat. It is the basic way we measure heat in Celsius or Fahrenheit. The conversion of the two is: Celsius= 5/9 x (Fahrenheit – 32) and Fahrenheit= (9/5 x Celsius) + 32.
· Specific Heat Capacity- is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a substance by one degree Celsius. If an object has a larger specific heat capacity, like water that is at 1, it takes longer to heat up but it also retains the heat longer. An object with a low specific heat capacity heats up fast but doesn’t retain the heat for very long.
· Laws of Thermodynamics- there are 4 main laws of thermodynamics which start at the 0th law through the 3rd law. The 0th laws- explains temperature. This means if two systems are in thermal equilibrium with a third system they are also in equilibrium with each other. The 1st law- conservation of energy. Energy is neither created nor destroyed and heat is a form of energy. The 2nd law- Entropy increases. As time goes on disorder will also increase. The 3rd law- heat always exists so that means temperature can never get to absolute 0.
Reflection
Overall this project went very well and our group cooperated very well. For the most part we all did equal shares of the work and got everything done on time to complete the project. Every now and then we all had different ideas and we couldn’t decide on which was best but in the end we always were able to figure it out. One of the things I could have done better was getting less irritated when things weren’t cut well or drawn straight since I prefer things to look neater. I could have explained the importance of that clearer and not assume it as common sense since its was crucial in some parts for making sure walls could actually reach the roof and then avoid the process of re-cutting pieces. Something else I could have improved is having more patients for people who work slower and not bug them about working faster too often.
There were also many things our group did great together such as brainstorming and coming up with many great ideas. One of the things I personal did well at was taking leadership and making sure we would finish everything in time. I also learned that I tend to want to make things look “perfect” which at times is great and other not so much. One thing that not only I but also everyone else in my group did well at was communicating and all knowing what we were doing. There were only a few times where we didn’t communicate well and had to fix something but otherwise we were very good and communicating ideas and important details. Something on the project that we could have improved on was maybe spending more time on our model so it could have looked a little more professional. Otherwise the project went well and our group worked out great together.
Overall this project went very well and our group cooperated very well. For the most part we all did equal shares of the work and got everything done on time to complete the project. Every now and then we all had different ideas and we couldn’t decide on which was best but in the end we always were able to figure it out. One of the things I could have done better was getting less irritated when things weren’t cut well or drawn straight since I prefer things to look neater. I could have explained the importance of that clearer and not assume it as common sense since its was crucial in some parts for making sure walls could actually reach the roof and then avoid the process of re-cutting pieces. Something else I could have improved is having more patients for people who work slower and not bug them about working faster too often.
There were also many things our group did great together such as brainstorming and coming up with many great ideas. One of the things I personal did well at was taking leadership and making sure we would finish everything in time. I also learned that I tend to want to make things look “perfect” which at times is great and other not so much. One thing that not only I but also everyone else in my group did well at was communicating and all knowing what we were doing. There were only a few times where we didn’t communicate well and had to fix something but otherwise we were very good and communicating ideas and important details. Something on the project that we could have improved on was maybe spending more time on our model so it could have looked a little more professional. Otherwise the project went well and our group worked out great together.