- a conventionally styled building but solar powered and designed with the goal of producing no net CO2 surplus across the boundary of the site.
387 Watts of fossil fuel per 1000 square feet for Space Heating, Cooking and Hot Water..
251 Watts per 1000 square feet Electrical Consumption
Latest rate of energy consumption over 55 days to April 19th 1998 for the office and dwelling.
- before the Thermomax solar panels and wind turbine are fitted!
Contents
Northern Ireland is green, cold and wet! (and very beautiful) The environment of Northern Ireland, according to the UN world soils map is classified as Sub -Arctic Tundra. In other words, the main vegetation in the absence of man is sphagnum moss, (turf or peat). However, this is not the local perception. Farmers drain land and change the soil type to a semi-arable status which gives the visual illusion that the natural environment is grass land. The public perception of the cold, humid, windy climate has also been dimmed by the the recent adoption of the motor car as a metal raincoat. Moreover, the low price of heating oil provides the mechanism to improve the internal home environment without any thought given to the effects of burning oil on the air quality and global warming. Coal is more expensive but open fires are cheaper to install and therefore the favourite fuel for the senior citizens and the unwaged. It might be cold outside but there is always a brightly burning fire, a warm welcome and as often as not, music and fun in the Northern Ireland home - we also tend to leave our keys in the front door so that you can make yourself a cup of tea if we are out! The down side is the cost of fuel and environmental damage.
Global Warming
As a result of the local climate and easy fuel availability, energy consumption per head of population in Northern Ireland is close to the highest in Europe. A typical large house in this country is responsible for the production of 40-50 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. Each decade a 4-5 bedroom detached house in Northern Ireland pollutes about one cubic kilometre of air with carbon dioxide to a level that would cause a 3 degree Centigrade temperature rise if applied universally. If that does not sound a lot, a three degree temperature fall 10,000 years ago was sufficient to cause Northern Ireland to be covered with 1km of ice! Satellite photographs have been analysed and indicate that spring in Northern Ireland is approximately a week earlier than a decade ago. Global warming effects may be serious consequences of people burning carbon fuels. The degree of the effects of the numerous and diverse contributors to global warming is currently being evaluated. It may never be fully understood because of the amount of chaos inherent in weather systems, but to my mind the steady erosion of stable weather patterns looks bad for both the earth and its people and my personal goal is to reduce CO2 emissions towards zero in order to minimise the potentially catastrophic consequences of a permanently changed climate. The science of global warming is not simple and as new data arrives, the picture changes day by day but increasingly in favour of global warming. The latest scientific opinion is summarised by the Convention on Climate Change . Changing people's ideas about burning carbon fuels like coal and oil will be harder than changing the available technology hence this demonstration project.
Image.Four Hurricanes in the Atlantic in 1995
Atmospheric Instability
I am inclined to agree with those scientists and lay observers who contend that atmospheric instability is an effect of human activity - especially deforestation, some modern farming practices and atmospheric pollution from energy sources. The earth's hydrosphere, biosphere and atmosphere react in an infinitely complex system and its study requires an infinite number of disciplines, but from an increasing number of these disciplines evidence indicating increasing instability is amassing.
The earth's equilibrium has been upset in the past century to a degree that one is increasingly niggled by the word 'catastrophic' and 'totally chaotic' when evaluating the evidence. For example, hydrologists indicate that the Mississippi river is experiencing up to 6 one hundred year floods each year, the latest (normally temporary) El-nino - a change in direction of a major ocean current, has lasted over five years (to 1996) transferring enormous amounts of energy across the globe. In 1997-98 the 'El-Nino' event of the century is predicted and is being closely watched by news agencies like CNN. In 1995 there were four named hurricanes at the same time in the Atlantic plus one unnamed tropical storm - a record only seen once before. The instability has been reflected in recent local (Northern Irish) weather conditions, the driest summer for 270 years and the warmest autumn for 300 years, the coolest May on record in 1996. 1997 had the driest winter (to the end of April) for 200 years followed by the wettest June this Century.The British government now accepts that by the year 2020 the county of Kent in Southern England will have the climate of the Loire Valley in France whilst Northern Ireland and Scotland may become warmer and wetter. We note that this analysis is not generally accepted by oil producing States!
Whilst the protagonists may argue about global warming, global instability is becoming obvious to scientists and insurance companies alike - and is potentially more damaging than simple warming as the the 'damaged' insurance market at Lloyds of London will testify. It is not low temperatures that kill the plants in the garden but one deep overnight frost - an extreme weather condition. Here is a simple scientific test of our ability to predict the frequency of extreme weather conditions - it is such a good test the answer will hit you in the eye, unmistakable evidence!
THE TEST
Tell a Lloyds 'Name' who has lost everything they possess that the global weather system is still predictable at the end of the 20th Century! - duck to avoid serious damage!
The cost of heating a house in northern Ireland, even at a time when energy is at a global all time low price, is about 1,000 UK pounds per year including 8% Value Added Tax. On the stock exchange one would need 20,000-40,000 UK pounds worth of ' blue chip' shares to yield the same annual return. Thus we could argue that low building standards in Northern Ireland, together with the poor climate have deprived each local family the equivalent of a substantial retirement pension. Current building standards are depleting earth resources and family resources . The most vulnerable in society, the elderly and unwaged, are most disadvantaged since coal is twice the price of oil as a domestic fuel and house-bound people are responsible for heating more of their daytime environment at home and use cheaper (coal) installations. Waged people are heated by their employers.
The Goal
22 * C / 50% RH Internal Environment
No Net Carbon Dioxide Production
The goal of Solar House is to reduce the net CO2 production from the site to zero using a largely passive design whilst maintaining an internal temperature of 22 * Centigrade +/- 2. This is to be achieved with the minimum of controls using a largely passive design but using air to air heat recovery and solar panels for water heating. The limitations to the architectural design are imposed by the planning authorities - no glass geodetic domes here, the building has to blend with traditional country cottages, traditional farm buildings and village halls. Our site is an 100 year old stone quarry 1.5 miles from the town of Magherafelt in Co. Londonderry.
Photo: Blowing fibreglass into the 0.5 meter roof cavity.
Linking a 98% efficient condensing gas boiler for standby heating to the solar hot water.
Extreme levels of insulation (insulation is the same price as concrete per cubic meter)
Photo: Air to Air Heat Exchanger
DESIGN AND COSTS
Solar House looks and feels traditional whilst achieving its low environmental impact for a price in 1996 of 51 UK Pounds per square foot (against an initial estimate of 45 pounds per square foot) in a 3100 square feet (occupied area) structure including the study/office but excluding 1000 sq ft of attic storage space. In 1996 US$1.5=1 UK Pound.
Thermal engineering calculations were computed by Practically Green using a passive solar design programme. On the basis of the fabric design including an allowance for occupational heating but excluding solar panels for water heating, the average consumption (annualised) of the house was 0.5kw/ 1000 square feet for space and water heating. In the design process it was noted that 75% of the heat load is attributable to heating winter air to 20 *C. Further design work has increased the efficiency and size of the air to air heat exchanger and the "solar energy to hot air" "HoTile(tm) roof structure has been added.
THE FIRST WINTER REPORT
During September and October 1996, the first weeks of occupation, the average temperature in the coldest North East corner room of Solar House was 22*C .
During November and December 1996, one of the coldest Autumn/early winter periods in memory with weeks of freezing fog and a 5" snow fall the north east facing office midday temperature was 18*C - still a comfortable office environment for the potentially the coldest room in the house.
The focal point propane 'living flame' (ceramic 'coal') fire has been used typically from 7 or 8 pm for three hours. This glass - fronted unit is 75% efficient compared to 15% efficiency for an open coal fire and has proved to be a very comfortable family focus in the house in the evenings. The heat from this fire spreads itself throughout the dwelling and office via the air to air heat exchanger and keeps the building warm for 24 hours without the use of radiators and with very little fuel consumption. Auxiliary bedroom heating is available via small (20"x14") single skin hot water filled radiators installed for towel drying) although these are rarely 'on' even in the winter. A larger panel is installed in the master bedroom - all panels and towel rails came from a dismantled hospital building.
In February (1997), a Jotul 118 wood burner was added to the kitchen/dinning area. This can take wood logs up to 24" (600mm) long and has moved the family focus out of the living room into the kitchen on clear cold days. The unit is currently fired on waste wood left over from the building programme . However, under windy conditions smoke is blown down the chimney. The heating effect of the wood burner is offset by the need for all the windows in the kitchen to be open to let out the smoke! We are modifying the cowl and the chimney to see if we can improve matters and provide a system that will enable Ash (fraxinus) to be grown on site, absorbing global warming CO2 before it is burned in the two coldest winter months in preference to the fossil fuel - propane.
The water heating system is supported by an 18kw condensing gas boiler for water temperature control thus combining low energy consumption with predictable thermal performance. We have been monitoring the consumption of propane with the solar panel disconnected and this has indicated a general background fuel consumption of about 10 +/- 1 Litres per day (71kwhrs per week for office and house space and water heating combined). We will see this figure decline when we add the solar powered hot water from the wonderfully efficient Thermomax solar panels.
The Solar House has been built to a design by Mahin Gornall, using energy saving concepts and thermal modelling by Practically Green Environmental Services but with the much valued help and assistance of a large number of specialist firms that you might like to consider for your own project.
Brian recently officially turned off the fire in the living at the Solar House Cooling Party and we thank him along with Mickey Vallely the foreman whose attention to detail is a now a legend and Tommy who kept the team together during the difficult times and provided excellent back up.
We are grateful to the Department of Economic Development Energy Branch and particularly to Douglas McEldoon for encouragement and sponsorship towards the Solar House project without which it would not have taken place.
This project has been supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Practically Green Environmental Services is capable of providing a complete design and build package for domestic or office buildings and can provide energy strategies for architects or clients at the design stage. The best time to call us is before the site is chosen - but we can work to help you with any assignment at any stage of development. When recently we were presented with almost finished architects drawings, we were able to suggest 4-5 pages of energy saving ideas - lets face it currently architects design spaces, plumbers are left to heat the spaces and the customer pays the bill with his pension! It need not be so.
Call 01648 32615 or email me if you are interested in solar design or if you have been encouraged to incorporate Solar House or other green building ideas into your own project. Send in your project photograph for inclusion in Practically Green News. Les.Gornall@dial.pipex.com.
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