Site Evaluation
Probably the single most important thing one can do when they are thinking of converting their living style to incorporate more forms of renewable energy is to undertake a site evaluation. Quite often we set out to accomplish something that may be in fact impossible. For example, if you own a home in a shaded area located between two mountain ranges you probably would have to consider wood, corn or pellet heat. You might harness a stream for hydro power or possibly take advantage of geothermal energy. But, if you are planning on using wind or solar, then you would not be successful. The numbers just don’t add up for either of these forms since you would not get enough hours of direct sunlight or ample wind to make the endeavor cost effective with present technologies. So, one form of renewable energy would be possible and another would not. Not all forms will work everywhere. We need to assess your site and select what the most reasonable path for you to follow to accomplish your independence.
Ener G Wise Technologies will visit your site upon your request to discuss the possibilities that you have available to you. In most cases, we can recommend some real cost saving measures for you to incorporate. Planning a successful strategy will depend on several factors. Of course, one of the main factors will be your geographical location. We also have to consider the length of time that you will remain at your present site. We have to analyze your lifestyle to document the type of sacrifices that you are willing to make with regards to the length of time for the potential payback for your upgrade.
We all agree that there are many possibilities. Some of course, make sense and some do not. This is where our expertise and building experience can really be of a great asset to your family.
Site Planning
If you or your customer are interested in getting involved in living the ‘renewable energy” lifestyle, then it really would pay great dividends to select the correct building site that correlates with your vision of where you would like to be in 30 years with respect to being as near energy independent as possible. We would highly recommend that you have one of our site specialists review your prospective site prior to purchase.
The undertaking of a basic review of the potential site with respect to what your expectations are will quickly highlight potential pitfalls prior to the purchase of the parcel of property. As we all know, buying real estate is usually governed by the “buyer beware” theory. If the property does not live up to your expectations, then it obviously was the buyer’s fault and not the sellers.
Once that you have purchased the land then it will be smart to locate the relationship of the land with regards to the sun’s travel pattern during its daytime hours. Locating “sun south” will be important as will the location of any potential sun blocking obstacles. Also, the type of terrain with respect to streams will be important. Depending on the type of well that you develop after drilling will lend even further possibilities in natural energy yields. It will also be important to take winds average speeds (if any) into consideration.
In most cases, your energy independence will not be accomplished in any one specific area. In most cases a combination of two or three forms of natural energy generation will be considered. Factoring the best set of systems to use will be the job of the site planner and site analysis conducted at our office. Much of what you have to know for the energy independence concepts that you have envisioned will come into focus prior to your doing any actual site improvements. The beauty of the above fact is that it allows one to plan his or her home situation based on what “mother nature” has given you and not leaving it to chance. All sites are going to have some positives and some negatives. The key to successful site planning is to harness an ample number of positives to achieve what your future aim of energy independence vision entails.
New Home Design
New home design is a relatively simple process. It is important however, that the consumer realize that the actual design is really dictated by the environment that the home is located in. Also, the amount of energy independence that the consumer wishes plays a huge role in design. The key to good design hinges on the ability to merge good energy gathering techniques with the basic lifestyle wishes of the consumer. In most cases, some sacrifices do have to be made.
I think we will all agree when going into the home design phase that we are not going to get everything we are after in the total home in most cases. For example, the perfect view may not be the same home directional orientation required to collect the maximum of passive solar heat gain. The way that we orient the home and design the walls and roof system will affect both of these requirements. But most important is the fact that we discuss these two variables in the actual home design so as to give the consumer the greatest yield of both benefits.
Ener-G Wise Technologies has developed some prototype homes which meet three varying levels of energy efficiency and supply. The most basic model is the Wise home design. This design incorporates many of the standard design characteristics that have been used in Brownell Lumber Co. Post and Beam homes for the past 20 years with the exception that much more thought has been given the quality and location of windows and doors. This basic home design incorporates approximately 850 sq. ft. of living space and is very easy to heat and maintain. The heating source is calculated as propane with a solid fuel (wood, pellet or compressed wood fiber) as a compliment to the main heating source. The Wise design will easily heat with passive solar with the compliment heat source of the solid fuel as the alternate. For times when the home will be left unattended or you do not wish to supply the solid fuel heating source- then the propane heating unit will supply the necessary BTU’s to maintain your lifestyle.
The Wiser Design will be similar to the wise design with exception that this design will have many more options included in it to allow the structure to be more savvy. The addition of photovoltaic panels to the structure will allow the structure to operate at a level that is nearly “Net Zero” with regards to electricity consumption. Saying it another way – the electric energy bill will be near zero each month. The cost of electricity may vary depending of course on amount of sun or unusual consumption at any particular time. However, the grid tie-in will sell back extra electric energy generated from the sun to balance off the day to day use of electricity within the home. The wiser design will employ several other “smart” energy technologies to boost its performance. For instance, heat will be captured from waste water lines and re-circulated back into the home environment. Passive solar heating will be employed through properly oriented windows. Shading of windows will prevent overheating and the loss of valuable BTU’s in the absence of the sun. Obviously, there are several other techniques that will be designed into the structure to allow this home to show a rather swift return on the investment over the period of time. Certainly, a 20 year payback period is achievable – even assuming that energy costs are at the 2009 levels.
The Wisest Design will be designed with total “energy efficiency” in mind. The key to energy efficiency is realizing that conservation of energy is job number one. The structure is thought out so that a maximum of insulation and a minimum of moisture loss are working hand in hand in its performance. The use of windows is done with heat loss potential in mind. All equipment in this design is extremely energy efficient. Gathering of energy will be accomplished by the most reasonable means available on the building site selected. A great deal of time will be spent to select the site. Once the site is selected – then the potential for proper energy generation will be measured. The Wisest Design will incorporate an “energy storage mass’ system. The system will be used to both store and dispense heat energy to propel the normal life cycle of the home. Surly, the premier design will employ photovoltaic design principles. Also, it is quite certain that a Solar Hot Water system will be employed to heat both the domestic hot water with the excess heated water being used to charge the heat energy mass. A control room will be an integral part of this home. In this control room will be the “brains” of the home. Such things as air movement, water movement, mass heat temperature, electric grid power readings and outdoor temperature and wind speeds will be recorded and monitored. From this information wise choices may be made concerning such things as how to add or remove heat or moisture from the home environment. Further, the monitoring system will decide how to exchange electrical energy with the grid or battery backup system. Information will be generated for the user to advise him or her how to better operate various appliances with regard to timing and power settings. Surly, the use of “off peak” electric power will be maximized.
The design features of the Wisest Home will allow the owner to live in near “net zero” energy use category, depending of course, on how advanced the design of the energy wise equipment is. Many techniques that are forthcoming could be “built in” to the structure and purchased at a later date as technologies improve and become less expensive through increased manufacture and demand. Employing the concepts of the Wisest Home Design upon purchase of the home could allow the owner to be near free of the added cost of energy or can be planned so as to achieve that point of subsistence in some years later as the individual accumulates more wealth. Through detail planning, the planners from Ener G Wise Technologies™ . can advise you as to the cost, timing and actual accomplishment of energy independence.
Retrofitting Existing Home
In most cases, when existing homes were constructed, heating sources were rather cheap. Little thought was put into conservation of energy with respect to a living cycle of the home owner in past home design. Designs were pretty much “repetitious” with no provisions for glass positioning nor superior insulation. Unfortunately, it is difficult to relocate windows to maximize on passive solar gain in any existing home. Increasing the insulating factor in some homes is possible by using a “blown.in” insulation. Again, for a home built in the 60’s through the 90’s loose fill blown in insulation sometimes is not the answer since there is now additional wall cavity to fill.
The major heat loss in an older home is through the roof. In most cases it is possible to increase the insulation in the ceiling system to increase the R rate. Walls tend to be the next greatest loss of heat areas. The older vintage of windows are especially poor with respect to air penetration and heat loss. The adding of a storm sash can greatly increase the performance of older windows. In some cases, it might be wise to replace the older windows with a new version of an Energy Star rated window. It is well known that the reduction of drafts within a home can greatly increase the home’s ability to heat better and more efficiently. Walls may be upgraded on the exterior with a layer of rigid board insulation and an application of new siding. In this case, it is preferred that the window be replaced if possible. Using the original windows will dictate that the windows will have to be “built out” to realign with the new super insulated wall system. By using new windows, it is possible to rebuild the jambs at the new exterior wall line.
There are many ways to enhance a performance of any existing home. Probably the most obvious is proper weather sealing a caulking of air leaks. The wrapping of hot water supply pipes is also very effective and relatively inexpensive. There is no onc large area that will accomplish the job. The key is to combat the energy conservation through many small achievements. Gradually, if a consistent energy conservation program is followed one will at least be able to hopefully offset increased energy costs and maintain a stable heating and cooling budget.
Great attention should be paid to not trying to upgrade an old house with some of the new energy generating devices that are becoming available before one has taken the time to button up the old house. It is well understood that the investment of some of the new technology is only feasible with the understanding that a minimum of energy is lost. With an older home your money is much better spent making it more efficient with energy saving procedures. Trying to leave the home as it is and instead trying to energize the home with photovoltaics or wind would be a financial mistake. The expense of a sufficient amount of equipment and installation required to stave off excessive energy loss would be a fruitless venture.
We suggest at Ener G Wise Technologies™ that you do an energy analysis as the first step toward your energy independence plans. From this study and understanding of your home’s present functioning you can then plan a prudent course to achieve your goals with a preset budget in mind.
Research and Development
At Ener G Wise Technologies™ our core principles are to maintain open minds and strive to accomplish the savings and generation of energy in the most efficient and straightforward fashion. As our team forges ahead involving itself in new exciting ideas we are able to meet many interesting people who have made significant contribution to the field of energy technology. The meeting of minds along with the necessary exchange of ideas brings about new and exciting possibilities. Many of the projects that we are working on are one of a kind and involve processes that have never been thought about-much less accomplished. Our belief is “without trying new ideas and principles it will be impossible to develop new ideas and habits to foster in the needs of the 21st century”. Many of the concepts that we discuss and work on seem very far fetched. It pays to remember, though, so was the cell phone 20 years ago. Today we take the cell phone for granted.
Today’s consumers are hungry for new ways to allow themselves to become energy independent. With the new global competition for energy supply it now has become more profitable to conduct research in an effort to seek out new alternatives and sources for energy supply. Mankind has know for centuries that the sun is in fact “powering the earth”. Unfortunately, for the last few centuries, a significant share of the energy for heating, cooling and propelling ourselves has been gathered through using “on board” carbon based fuels. Once thought cheap by our forefathers, we are now finding that the cost was rather high for these products when we factor in the omissions problems that are becoming apparent as a result of their us. Further, there is in fact a serious depletion of these fuels. When scarcity becomes an issue with a product used by a species then of course competition between the members of the species results as each member tries to tap the resource in question. As the product get more scarce then so does the competition. The final event in this scenario is of course in fighting and extinction of some or all of the species. It is thought by many intellectuals that the human species is an endangered species through its own unwise choices. We are now finding that the easy way out is not always the correct way to achieve survival of a species.
I think we all realize that we are now feeling the “pinch” of global demand on our interconnected product use. The only way to prevent the dilemma from worsening is to begin to use other sources of products that are seemingly unlimited. So that brings us back to the energy of the sun. Weather it be solar, wind or water, the movement and transfer of these energy sources are all a result of the sun’s energy.
Our job at Ener G Wise Technologies is to better study the many ways to extract that energy from the sun and to implement it’s use to make each of our lives more substainable over the next century or two. We are finding that the door is wide open for innovation. Since we have been rather lazy and used the “easy to get” natural resources to propel our lifestyles, little thought has been given to tapping that vast energy resource coming at us from space each day. In fact, the sun is providing some 35,000 more times the energy today as mankind is using in the world. Although that number could be argued up a down a few times, it still is a ridiculous scenario to think that mankind can be so ignorant. To survive in this new world of the 21st century mankind is virtually left with little choice now but to harness the huge potential of the sun and its related sciences to co exist on the planet Earth.