ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS

GAJENDRA KUSHWAHA AND SIDDHARTH KASHYAP TE (MECHANICAL) ARMY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

INDEX

1) 2) 3)

ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION WHY ZEBS AS AN ALTERNATIVE SOURCE FOR ENERGY

3 4 4-5

4)

CONSTRUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY USED

5-8

5)

ZEB VS BASE LINE HOUSES: A COMPARITIVE STUDY

8-10

6)

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

10-11

7)

CONCLUSION

11

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ABSTRACT

Imagine the hot summers; you are relaxing in your air conditioned home, sipping fresh juice chilled in refrigerator. But while enjoying all these modern benefits you foresee the big hole being burnt in your pocket. When 70% of your monthly income had been spent in paying electricity or water bills, your house becomes a MONSTER who is consuming energy at an uncontrolled rate. Daily utilities for heating, cooling, entertaining & lightening extract major chunk of electricity So this brings forward the concept of ZERO ENERGY BUILDING. A net zero-energy building (ZEB) is a residential or commercial building with greatly reduced energy needs through efficiency gains such that the balance of energy needs can be supplied with renewable technologies. In this paper, we use a sample of current generation low-energy buildings to explore the concept of zero energy. The present status of these ZEBS in the world is dealt in this paper with suggestions for the

development of future much more feasible ZERO ENERGY HOUSES. Do you want to cut your monthly energy expenses? Do you want to use that energy which never runs out? Do you want to make your energy meter rotate in backward direction?

Then join hands with zero energy houses

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measurable definition is needed, and how

INTRODUCTION
In todays scenario the energy consumption in the commercial building sector will continue to increase until buildings can be designed to produce enough energy to offset the growing energy demand of these buildings .

we have progressed toward the ZEB goal.

The above figures further amplify this fact that in coming years the proportions of In concept, a net ZEB is a building with greatly reduced energy needs through efficiency gains such that the balance of the energy needs can be supplied by renewable technologies. Despite our use of the phrase zero energy, we lack a common definitionor a common understandingof what it means. In this paper, we use a sample of current generation low-energy buildings to explore the concept of zero energywhat it means, why a clear and energy consumed by buildings is monumentally rising.

WHY ZEB AS AN ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF ENERGY?

At the heart of the ZEB concept is the idea that buildings can meet all their energy requirements from low-cost, locally available, nonpolluting, renewable sources.
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At the strictest level, a ZEB generates enough renewable energy on site to equal or exceed its annual energy use.

energy used to transport the energy to the building. This type accounts for losses during electricity transmission. These ZEBs must generate more electricity than net zero site energy buildings.

ZEBS DEFINATION
A NET ZERO ENERGY BUILDING IS a residential or commercial building that in the course of a year generates as much electricity as it consumes Despite sharing the broad name zero energy building, there are several varying definitions of what ZEB means in actual practice, with a particular difference in usage in different locations and also countries. These are listed below. NET ZERO SITE ENERGY USE In this type of ZEB, the amount of energy provided by on-site renewable energy sources is equal to the amount of energy used by the building. In the United States, zero energy building generally refers to this type of building. NET ZERO SOURCE ENERGY USE This ZEB generates the same amount of energy as is used, including the

NET ZERO COST In this type of building, the cost of purchasing energy is balanced by income from sales of electricity to the grid of electricity generated onsite. Such a status depends on how a utility credits net electricity generation and the utility rate structure the building uses.

NET OFF-SITE ZERO ENERGY USE A building may be considered a ZEB if 100% of the energy it purchases comes from renewable energy sources, even if the energy is generated off the site.

OFF-THE-GRID Off-the-grid buildings are standalone ZEBs that are not connected to an off-site energy utility facility. They require distributed renewable energy generation and energy storage capability (for when the sun is not shining, wind is not blowing, etc).

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WHY ZEBS In present scenario, the level of energy consumption is very high. ZEBs not only generate energy but also conserve it to achieve the higher goals of energy balance. Promote use of renewable source of energy. Reduce dependency on fossil fuels Financial savings in long run. Encourage energy efficient building design and reduce transmission and conversion losses.

Photo voltaic cells (pvs) Thermal mass Fluorescent and led lightening Heat recovery system Absorption chiller units

PASSIVE SOLAR COOLING & HEATING

CONSTRUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY USED

Zero energy target of ZEBs are realized at the very design stage. To achieve this design departs from conventional building technique. ZEBS use the known and significant energy saving technologies available off-the shelf today. Below are listed the typical technologies involve in the design of ZEBs. Passive solar cooling & heating Super insulation Solar absorption refrigeration Solar air heating Passive cooling techniques can be used to reduce, and in some cases eliminate, mechanical air conditioning requirements in areas where cooling is a dominant problem. The cost and energy effectiveness of these options are both worth considering and hence is used here. There are three major sources of unwanted summer heat: direct solar impacts on a building and through windows and skylights; heat transfer and infiltration, of exterior high
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temperatures, through the materials and elements of the structure; and the internal heat produced by appliances, equipment, and inhabitants. This design can also provide passive cooling by upper and bottom vents in south and north zones. During passive cooling the upper vent of a south faced wall is kept closed and north faced wall vent is kept open. The hot air between the glazing and the wall would then flow from upper vent of south zone, to replace this air the air from shaded and cool area comes into living space through north faced upper vent. This causes space cooling. Similarly the air between glazing and storage wall is heated through solar radiations. This heated air passes through the upper vent of south faced wall into the living space and the cooled air passes through the bottom vent of same wall. By this we achieve heated living space adding comfort to occupants.

super insulated house is intended to be heated predominantly by intrinsic heat sources (waste heat generated by appliances and the body heat of the occupants), without using passive solar building design techniques or large amounts of thermal mass, and with very small amounts of backup heat. This has been demonstrated to work in very cold climates but requires close attention to construction details in addition to the insulation Some may consider that super insulation is an alternative to passive solar design (although many building designs include features of both with special attention to preventing summer overheating). Super insulation is one of the ancestors of the passive house approach.

SUPERINSULATION
Super insulation is an approach to building design, construction, and retrofitting. A

Super insulated wall used in ZEBS consist of layer of reinforced concrete on the interior, continuous
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layer of Styrofoam extruded polystyrene. The exterior of the walls consists of reinforced concrete finished with a coat of stucco plaster with interior walls finish coated in concrete and painted. Due to the high thermal mass of the concrete and Styrofoam interior the walls have an effective R value, exceeding R30. The roofs of the ZEBs consist of a cellulose insulation applied directly on the upper side of the ceiling dry wall. . The design is very simple, and requires little maintenance. In addition since the fluid does not freeze the solar air heater has the advantage of not requiring any special attention at temperatures below 273 k.

SOLAR AIR HEATING

During solar heating, the cool air either from room or by a fan blower is passed through a gap between glazing and solar panels. solar panels absorbs energy from sun and thus heat the incoming cool air then this heated air is passed for either space heating drying purposes, & for agricultural & Industrial purposes

Corrosion and leakage problems are also less severe. Due to low value of heat transfer coefficient b/w the absorber plate and the air V-shaped and corrugated absorber plate is used.

PHOTO VOLTAIC CELLS

These cells provide you a best solution to create energy free of cost. PVs or solar cells provide direct conversion of solar radiation into DC electricity, also known as photovoltaic effect

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aesthetical appealing than other solar options.

THERMAL MASS
Thermal mass is defined as the product of the mass m of the body and the specific heat capacity for the material cp, and typically is measured in units of J/C or J/K (which are equivalent). 1. SOLAR PANELS: Photo voltaic cells generate electricity 2. BRISE SOLEI: Shades prevent sun hitting windows. 3. STRAW BALE: Panels help insulate building. In buildings the photovoltaic cells are used in the form of building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV). Building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) are photovoltaic materials that are used to replace conventional building materials in parts of the building envelope such as the roof, skylights, or facades. They are increasingly being incorporated into the construction of new buildings as a principal or ancillary source of electrical power, although existing buildings may be retrofitted with BIPV modules as well. BIPV are an integral part of the design, they generally blend in better and are more

Thermal mass as a concept is most frequently applied in the field of building design. In this context, thermal mass provides 'inertia' against temperature fluctuations. Example:- For a building, when outside temperatures are fluctuating throughout the day, a large thermal mass within the insulated portion of the house can serve to 'flatten out' the daily temperature fluctuations, since the thermal mass will absorb heat when the surroundings are hotter than the mass, and give heat back when the surroundings are cooler.

MATERIALS COMMONLY USED FOR THERMAL MASS

Adobe brick or mud brick, concrete. Earth, mud, and sod. Dirt's thermal conductivity depends on its density,
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moisture content, particle shape, temperature, and composition.

Nowadays, people sometimes use earth sheltering around their homes for the same effect. In earth sheltering, the thermal mass comes not only from the walls of the building, but from the surrounding earth that is in physical contact with the building. This provides a fairly constant, moderating temperature that reduces heat flow through the adjacent wall. USE AND APPLICATION OF THERMAL MASS Thermal mass is ideally placed within the building and situated where it still can be exposed to winter sunlight (via windows) but insulated from heat loss. The thermal mass is warmed passively by the sun or additionally by internal

Rammed earth. Rammed earth provides excellent thermal mass because of its high density, and the high specific heat capacity of the soil used in its construction.

PROPERTIES REQUIRED FOR GOOD THERMAL MASS High density. High specific heat capacity. Any form of matter that is, solid, liquid or gas that has certain mass will definitely posses thermal mass. General misconception is that air does not possess thermal mass as compared to concrete.

heating systems during the day. Heat stored in the mass is then released back into the interior during the night. Any form of thermal mass can be used. Since the most important source of heat is from the sun, the ratio of glazing to thermal mass is an important factor to consider. Various formulas have been devised to determine this. As a general rule, additional solarexposed thermal mass needs to apply in

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a ratio from 6-8:1 for any area of north facing. FLUOROSCENT LIGHTENING AND LEDs A fluorescent lamp is a gas-discharge lamp that uses electricity to excite mercury vapor. The excited mercury atoms produce shortwave ultraviolet light that then causes a phosphor to fluoresce, producing visible light.

USAGE TOTAL COST $ 185.2 FOR 60K 2 HOURS $ 782.5

ZEB Vs BASE LINE HOUSES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

A comparative study is reported to measure the actual performance of zero energy house (ZEH) of typical tract design. Ideally a ZEH produces as much energy as it consumes in a years time. Two identically

INFORMATION ON LED LIGHTING PRODUCTS & ENERGY SAVING CALCULATOR/COMPARISON CHART

PARAMETER S LIFE SPAN CFL S 10,00 0 HRS 14 $ 2.98 840 INCANDESCEN T 1200 HRS

sized tract houses were constructed side by side in south west las Vegas. One house is used as a base line house and was built using conventional construction techniques. The other house, the ZEH, employs many energy saving features solar power generation, and supplemental solar water heating. It was reasonable to believe that both houses

WATT/BULB COST/BULB KWH OF ELECTRICIT Y ELECTRICIT Y COST EQUIVALEN T 60K HOUR BULB EXPENSE BULB NEEDED FOR 60K

60 $ 1.25 3600

experienced similar and consistent usage.

CONSTRUCTION DETAILS
The ZEH are modified version of base line house

$168 $ 17.88

$720 $ 62.5

FEATURES OF ZERO ENERGY HOUSES (ZEH)

50

151.4 liter solar water heater with rated efficiency 0.81

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 4.8-kW GEPV-055-G PV panels White-tile roof with 3-foot overhangs R-38 attic insulation R-10 Styrofoam insulation over concrete block system Advanced solar control doubleglazed windows Oversized, interior-mounted ducts High-efficiency refrigerator High-efficiency compact fluorescent lighting Programmable thermostat The reorientation of the roof from the east west to north south to provide roof mounted solar energy components adequate exposure to the sun throughout the year. Downsized SEER 18.0, variablespeed, 3-ton air conditioner with field-verified cooling-coil air flow.

Single-glazed windows with aluminum frames R-6 ducts located in attic Standard appliances (electric range, electric water heater, refrigerator, and electric dryer) Standard incandescent lighting (30 recessed-can lights) Standard-efficiency, 3-ton, SEER 12 (seasonal energy efficiency ratio)

CONCLUSIONS OF COMPARISON The ZEH has performed well in regard to its electrical energy consumption. The house hsas produced over 1700 Kwh of exces electrical energy and used 83.27% less peak energy than the base line houses.

FEATURES OF BASELINE HOUSES 151.4 liter solar water heater with rated efficiency 0.62 Gray/brown asphalt shingle roof with 1.5-foot overhangs R-29 attic insulation R-4 wall insulation on interior of concrete block walls
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1). The most significant load a house experiences due to air conditioning. The ZEH uses a 3 ton freus evaporative condensing air conditioner while the base line house uses a more conventional air cooled air conditioner.

Table 1 shows how much less energy the AC at the zeh used related to the BLH.

observed to be a net consumer from midsummer to early autumn during the hot summer months when the air conditioning was needed for cooling.

MONTHS

JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OVERALL

PERCENTAGE ENERGY SAVING (%) 64.95 52.29 52.75 50.41 55.91

TABLE 3 shows net monthly electric energy usage of both houses.

2500

BASELINE (Kwh) ZEB's(Kwh)

2000

2). the energies used by the two houses during the peak hours were accumulated and the percent difference was calculated related to the base line houses.
1000 1500

TABLE 2 shows the results for every month in the peak season as well as an overall savings. MONTHS ZEH PEAK ENERGY SAVING (%) 88.25 78.12 81.72 76.62 83.27

500

0 JAN JUNE DEC FEB AUGUST NOV APR MAR SEPT MAY JULY

JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OVERALL

4). the following pie chart shows the energy saving percentage of different attributes of the ZEH.

3). It is seen that base line house is always a net consumer, while the ZEH is only
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ENERGY SAVING DISTRIBUTION

R-10 WALLS 4% 3-FOOT OVERHANG S 7% WHITE ROOFS 16% INTERIOR DUCTS 14%

COST OF LIVING reduces net monthly cost.

HIGH PERFORMA NCE WINDOWS 20%

DUCT TIGHTNESS 9%

HIGH EFFICIENCY AIR CONDITION ER 30%

IMPROVED RELIABILITY photovoltaic systems have 25-year warrantees - seldom fail during weather problems. E.g.:- The 1982 photovoltaic systems on the Walt Disney World EPCOT Energy Pavilion are still working fine today, after going through 3 recent hurricanes.

Extra cost is MINIMIZED for new construction compared to an afterthought retrofit.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF ZEBS

Higher RESALE VALUE as potential owners demand more ZEBs

ZEB ADVANTAGES INCREASED COMFORT due to moreuniform interior temperatures (this can be demonstrated with comparative thermo graphic images).

than available supply. SAVING-effective saving of energy and money. EFFECTIVE- utilization of in exhaustible form of energy solar, Wind, geothermal. EMISSIONS-no harmful emissions take place like CO2, NOx SO2 etc.

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POTENTIAL ZEB DISADVANTAGES

CONCLUSION
There is a saying in English language A penny saved is a dollar earned . Well very

Initial costs can be higher - effort required to understand, apply, and qualify for ZEB subsidies

true to say. From our study of zero energy buildings we conclude that ZEBS are the call of todays time. This technology is going to do wonders and will definitely going to get popular with usage and time. Just imagine the scenario if all those new houses were built like ZEH (rather than the conventional houses) how big a difference this will make. Not only this will reduce the burden on the conventional sources but also provide monetary gains, which holds a top most interest to world during this recession time. So friends next time if you and your family are planning to make a new house than dont forget its time to save some penny by going the zero house way.

Very few designers or builders have the necessary skills or experience to build ZEBs.

New photovoltaic solar cells equipment technology price has been falling at roughly 17% per year - It will lessen the value of capital invested in a solar electric generation.

Climate-specific design may limit future ability to respond to rising-orfalling ambient temperatures (global warming).

In order to achieve net-zero energy, a building cannot be too tall, since solar energy is proportional to the footprint of the building; not the floor space. This could unintentionally promote sprawl.

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REFERENCES 1. BOOK: Non conventional energy systems by KM Mittal , wheeler publication. 2. BOOK: Zero energy houses: A critical look at the definition, conference paper US department of energy. 3. Solar energy by SP Sukhatme, Tata Mcgraw Hill publication. 4. Journal of solar energy engineering, May 2008 vol 130 by S Rosta and R Hurt. 5. Internet site : www.wikipedia .com http;//www.eren.doe.gov/sola rbuilding http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/~bda c/pubs/CR1044/LAKELAND 1.htm

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