Positive Energy Homes: Creating Passive Houses for Better Living

268 Pages·2017·14.779 MB·English

by  Robin Brimblecombe, Kara Rosemeier

POSITIVE ENERGY HOMES
Creating Passive Houses for Better Living
ROBIN BRIMBLECOMBE AND KARA ROSEMEIER
POSITIVE ENERGY HOMES
Creating Passive Houses for Better Living
ROBIN BRIMBLECOMBE AND KARA ROSEMEIER
© Robin Brimblecombe and Kara Rosemeier 2017
Chapter 11 © Robin Brimblecombe and Kara Rosemeier with Dave Collins
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amendments, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any
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National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry
Brimblecombe, Robin, author.
Positive energy homes : creating passive houses for better living / Robin Brimblecombe and Kara Rosemeier.
9781486303762 (paperback)
9781486303779 (epdf)
9781486303786 (epub)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Architecture and energy conservation.
Dwellings – Environmental aspects.
Architecture, Domestic – Environmental aspects.
Ecological houses. Sustainable buildings.
Rosemeier, Kara, author.
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Front cover: George House, Wanaka, New Zealand (Courtesy: Simon Devitt Photographer)
Back cover: (right) Taramea Passive House, Queenstown, New Zealand (Courtesy: Michaela Cox Photographer)
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Foreword
There are over 40 000 Passive House houses and buildings in Europe, and a smattering of them
in other parts of the world. For many green builders, Passive House is a destination. However, it
is fundamentally an energy standard that happens to have a degree of comfort as a side-eff ect.
With Positive Energy Homes, Passive House is not a destination but a step, albeit a big one, in a
larger journey. It’s a trip that builds on comfort and includes beauty, light and connection to the
environment.
But perhaps most importantly, it is positive. In much of the world, the target is net-zero, a point
where a building generates as much energy as it uses. This is irrespective of quality or comfort;
you can get to zero with lots of solar panels and wind turbines on an uncomfortable, draughty
home.
And what is zero? Nothing. But positive energy is an attitude about actually contributing, where
we ‘give back more energy to the common pool than we take out’.
It’s hard to get people excited about saving money on energy these days, but everyone
understands comfort, the idea of a home where they are never too cold or too hot, too humid,
too draughty. People also care about health; Architect Elrond Burrell notes that: ‘Asthma rates,
for example, in some affl uent countries such as the UK and New Zealand are, quite frankly,
ridiculously high. If our buildings were more comfortable and healthy this would be much less
likely to be the case.’
Finally, in these turbulent times one cannot lose sight of resilience, the ability of our homes to
protect us when the power goes out, when the storms hit. A Positive Energy Home will keep its
occupants safe and comfortable for days or even weeks.
It is important that we have building standards that reduce energy consumption, as the Passive
House standard does. But the role of a building is to keep us healthy, happy, safe and comfortable;
energy consumption is secondary to that. The Positive Energy Homes concept builds on Passive
House in a way that focuses on people, not buildings. If there was a metric for happiness per
square metre, homes designed to the Positive Energy Homes standard would come out on top.
Lloyd Alter
Adjunct Professor, School of Interior Design, Ryerson University
iii
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Contents
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Chapter 1 Creating healthy homes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 Air control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 The comforts of home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.3 The art of noise protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
1.4 Ventilation and noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
1.5 Light and beauty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
References and further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Chapter 2 The thermal envelope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
2.1 Airtightness layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
2.2 Insulation layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
2.3 Wind- and weathertightness layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
2.4 Let the sunshine in! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
2.5 Thermal bypass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
2.6 Thermal mass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
References and further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Chapter 3 Fresh air home delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
3.1 Active ventilation with heat recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
3.2 What is important for designing a heat recovery ventilation system? . . . . . . . .62
3.3 Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
3.4 Ground heat exchanger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
3.5 Ducting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
3.6 May the force be with you! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
3.7 Using the ventilation system for heating and cooling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
3.8 Fireplaces and balanced ventilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
3.9 Ventilation control and user interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
3.10 Supply-only or extract-only mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
3.11 Seasonal use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
3.12 Performance requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
3.13 Other mechanical ventilation options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
v
3.14 Power outages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
Chapter 4 Hot water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
4.1 Creating hot water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
4.2 Hot water systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
References and further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Chapter 5 Heating and cooling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
5.1 Creating a comfortable home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
5.2 Keeping the home cool and dry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
References and further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Chapter 6 Light, views and connection with the environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
6.1 How we perceive light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
6.2 Light intensity and glare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
6.3 The colour of light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
6.4 Using light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
6.5 Lighting the home with daylight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
6.6 Light sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
6.7 Lighting with electric lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
References and further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Chapter 7 Appliances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
7.1 Appliance ratings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
7.2 Clothes washing machines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
7.3 Dishwashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
7.4 Televisions and accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
7.5 Computers, tablets and network devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
7.6 Vacuum cleaners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
7.7 Refrigerators and freezers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
7.8 Cooking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
7.9 Hot water fi ttings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
7.10 Home energy monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
References and further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
vi Positive Energy Homes
Chapter 8 Toolbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
8.1 Design tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
8.2 Quality assurance tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
References and further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Chapter 9 Energy generation and storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
9.1 Onsite renewable generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
9.2 Solar photovoltaic systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
9.3 Inverters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
9.4 Solar hot water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
9.5 Wind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
9.6 Storing heat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
9.7 Storing electricity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
9.8 Passive House Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
References and further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Chapter 10 Certifi cation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
10.1 Passive House professionals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
10.2 Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
10.3 New houses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
10.4 Case studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
10.5 Retrofi ts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Chapter 11 Positive energy living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Robin Brimblecombe and Kara Rosemeier with Dave Collins
11.1 Living with positive energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
11.2 Positive energy communities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
11.3 A tale of two homes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
References and further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Contents vii
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Introduction
Humanity is at a crossroads. Intuitively, and backed by science, we know that we need to use
resources a lot smarter for a chance at continuing to enjoy the standard of living we have become
accustomed to. We also know in our hearts of hearts that we need to share them far more equitably
to avoid further confl icts, forced migration and suff ering. Access to energy is one of the reasons
for many of our current global challenges and without feeling that we have enough for our families
and ourselves, then the thought of sharing can be daunting. The good news is that we can all do
something about this in our own homes. Positive Energy Homes are houses that provide superior
comfort and health for their occupants while generating more energy than they need through
onsite renewables. They empower people to live healthy and comfortable lives, providing clean
energy to power transport, work and play, with enough left over to share.
To achieve this we need to curb the consumption in our homes. This does not necessarily
require us to change the way we go about our lives, but to make far better use of the energy we
consume. LEDs are a good example: they deliver the light we need, with only a tenth of the power
of an incandescent light bulb. However, this book is not about creating homes that provide the
same service using less energy: this book is about creating homes that provide superior comfort,
air quality and engagement year round, while harvesting more energy than they devour.
A home you love living in that produces enough clean energy to share with your community is
surprisingly simple to create with a thorough understanding of how buildings work and careful
attention to detail in construction. We aim to provide our readers with a recipe for building a
Positive Energy Home. Starting with a discussion on delivering home comfort and health, the
book moves on to explain the role of the building fabric in the creation of great places to live.
From there, eff ective strategies for providing fresh air and smart options for heating and cooling
are explored. Add to this daylight harvesting and effi cient lighting, and engaging and relaxing
lighting
hot water
ventilation
appliances
Positive Energy Home
heating & cooling
Number of solar panels required to power a typical
home compared with a Positive Energy Home, showing typical home
indicative breakdown of energy use.
ix