Biomass and Geothermal Heat Pumps

Photovoltaik and Solar Panels

CONTACT:

Austria: Canada: Switzerland/North-America:J. Kiràly Solterre Design Inc. Genesix AGOberdorf 242 S.202 /3008 Oxfort St. Rütenenstrasse 100A-6073 Sistrans Halifax, Nova Scotia CH-6375 Beckenried B3L 2W5+43 512 378 122 (902) 492 1215 +41 79 510 90 30

www.solarnetwork.com

THE CREWArch. Prof. dipl. Ing. Josef KirályM. Arch. NSAA Keith Robertson (LEED)M. Arch. Jennifer CorsonArch. FH/MA Ralph Eisenegger

THE SUN KING

Windows (double and tripple glazed)

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“Josef Király’s solar homes aren’t just visually pleasing—they’re energy-efficient wonders.” (Lexus Magazine, Toyota, 2007)

“The whole system has paid for itself in six years!”Mr. Schmidt, Homeowner in Austria

CONCLUSIONBy virtue of clever design, construction, andorientation, all of these passive solar housesmay require as little as one-tenth the energy aconventional house uses. In fact, even in theAustrian Alps, where temperatures sometimesdrop below freezing for more than half theyear, a spacious passive house can be heatedusing just a small pellet stove that burns com-pressed sawdust—which renders it completelyfree of fossil fuels.

BENEFITSLow-interest mortgages, appreciation, lower-tax, low incidental expenses, better health.

In addition to using passive solar gain, passivebuildings make extensive use of their intrinsicheat from internal sources – such as waste heatfrom lighting, white goods (major appliances)and other electrical devices (but not dedicatedheaters) – as well as body heat from the peopleand animals inside the building. The air-hea-ting element can be heated by a small heatpump, by solar thermal energy, or simply by a biomass (pellets) burner. Passive buildingsemploy superinsulation to significantly reducethe heat leakage through the walls, roof andfloor compared to conventional buildings.Geothermal heat pumps are also used in non-residential buildings or in a cluster of residential homes.

To meet the requirements of the passive housestandard windows are manufactured withexceptionally high R-values (low U-values, typi-cally 0.70 to 0.50 W/m²K for the entire win-dow including the frame). These normally com-bine triple-pane insulated glazing (with a goodsolar heat-gain coefficient, low-emissivity coa-tings, argon or krypton gas fill, and 'warmedge' insulating glass spacers) with air-sealsand specially developed thermally-broken win-dow frames. In Central Europe, for unobstruc-ted south-facing passive house windows, theheat gains from the sun are, on average, grea-ter than the heat losses, even in mid-winter.

A solar collector is a device for extracting theenergy of the sun directly into a more usable or storable form. The solar energy striking the earth's surface at any one time depends onweather conditions, as well as location andorientation of the surface, but overall, it avera-ges about 1000 watts per square meter on aclear day with the surface directly perpendicu-lar to the sun's rays. Solar collectors can bemounted on a roof or a facade.

PASSIVE SOLARARCHITECTURE

Pellet heating systems provide a low-net-CO2 solution, because the quantity ofCO2 emitted during combustion is equalto the CO2 absorbed by the tree duringits growth.

Indirect gain, in which solar radiation iscaptured by a part of the building enve-lope designed with an appropriate ther-mal mass (water tank, solid concrete ormasonry wall behind glass).

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Passive Solar DesignPassive solar building design involves the modeling, selection and useof appropriate passive solar technologies to maintain the building envi-ronment at a desired temperature range (usually based around humanthermal comfort) throughout the sun's daily and annual cycles. As aresult it generally minimizes the use of active solar, renewable energyand especially fossil fuel technologies. Passive solar building design isonly one part of thermally efficient building design, which in turn isonly one part of sustainable design, although the terms are often usederroneously as synonyms. Passive buildings employ superinsulation tosignificantly reduce the heat leakage.

Save Energy and RecourcesFollowing passive solar building design techniques, where possiblebuildings are compact in shape to reduce their surface area, with win-dows oriented towards the south (in the northern hemisphere) to maxi-mise passive solar gain. However, the use of solar gain is secondary tominimising the overall energy requirements. Passive solar houses canbe constructed from dense or lightweight materials, but some internalthermal mass is normally incorporated to reduce summer peak tempe-ratures, maintain stable winter temperatures, and prevent possibleover-heating in spring or autumn before normal solar shading beco-mes effective.

Passive HouseThe term passive house refers to the rigorous, voluntary, passivehousestandard for energy use in buildings. It results in ultra-low energy buil-dings that require little energy for space heating. Despite the name, thestandard is not confined only to houses. Several office buildings, schools,kindergartens and a supermarket have also been constructed to thestandard. Although it is mostly applied to new buildings, it has alsobeen used for refurbishments. The Passivehouse standard requires thatthe building is within the following limits: The building must not usemore than15 kWh/m²a (4,755 Btu/ft²/yr) in heating energy. Total primary energy consumption (for heating, hot water and electricity)must not be more than 120 kWh/(m²a) (38,039 Btu/ft²/yr)

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Feel the ChallengeBy achieving the passive house standards, passive buildings are ableto dispense with conventional heating systems. The ability to do this isthe underlying passiv house objective. However this does not meanthat no heating is required, and most passive buildings do include asystem to provide low levels of supplemental space heating. This isnormally distributed through the low-volume heat recovery ventilationsystem that is required to maintain air quality, rather than by a con-ventional hydronic or high-volume forced-air heating system.

Renewable EnergyRenewable energy is energy derived from resources that are regenerative or forall practical purposes cannot be depleted. For this reason, renewable energysources are fundamentally different from fossil fuels, and do not produce asmany greenhouse gases and other pollutants as fossil fuel combustion.Mankind's traditional uses of wind, water, and solar energy are widespread indeveloped and developing countries; but the mass production of electricity usingrenewable energy sources has become more commonplace recently, reflectingthe major threats of climate change due to pollution, exhaustion of fossil fuels,and the environmental, social and political risks of fossil fuels and nuclearpower.

GLOBAL WARMING, CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Credible scientists give us 10 years to be well on our way toward global green-house gas (GHG) emissions reductions in order to avoid catastrophic climatechange. Yet there are hundreds of coal-fired power plants currently on the dra-wing boards in the US. Seventy-six percent (76%) of the energy produced bythese plants will go to operate buildings. As Architecture 2030 has shown, buil-dings are responsible for almost half (48%) of all energy consumption and GHGemissions annually; globally the percentage is even greater*. Immediate actionin the Building Sector, and a concerted global effort, are essential if we are toavoid hazardous climate change. *)Buildings account for approximately 30% of Canada’s energy consumption, 50% of itselectricity consumption and 28% of its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Green EnviromentGreen building and natural building are both sets of building techniques thataim to be more sustainable than conventional construction. However, there isa difference in degree of sustainability. In practice, green building tends to bepopular with professionals in the development industry who are convincedthat building more sustainably is not only necessary to lessen impact on theenvironment, but also makes good economic sense. Green building is increa-singly governed by standards, such as the Leadership in Energy andEnvironmental Design (LEED) standards developed by the U.S. Green BuildingCouncil. Natural building, on the other hand, is usually on a smaller scaleand tends to focus on the use of natural materials that are available locally.

The focus of green architecture is for the project to work in harmony with thenatural features and resources surrounding the site, and to use materials thatare sustainably grown or recycled rather than new materials from non-rene-wable resources. Good green architecture also reduces waste, of both energyand material. Green architecture often emphasizes taking advantage of rene-wable resources, e.g., using sunlight through passive solar, active solar, andphotovoltaic techniques and using plants and trees through green roofs, raingardens, and for reduction of rainwater run-off. Many other techniques, suchas using packed gravel for parking lots instead of concrete or asphalt toenhance replenishment of ground water, are used as well.