Cost Optimization of Net-Zero Energy House

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
George A. Mertz ◽  
Gregory S. Raffio ◽  
Kelly Kissock
Keyword(s):  
Energy Use ◽  
Cost Optimization ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Resource Limitations ◽  
Net Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Building Energy Use ◽  
The Cost

Environmental and resource limitations provide increased motivation for design of net-zero energy or net-zero CO2 buildings. The optimum building design will have the lowest lifecycle cost. This paper describes a method of performing and comparing lifecycle costs for standard, CO2-neutral and net-zero energy buildings. Costs of source energy are calculated based on the cost of photovoltaic systems, tradable renewable certificates, CO2 credits and conventional energy. Building energy simulation is used to determine building energy use. A case study is conducted on a proposed net-zero energy house. The paper identifies the least-cost net-zero energy house, the least-cost CO2 neutral house, and the overall least-cost house. The methodology can be generalized to different climates and buildings. The method and results may be of interest to builders, developers, city planners, or organizations managing multiple buildings.

scholarly journals flEECe, an energy use and occupant behavior dataset for net-zero energy affordable senior residential buildings

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick Paige ◽  
Philip Agee ◽  
Farrokh Jazizadeh
Keyword(s):  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Occupant Behavior ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Building Energy Use

AbstractThe behaviors of building occupants have continued to perplex scholars for years in our attempts to develop models for energy efficient housing. Building simulations, project delivery approaches, policies, and more have fell short of their optimistic goals due to the complexity of human behavior. As a part of a multiphase longitudinal affordable housing study, this dataset represents energy and occupant behavior attributes for 6 affordable housing units over nine months in Virginia, USA which are not performing to the net-zero energy standard they were designed for. This dataset provides researchers the ability to analyze the following variables: energy performance, occupant behaviors, energy literacy, and ecological perceptions. Energy data is provided at a 1 Hz sampling rate for four circuits: main, hot water heater, dryer, and HVAC. Building specifications, occupancy, weather data, and neighboring building energy use data are provided to add depth to the dataset. This dataset can be used to update building energy use models, predictive maintenance, policy frameworks, construction risk models, economic models, and more.

scholarly journals Spatial and Behavioral Thermal Adaptation in Net Zero Energy Buildings: An Exploratory Investigation

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 7961 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shady Attia
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Thermal Adaptation ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Building Energy Efficiency ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Energy Efficiency Standards

Climate responsive design can amplify the positive environmental effects necessary for human habitation and constructively engage and reduce the energy use of existing buildings. This paper aims to assess the role of the thermal adaptation design strategy on thermal comfort perception, occupant behavior, and building energy use in twelve high-performance Belgian households. Thermal adaptation involves thermal zoning and behavioral adaptation to achieve thermal comfort and reduce energy use in homes. Based on quantitative and qualitative fieldwork and in-depth interviews conducted in Brussels, the paper provides insights on the impact of using mechanical systems in twelve newly renovated nearly- and net-zero energy households. The article calls for embracing thermal adaptation as a crucial design principle in future energy efficiency standards and codes. Results confirm the rebound effect in nearly zero energy buildings and the limitation of the current building energy efficiency standards. The paper offers a fresh perspective to the field of building energy efficiency that will appeal to researchers and architects, as well as policymakers.

Conceptual Design of Net Zero Energy Campus Residence

Solar Energy ◽  
2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
George A. Mertz ◽  
Gregory S. Raffio ◽  
Kelly Kissock ◽  
Kevin P. Hallinan
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Distribution Systems ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Cost Optimization ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Inside Out

In response to both global and local challenges, the University of Dayton is committed to building a net-zero energy student residence, called the Eco-house. A unique aspect of the Eco-house is the degree of student involvement; in accordance with UD’s mission, interdisciplinary student teams from mechanical engineering, civil engineering and the humanities are leading the design effort. This paper discusses the conceptual design of a net-zero energy use campus residence, and the analysis completed thus far. Energy use of current student houses is analyzed to provide a baseline and to identify energy saving opportunities. The use of the whole-system inside-out approach to guide the overall design is described. Using the inside-out method as a guide, the energy impacts of occupant behavior, appliances and lights, building envelope, energy distribution systems and primary energy conversion equipment are discussed. The design of solar thermal and solar photovoltaic systems to meet the hot water and electricity requirements of the house is described. Eco-house energy use is simulated and compared to the energy use of the existing houses. The analysis shows the total source energy requirements of the Eco-house could be reduced by about 340 mmBtu per year over older baseline houses, resulting in CO2 emission reductions of about 54,000 lb per year and utility cost savings of about $3,000 per year. Detailed cost analysis and cost optimization have not been performed but are critical aspects of the UD Eco-house project, which will be performed in the future.

scholarly journals Retrofitted Existing Residential Building Design in Energy and Economic Aspect According to Thailand Building Energy Code

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1398
Author(s):  
Santipont Ananwattanaporn ◽  
Theerasak Patcharoen ◽  
Sulee Bunjongjit ◽  
Atthapol Ngaopitakkul
Keyword(s):  
Residential Building ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Total Energy Consumption ◽  
Existing Building ◽  
Net Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero Energy Building ◽  
Net Zero

Electrical energy usage in buildings is a challenging issue because many old buildings were not originally built to achieve energy efficiency. Thus, retrofitting old buildings to net-zero buildings can benefit both the owner and electric utilities. In this study, the BEC (building energy code) software was used to evaluate energy aspects of retrofitted buildings in compliance with Thailand’s building energy code to achieve a net-zero energy building. In addition, economic aspects were also studied to verify the feasibility for a project’s owner to invest in a retrofitted existing building. An existing residential building in Thailand was used as a case study. The results in terms of energy after retrofitting existing buildings into net-zero energy buildings show that the total energy consumption can be reduced by 49.36%. From an economic perspective, the investment cost for a retrofitted building can be compensated by energy saving in terms of discounted payback period (DPP) for approximately 4.36 years and has an IRR (internal rate of return) value of 19.23%. This result evidences the potential in both energy and economy for a project’s owner to invest in a retrofitted existing building in compliance with the building code, with potential for implementation with benefits on both electrical utilities and the project’s owner.

scholarly journals Cost-Optimal Net Zero Energy Communities

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 2432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shabtai Isaac ◽  
Slava Shubin ◽  
Gad Rabinowitz
Keyword(s):  
Urban Planning ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Costs ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Urban Density ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Net Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
The Cost

The objective of this research is to study the cost of Net Zero Energy (NZE) communities of different urban scales and densities, while taking into consideration the local climate and the type of buildings in the community. A comprehensive model was developed for this purpose, with which the cost-optimal configuration of renewable energy-related technologies for an NZE community can be identified. To validate the model, data from two case studies that differed in their climate and building types were used. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the implications of NZE requirements for urban planning. An increase in the scale of a community was found to reduce energy costs, up to a certain point. Urban density, on the other hand, was found to have a more complex impact on costs, which depends on the local climate of the community and the subsequent energy demand. This underlines the importance of addressing the technological design of energy systems at the initial stage of the urban planning of energy-efficient communities, before the urban density, the unbuilt areas and the building types are set.

scholarly journals Literature Review of Net Zero and Resilience Research of the Urban Environment: A Citation Analysis Using Big Data

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming Hu ◽  
Mitchell Pavao-Zuckerman
Keyword(s):  
Urban Environment ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Performance Standard ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Intergovernmental Panel ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Net Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero

According to the fifth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment report, the urban environment is responsible for between 71% and 76% of carbon emissions from global final energy use and between 67% and 76% of global energy use. Two important and trending domains in urban environment are “resilience” and “net zero” associated with high-performance design, both of which have their origins in ecology. The ultimate goal of net zero energy has become the ultimate “high-performance” standard for buildings. Another emerging index is the measurement and improvement of the resilience of buildings. Despite the richness of research on net zero energy and resilience in the urban environment, literature that compares net zero energy and resilience is very limited. This paper provides an overview of research activities in those two research domains in the past 40 years. The purpose of this review is to (1) explore the shared ecological roots of the two domains, (2) identify the main research areas/clusters within each, (3) gain insight into the size of the different research topics, and (4) identify any research gaps. Finally, conclusions about the review focus on the major difference between the net zero movement and resilience theory in the urban environment and their respective relations to their ecological origins.

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