Different Methods of Achieving Efficient Energy Housing - Assignment Example

Portfolio Student Name Institution of Affiliation Date of submission Introduction Throughout the semester, we have learnt different methods of achieving efficient energy housing. The knowledge has been superb towards conservation of the environment. Efficient energy housing topics are essential in the modern environment that is largely affected by the change of climate. There has been areas that have been experiencing excessive heat due to global warming, while others experiencing excessive cold. Summer and winter for many has been a challenge for many as the weather during these two seasons is usually extreme. Sometimes the weather is unbearable for those who are living in the different areas that are experiencing this kind of conditions. When it comes to environmental conservation, it is an important practice as the innovative methods employed to ensure that efficient energy housing is attained play an important role. Conservation of energy is key when it comes to environmental conservation. When green energy is well used in houses, then it means that non-renewable sources of energy will not frequently used. This will reduce the amount of harmful gases that are emitted to the atmosphere. In the end result, the level of global warming will reduce. These techniques will make the environment better for living. Environmental conservation is not an easy undertaking and it requires a lot of innovation and knowledge. Also, it requires high level of sacrifices to succeed. In these semester, there has been different topics that have given me a lot of insights regarding efficient energy housing. However, some of the three topics that interested me most are as follows; windows, thermal mass, and insulation. In this paper I am going to look into different factors that have been touched in the three topics and how they have been helpful towards achieving the efficient energy housing goal and environmental conservation. Windows Windows remain an important component when it comes to house construction. When undertaking construction of a house it is important to understand some of the factors to consider when putting up windows on a building. The different positions and sizes that a window should have is done while considering the direction of the sun. Windows play an important role towards achieving smart energy housing. However, there are some of the principles that must be followed to ensure that the same is achieved. Below are three principles used to erect smart energy windows; During the winter, the windows should be made in such a way that they maximize energy gaining than loosing During winters the windows should be made in a way that they should not lose energy through innovations that are done on them During the summers, the windows should be made in such a way that they minimize energy gain by adopting innovative methods that will assist with energy loss. There are benefits that come with smart design of windows which include; reduction of bills that could have spent on heating the house up to 25% during winters and at the same time preventing heat loss of up to 40%. During the summer, the windows can be used to prevent heat gain by 80% during the summer. This gives convenience of the dwellers and makes them not to use other sources of energy during the winter which will be favorable to environmental conservation process. Some of the factors that will determine the amount of heat lost or gained are as follows; Window orientation – this is the direction which the window will face. It determines the quantity of heat gain through radiations. An example is where the north facing windows will have more heat gain due to the fact that the heat the sun radiations will directly get through the windows. During the summer, all the windows with different orientations have a net heat gain. However, those that face the northwards direction will have more heat gain compared with those that are facing to the south. During the winter, only those windows that are facing the north will have net gain of heat while those facing the east and west direction will assist in loosing heat. Therefore, when electing windows on a building, it is important for the sizes and materials used to make up the window to consider the two seasons for comfort living. With window orientation, it is important to consider optimum window size. This will determine the amount of heat that will be lost or gained into the building. Therefore, it is important to keep the window size within the accepted limits while having in mind the effects that different orientations will have on building in general. Balancing of the orientation with the window size is very crucial. The north, south, east and west should evaluating in consideration of the amount radiations it receives on the same time having in mind the amount of heat they lose. The total window area will be key when dealing with heat lose and gain during the winter and summer respectively. For the purpose of the two weather conditions, it is important that those windows that are facing towards the north should be such that they give maximum benefits during the winter. Therefore, this windows should be such that they increase the quantity of heat gain during the winters and be shaded during the summer to reduce the quantity of heat gain. Those that are facing the east, west and the south should be such a way they maximize heat lose during the summer. However, it is important to ensure that all the windows will have maximum benefits during the winter while during the summer they can be able to be shaded and only allow heat loss. Where buildings are constructed in those areas that have poor solar access innovations should be done to ensure that the windows can assist in gaining heat into the building. Some of the innovations that can be done include raising the sill heights which will assist in making those glass areas that are permanently in the shadow to access sun radiations and maximize the heat gain using the northern orientation. Another action that can help in this situation is having the clustery windows in case a building is blocking the window from accessing the solar. Also, the use of courtyards can be important and consider different house planning that will be important in solar access and lose of heat during the winter. Different methods of shading the windows during the summer to ensure that heat gain is reduced should be undertaken. Some of the methods that will ensure this include; having windows that have fixed shading or adjustable shading, toned glass, reflective coating, low emittance glass, and advanced technology glazing systems. Also, the windows should be such they reduce heat loss during the winter. Therefore the following should be done to reduce heat loss; internal window covering, and double glazing. Thermal mass This is the ability of building materials to gain heat and store it. The ability of building material to absorb, store and later release the heat will depend largely on the weight. Heavy materials are commonly said to have high thermal mass compared to those that have light weighs. Therefore, it is important to use heavyweight building materials as they reduce the amount of energy required during the heating or cooling during different seasons. Thermal mass is an important factor that will affect the quantity of heat requirement during the different seasons. During the summer, the thermal mass observes the heat from the solar and the surrounding which makes the air inside the building to have lower temperatures than the surrounding hence giving a comfort condition. This reduces the quantity of supplementary cooling systems that could be required to increase the comfort within the room. During the nights when the air inside the room may be cold than the outside will be released allowing the heat from the building materials get into the room making it warmer than the outside. Hence, this will make the extra heat required to warm the room during the nights reduce. During the summer thermal mass will be of great importance in ensuring that the required comfort is attained within the building. During the winter, thermal mass will observe the heat that comes of the little radiations that come from the northern oriented windows. Therefore, during the nights when the inner parts of the building are cold the thermal mass releases heat into the rooms and makes them to be somehow warmer. This reduces the quantity of energy that will be required in warming the house for comfort. The benefit that comes out with the thermal mass during the winter season is the fact that, the long storage of heat and slow release of the heat may be used during the winter season in keeping the house warmer. However, the winter may come with negative impacts in points where the thermal mass may not be balancing the energy as expected. Some the thermal mass balance may not be reached if some of them are overshadowed hence the radiations from the sun may not be reaching them. Hence in return, the thermal mass may absorb the internal heat that may be coming from alternative energy making the room cooler than expected. These leads to more energy being used in warming the room for comfort. Thermal mass is effective in those areas in particular places where there is a very high temperature difference between the day and night. In those areas that experience such kind of temperature differences it will be easy to balance the energy. During the nights when the temperatures within the rooms are higher, then the thermal mass will release the temperature that it had stored during the day to ensure that comfort is kept within the room. The same case will happen in those areas that experience higher temperatures during the nights and somehow lower temperatures during the nights. Thermal mass should be located in an insulated external temperatures. Therefore, it should be within walls that are insulated to avoid unnecessary heat loss. However, it will be difficult for us to attain its effectiveness if the outer side of it is not insulated. Therefore, it is thermal mass to be well build to ensure that they function properly during the different climatic conditions. Materials with different thermal masses should be located at different positions of the building. These will ensure that the thermal masses function properly. It is important to understand that when doing thermal masses, colors, floor covering and texture are key in determining their effectiveness. Therefore, those who are carrying out different buildings should consider this factors when doing this kind of focus. They should ensure each and every material used is according to the prevailing climatic conditions and it achieves its purpose. Insulation Insulation of a building is an important undertaking as it plays an important role in achieving smart energy effectiveness in a building. In the winter, insulation will assist in a great deal to ensure that comfort within the house is attained by keeping the heat that will warm the building. The same insulation allows heat out of the house during the summer hence making the house to have extra comfort. It reduces the amount of energy that is required to keep the building both warm and cool in respect weather conditions. This improves the comfort of the building in a great deal. In a building, insulation has got immense benefits that range from; having comfort of having all year round, reduction of costs required for heating and cooling of a building, able to pay back for the costs incurred to put the whole system in place, it saves the amount of energy required for heating and cooling hence saving the use of non-renewable sources of energy which leads to reduction of greenhouse effect, it leads to avoidance of condensation of the walls, and some of the materials used for insulation can be used to be sound proof. Insulation occurs through the kind of materials used in building the building. They will always allow heat gain or loss depending on the prevailing weather conditions. There are there methods through which heat will be transferred from one point to the other. They are as follows; conduction, convection, and radiation. Conduction is where heat is transferred through solids. The heat moves from the point of higher concentration to a lower point. Convection is the process through which heat travels through liquids. The heat moves from the point of higher to lower concentration. Radiation on the other happens in vacuum. The heat travels straight to different surfaces of objects. All the above process can affect the quantity of heat that will be contained within a building. Insulation has its own principles which are two in number. They are as follows; bulk insulation and reflective insulation. The bulk insulation involves trapping gases within the building which resists heat movement within the room. Therefore, convection, radiation and conduction of the heat will not take place under this principle. Some of the substances that are used under this principle include; batts and blankets, and loose fill insulation On the other hand, reflective insulation involves reduction of radiation heat from getting into the building. This is undertaken by having reflective surfaces like paints and foils that on the long run will see the amount of heat observed into the building reduced. Some the material used under this principle include; reflective foil laminate. Some of the materials can be used in sound proof mechanisms. The performance of insulation is measured using different methods. Some of the methods used are as follows; R value which refers to thermal resistance. Those materials that have higher resistance value (R value) are said to have high insulation effect. Also, we have the U value which is measured in terms of the amount of heat that a given material is able to allow. Conclusion The semester was a very informative one when it comes to smart energy. It enables us understand how to reduce the use of nonrenewable sources of energy. This is a very informative class when it comes to environmental conservation. It has a lifelong effect on comfort building and environmental conservation. Read More