Conceptual Design of Net Zero Energy Campus Residence

Mertz, George; Raffio, Gregory; Kissock, J. Kelly; Hallinan, Kevin P.

doi:10.1115/isec2005-76199

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 2 publications

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“…Christian outlines the technologies used in construction and the efforts undertaken to monitor the performance of the four homes for research purposes. Outside of laboratory initiated research and development, Mertz et al (2005Mertz et al ( , 2006 evaluated the potential of NZE housing on the campus of the University of Dayton with a conceptual and a cost-benefit analysis. In partnership with Natural Resources Canada, Charron (2005aCharron ( , b, c, 2006Charron ( , 2007 evaluated the possibilities of zero-energy solar homes in Canada and the tools necessary for design and optimization.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic Investigation of Community-Scale Versus Building Scale Net-Zero Energy

Fernandez¹,

Katipamula²,

Brambley³

et al. 2009

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Executive SummaryMany government and industry organizations are focusing building energy-efficiency goals around producing individual net-zero buildings (nZEBs), using photovoltaic (PV) technology to provide on-site renewable energy after substantially improving the energy efficiency of the buildings themselves. Seeking net-zero energy (NZE) at the community scale instead introduces the possibility of economically using a wider range of renewable energy technologies, such as solar-thermal electricity generation, solar-assisted heating/cooling systems, and wind energy.This reports documents results of a study comparing NZE communities to communities consisting of individual nZEBs. Five scenarios is examined: 1) base case -a community of nZEBs with roof-mounted PV systems; 2) NZE communities served by wind turbines on leased land; 3) NZE communities served by wind turbines on owned land; 4) communities served by solar-thermal electric generation; and 5) communities served by photovoltaic farms. All buildings are assumed to be highly efficient, e.g., 70% more efficient than current practice.The scenarios are analyzed for two climate locations (Chicago and Phoenix), and the levelized cost of electricity for the scenarios is compared. The results show that even for the climate in the U.S. most favorable to PV (Phoenix), more cost-effective approaches are available to achieving NZE than the conventional building-level approach (rooftop PV with aggressive building efficiency improvements). The report shows that by expanding the measurement boundary for NZE, a community can take advantage of economies of scale, achieving improved economics, while reaching the same overall energy-performance objective.The study examines issues concerning whether achieving NZE performance at the community scale provides economic and potentially overall efficiency advantages over strategies focused on individual buildings using a simplified economic analysis. The increased diversity of load, roof and land area available for renewable energy conversion, economies of scale, and variety of renewable energy technologies possible at the community scale suggest that targeting efficiency improvements at this level of aggregation should have distinct practical advantages over pursuing NZE for individual buildings. This study examines these issues considering two locations, Phoenix and Chicago, which experience quite different weather conditions and solar insolation. NZE communities use the same improvements in the efficiency of individual buildings as strategies focused on individual nZEBs. The choice of technology for onsite renewable generation represents the primary difference between these two basic strategies.While the exact size and makeup of a community for consideration as a NZE community is somewhat arbitrary, care was taken for this analysis to develop a community that matched well with most peoples' concept of what constitutes a typical community. Qualitatively speaking, the community is intended to constitute residential neighborhoods ...

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic Investigation of Community-Scale Versus Building Scale Net-Zero Energy

Fernandez¹,

Katipamula²,

Brambley³

et al. 2009

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Cost Optimization of Net-Zero Energy House

Mertz

Raffio

Kissock

2007

ASME 2007 Energy Sustainability Conference

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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.

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Cost-Benefit Analysis of Net Zero Energy Campus Residence

2006

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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 Ecohouse is its cost effectiveness. This paper discusses both the design and cost-benefit analysis of a net-zero energy campus residence. Energy use of current student houses is presented to provide a baseline for determining energy savings. The use of the whole-system inside-out approach to guide the overall design is described. Using the inside-out method, the energy impacts of occupant behavior, appliances and lights, building envelope, energy distribution systems and primary energy conversion equipment are discussed. The designs of solar thermal and solar photovoltaic systems to meet the hot water and electricity requirements of the house are described. Ecohouse energy use is compared to the energy use of the existing houses. Cost-benefit analysis is first performed on house components and then on the whole house. At a 5% discount rate, 5% borrowing rate for a 20 year mortgage, a 35 year lifetime, and an annual fuel escalation rate of 4%, the Ecohouse can be constructed for no additional lifetime cost.

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Conceptual Design of Net Zero Energy Campus Residence

Cited by 4 publications

References 2 publications

Economic Investigation of Community-Scale Versus Building Scale Net-Zero Energy

Economic Investigation of Community-Scale Versus Building Scale Net-Zero Energy

Cost Optimization of Net-Zero Energy House

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Net Zero Energy Campus Residence

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