Green homes for the masses – with no energy bills for 10 years

[kristopher]

Green homes for the masses – with no energy bills for 10 years
In Houston, Texas, they're selling cheap, green homes where you are guaranteed to have no energy bills, writes Lisa Palmer
Lisa Palmer
Guardian Professional, Friday 15 November 2013 06.40 EST

A Houze house, one of the affordable homes with no energy bills being built in Houston
Imagine living in a house so efficient that the builder guarantees you'll have no energy bills for the first 10 years of ownership.

Such is the promise of Houze Advanced Building Science, a real-estate company in Houston, Texas. The company is building net zero-energy homes, equipped with walls that insulate like a thermos, appliances that sip little electricity and one-of-a-kind power cells.

The houses are some of the first affordable, net energy-producing homes in the United States. And, in Houston, they're moving in to support an otherwise underserved neighbourhood, Independence Heights.

David Goswick, founder and chief executive of Houze, came up with the idea behind the company in 2008, when the US housing market slowed to a standstill. He gathered a team to assess the needs of homebuyers of the future.

"We pushed the pause button and re-evaluated for two years...

http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/blog/green-homes-masses

Batteries Included:
Maryland’s first commercial solar PV and battery storage microgrid improves resiliency and enhances the grid


The end of October marked the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, whose electrical system aftermath continues to drive calls for an updated and more resilient energy infrastructure nationwide. Earlier in August, the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force released its full strategy, chock full of references to “smarter” and “more flexible” energy infrastructure. Recent reports and initiatives from NREL and the Department of Homeland Security echoed those sentiments.

Clearly, the importance of resiliency is part of the national-level conversation, and it seems that more communities are taking notice. Islandable, renewable, resilient microgrids are a promising strategy, yet their widespread implementation in commercial applications is still mostly conceptual.

MOVING FROM CONCEPT TO ACTION IN MARYLAND
The first commercial, significantly islandable (the hurdle for “microgrid” designation), solar PV and battery hybrid project in Maryland came online this October in Laurel, demonstrating the reality these post-Sandy conversations are aiming to create. While at an elevation of 200 feet and not in danger of storm surge effects, Laurel and many inland communities on the East Coast can none the less be heavily impacted by broader grid shutdowns from hurricanes and other natural or man-made disruptions.

Konterra, a real-estate developer of mixed-use, sustainable communities, recently installed 402 kilowatts of solar generation, two EV charging stations, LED parking lot lighting, and notably, battery storage capacity. The project was inaugurated with much fanfare by the likes of Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) Chairman Jon Wellinghoff.

Konterra’s project brings the developer closer to its vision of sustainable, fully integrated communities. ..

http://blog.rmi.org/blog_2013_11_13_batteries_included

[CFLDem]

1. Perty neat stuff right there!

[texanwitch]

2. That looks like a old Houston Cottage type house.

We had them all over the place.

Big 3 story townhouses have taken them out.

I would buy that easy.

[oldhippie]

3. It sounds good ......

... but maybe a little too good.

I like all the energy efficiency, insulation, LEED design and all that stuff. But, this:

The smart thing about Houze is its proprietary residential co-generation power cell, which is about size of an exterior air-conditioning unit. The power cell uses seven different energy sources to power homes – and an entire block. It's fuelled by natural gas and solar, and also captures heat generated onsite for heating and cooling needs.

Because the power cell produces much more energy than each house consumes, it sells excess power back to the grid. Insurance discounts of 40% further cut the costs of ownership.

... sets my scam-dar tingling a little. I sure would like to see a little more detail about this "power cell". Their web site gives no further info on it's operation or technology. So it uses solar (I assume PV), nat gas, and thermal energy sources. That's good, but what does it do with them? It's a bit vague as to whether it is one per house, or a neighborhood asset, (maybe it's own little micro-grid?) In Houston, energy load is heavily influenced by summer air conditioning requirements. Even with a thermally efficient house, I think they will still need A/C in Houston.

Anyway, if anyone sees any more info on this power cell and what it does, I would like to see it.

[kestrel91316]

4. I assume they mean a fuel cell. Proven technology.

[oldhippie]

7. True, fuel cells are a proven technology, but .....

... Taking natural gas, presumably reforming it to get hydrogen, then running the hydrogen through a PEM fuel cell to get electricity seems like the long way around and not very efficient. It is cost effective in some remote applications, but I don't see how it would work in a residential scenario. And if it uses natural gas, and the homeowners are guaranteed that they won't have any energy bill for ten years, then who pays for the natural gas? There is something here that just isn't adding up for me. And they make no further info available on their website.

It just makes me nervous when a real estate company, which seems to be primarily a marketing company, just sort of glosses over a major technical point. I'd like to see more about this power cell.

[kristopher]

8. More info would be nice but it's a minor point IMO

The key element is the house and the degree of energy efficiency they are achieving. Due to different quality local resources, exactly how the minimal energy needs of these homes are ultimately satisfied is unlikely to be consistent across geographic regions and energy markets.

In Houston and with solar, a 60%+ efficient natural gas cogen turbine and the heating/cooling air recycling systems that are built into the homes, the load is actually negative (the homes are producing more energy net than they use). Which give the answer (stated in the article) to how they guarantee the no energy costs for ten years - they are contracting with the city to sell excess power. A 10 year Power Purchase Agreement (where the utility is the buyer of the electricity) is not unusual but it's probably predicated on a group of homes, not the individual home.

[oldhippie]

9. OK, I guess that all sounds feasible ...

Especially using a small nat gas turbine for cogen rather than a fuel cell. A small turbine for a neighborhood seems feasible, though I wonder who operates and maintains it.

I'd just like to see the info on the power cell and whatever PV they are using. To you it may be a minor point, but to me,as an engineer and financial guy, it's the interesting part.

[kristopher]

10. <15kwh/yr per m^2 of floor space is the PassiveHouse heating standard

And it's similar for cooling. Add in a decent, well integrated solar hot water system to take the edge off of that application and there isn't a whole lot left as we'd generally consider home energy needs, so there are a lot of potential satisfactory options.

Given your point of view I would have thought you'd be more interested in the second article.

Here is another I came across a couple of hours ago, right after I wrote the comments about the mini CHP turbines.

Dutch VPP using Solar PV and Fuel Cell Tech

David Appleyard
November 14, 2013

The Dutch island of Ameland is to be the location of a novel Virtual Power Plant (VPP) trials based around 6 MW of solar PV capacity and 45 fuel cell-based micro-combined heat and power (m-CHP) units.

“This large-scale project clearly demonstrates the next stage of Virtual Power Plant technology commercialisation” -- Frank Obernitz, Managing Director of CFCL in Europe.
Ameland has set itself the goal of being carbon neutral by 2020. A number of renewable energy projects are being developed, including a 6 MW solar-field - the largest single installation covering 20% of the island’s total power demand...
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2013/11/dutch-vpp-uses-pv-and-fuel-cell-hybrid?cmpid=SolarNL-Saturday-November16-2013

[oldhippie]

13. After thinking about it some more ...

... I am starting to feel more comfortable with the concept.

Some REALLY efficient and well designed homes, in a neighborhood designed as their host, carefully controlled energy sharing and distribution of energy within a neighborhood microgrid, could make it feasible. The microgrid and energy management could be done by something like a HOA. That could also be how they can make the guarantee of no "energy bills." All energy management and distribution could be handled by a HOA like organization, that would have beneficial partnership agreements with the municipal electric and gas utilities to buy back excess solar power and provide the nat gas. Even if there were some monthly imbalances, they would be included in the HOA like budget, and not in "energy bills."

Houston is probably a good place to try this. A relatively mild climate (except for summer heat and humidity), cheap energy prices, a cooperative local government and municipal utility, virtually no zoning code hassles, and lots of land to build planned communities.

I hope in a couple of years we can see a follow up on this and say it was a great success.

I saw the article in REW about the Dutch Island's plans. Sounds interesting. I wish there was more detail The fuel cell company I worked with in Munich is trying to break into the residential power module market also, to get away from the military and remote power niche they were in. It should be interesting.

[PumpkinAle]

5. Great idea, great innovation and a great move

especially in Houston.

Kudos to Mr. Goswick and his team.

[kristopher]

6. The Passive House Concept i

This is the core concept behind the homes of all the companies mentioned in the OP.

The Passive House concept represents today's highest energy standard with the promise of slashing the heating energy consumption of buildings by an amazing 90%. Widespread application of the Passive House design would have a dramatic impact on energy conservation. Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that buildings are responsible for 48% of greenhouse gas emissions annually and 76% of all electricity generated by U.S. power plants goes to supply the Building Sector [Architecture2030]. It has been abundantly clear for some time that the Building Sector is a primary contributor of climate-changing pollutants, and the question is asked: How do we best square our building energy needs with those of our environment and of our pocketbook? In the realm of super energy efficiency, the Passive House presents an intriguing option for new and retrofit construction; in residential, commercial, and institutional projects.

A Passive House is a very well-insulated, virtually air-tight building that is primarily heated by passive solar gain and by internal gains from people, electrical equipment, etc. Energy losses are minimized. Any remaining heat demand is provided by an extremely small source. Avoidance of heat gain through shading and window orientation also helps to limit any cooling load, which is similarly minimized. An energy recovery ventilator provides a constant, balanced fresh air supply. The result is an impressive system that not only saves up to 90% of space heating costs, but also provides a uniquely terrific indoor air quality.

A Passive House is a comprehensive system. "Passive" describes well this system's underlying receptivity and retention capacity. Working with natural resources, free solar energy is captured and applied efficiently, instead of relying predominantly on ‘active’ systems to bring a building to ‘zero’ energy. High performance triple-glazed windows, super-insulation, an airtight building shell, limitation of thermal bridging and balanced energy recovery ventilation make possible extraordinary reductions in energy use and carbon emission.

Today, many in the building sector have applied this concept to design, and build towards a carbon-neutral future. Over the last 10 years more than 15,000 buildings in Europe - from single and multifamily residences, to schools, factories and office buildings - have been designed and built or remodeled to the passive house standard. A great many of these have been extensively monitored by the Passiv Haus Institut in Darmstadt, analyzing and verifying their performance. Even governmental agencies have adopted passive house standards in their policy-making (read more about the EU Commision’s intent to implement the Passive House Standard.).

http://www.passivehouse.us/passiveHouse/PassiveHouseInfo.html

http://www.passivehouse.us/passiveHouse/FAQ.html

Sealing a home without proper ventilation is a health hazard. This is how you get the beneficial energy savings of a thorough thermally sealed home while ensuring proper ventilation.



From http://oneskyhomes.com/about/passive-house

[NickB79]

11. The Atlantic: Why the Most Environmental Building is the Building We've Already Built

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/housing/2012/01/why-most-environmental-building-building-weve-already-built/1016/

Preservation Green Lab, the Trust's sustainability think tank, has published a new study today examining this that puts big numbers behind the finding that the greenest buildings aren’t in fact state-of-the-art ones; they’re the ones we already have.

Retrofit an existing building to make it 30 percent more efficient, the study found, and it will essentially always remain a better bet for the environment than a new building built tomorrow with the same efficiencies. Take that new, more efficient building, though, and compare its life cycle to an average existing structure with no retrofitting, and it could still take up to 80 years for the new one to make up for the environmental impact of its initial construction.

Hyper-efficient new construction is important, but really a minor area we should be focusing on. At best, it's most important role should be as a test bed to find new ways to retrofit existing structures.

The real energy savings will be found in retrofitting, not new construction. The masses don't need new construction; they need affordable updates for their existing homes, as well as a return to multi-generational living like we used to see in generations past. We don't need to continue the tradition of building 2500+ sq. ft homes for 3 people and their dog to live in, even if they are very efficient homes.

[kristopher]

12. That applies to cars also

The footprint of a new car is always going to be a major obstacle to realizing the full benefits of efficiency gains. But that isn't going to stop people from buying new cars, so it is nonetheless a good idea to provide those new buyers an option that does maximize efficiency.

The PassiveHouse standard is just that - a standard. It applies to both new and retrofits.

The Passive House concept represents today's highest energy standard with the promise of slashing the heating energy consumption of buildings by an amazing 90%. Widespread application of the Passive House design would have a dramatic impact on energy conservation. Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that buildings are responsible for 48% of greenhouse gas emissions annually and 76% of all electricity generated by U.S. power plants goes to supply the Building Sector [Architecture2030]. It has been abundantly clear for some time that the Building Sector is a primary contributor of climate-changing pollutants, and the question is asked: How do we best square our building energy needs with those of our environment and of our pocketbook? In the realm of super energy efficiency, the Passive House presents an intriguing option for new and retrofit construction; in residential, commercial, and institutional projects.

A Passive House is a very well-insulated, virtually air-tight building that is primarily heated by passive solar gain and by internal gains from people, electrical equipment, etc. Energy losses are minimized. Any remaining heat demand is provided by an extremely small source. Avoidance of heat gain through shading and window orientation also helps to limit any cooling load, which is similarly minimized. An energy recovery ventilator provides a constant, balanced fresh air supply. The result is an impressive system that not only saves up to 90% of space heating costs, but also provides a uniquely terrific indoor air quality.

A Passive House is a comprehensive system. "Passive" describes well this system's underlying receptivity and retention capacity. Working with natural resources, free solar energy is captured and applied efficiently, instead of relying predominantly on ‘active’ systems to bring a building to ‘zero’ energy. High performance triple-glazed windows, super-insulation, an airtight building shell, limitation of thermal bridging and balanced energy recovery ventilation make possible extraordinary reductions in energy use and carbon emission.

Today, many in the building sector have applied this concept to design, and build towards a carbon-neutral future. Over the last 10 years more than 15,000 buildings in Europe - from single and multifamily residences, to schools, factories and office buildings - have been designed and built or remodeled to the passive house standard.

http://www.passivehouse.us/passiveHouse/PassiveHouseInfo.html

The real problem with efficiency measures is the drive by entrenched power providers that rely on largescale thermal generation like coal and nuclear. They HATE energy efficiency because it cuts into the market they require to be profitable.

While the UK was on a track pursuing renewable energy (before the right wing took power back) they had a building efficiency program that was second-to-none. They were achieving great results but when the conservative government took the reins and started pushing for nuclear power, one of the very first things they did was to "improve" their building efficiency program.

The result (as intended) was a drop in participation to almost zero.

Frankly I have to say I'm surprised that such an avid nuclear supporter as you've shown yourself to be would care about efficiency. I suppose I could have misunderstood your intent; perhaps you were just trying to malign something that is a threat to your glowing precccciousssssssssssss.

[NickB79]

14. Keep tiltiing at those windmills, Don

I have my fingers crossed that one day, you'll find your giant

[kristopher]

15. If you don't believe the obvious example of the UK

It's pretty difficult to argue that that nuclear doesn't "crowd out" both renewables and energy efficiency efforts when all of the data points in exactly the opposite direction.

http://www.vermontlaw.edu/Documents/IEE/20100909_cooperStudy.pdf

[NickB79]

16. That reference went over your head?

No, I wasn't referring to your UK comments. I agreed with that part of your post.

[kristopher]

17. I got the reference, but it didn't fit the circumstances

Your first post seems to show support for energy efficiency efforts. However, when put together with your support for nuclear we have a situation where you are pulling in both directions at the same time.

I view(ed) your comment as an attempt to divert attention from your obviously conflicted stance.