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Solving the Biggest Energy Problem – Our Homes! The Staged Passive Energy Retrofit (SPER) Concept

Solving the Biggest Energy Problem – Our Homes! The Staged Passive Energy Retrofit (SPER) Concept. Presented by Pat Murphy, Executive Director, Community Solutions Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387 March 2010. U.S. Energy Consumption Breakdown.

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Solving the Biggest Energy Problem – Our Homes! The Staged Passive Energy Retrofit (SPER) Concept

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  1. Solving the Biggest Energy Problem – Our Homes!The Staged Passive Energy Retrofit (SPER) Concept Presented by Pat Murphy, Executive Director, Community Solutions Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387 March 2010

  2. U.S. Energy Consumption Breakdown • Energy for U.S. homes alone greater than world average use • 49% of U.S. energy is used in buildings • 39% operating, 10% embodied (building) energy • U.S. has about 115 million residences (80 million houses) • New building ~1.0 million units/yr. typically

  3. U.S. Homes – Size Matters • U.S. home size • 2008 – 2,200 sq. ft. • 1959 – 1,000 sq. ft. • Per capita square foot • 1950 – 260 sq. ft. • 2008 – 800 sq. ft. • U.S. residences twice as large as those in Europe or Japan • Use 2.4 times energy • U.S. citizens want big homes

  4. U.S. Energy Use in Buildings • Building energy use is understood very well • Techniques and products exist for much better efficiency • Weatherization programs provide experience for existing homes

  5. “Green Building” – Too Little, Too Late LEED and EnergyStar Ineffective • Green programs reduce energy use by 15-20% • Need 80-90% • “Green buildings” are only about 5% of new construction • Less than 1% of existing homes are “green” after 10 years • Will take decades to turn over the building stock • By then it will be too late!

  6. Can Building Energy Use be Cut by 90%? • There is a technology that can do this • The German “PasivHaus” or Passive House • Basis of the technology • “Super insulation” – R40-60 • “Super air-tight” • “Super windows” (triple-glazed) – R7 • And a new device – Heat Recovery Ventilator • House can’t “breath” (which means leak) anymore

  7. “Thick” Tight Envelope – The Core Concepts • Based on Super- Insulated House of 1970s (Shurcliff) • Early version of German “Passive House”

  8. 13th Annual Passive House Conference • Held April 2009 in Frankfurt, Germany • 1,200 attendees from around world • 100 presenters • Tours of homes/schools • About 20,000 passive houses/buildings to date • 18 years since first one was built – a maturing technology • Great windows, heat exchangers, insulation, sealants • Achieving 90% heating/cooling energy reduction

  9. Housing Revolution – Passive House • Germany energy reduction target – 90% • Realized most energy consumed is in buildings • Defined passive building as energy used/sq. ft. • Passive houses have no whole house heating systems – small backup units only • Passive House being codified in German laws • Germany the leading nation in wind and solar • And in super efficient buildings!

  10. Passive House History/Description • Continuation of U.S. 1970/80s super-insulated movement • Germany picked up U.S. work and developed it further • U.S. lost Interest • 4 Passive House conferences held in U.S. to date

  11. The Passive House – U.S. Status • Fundamental spec – use 90% less heating/cooling energy • Germans are teaching U.S. builders • 20+ U.S. versions built or in process • Super-insulated – thick shell • 14-inch walls • Corresponding thick floor/roofs • Very small heating system or AC • Uses heat exchanger for ventilation • Costs 10% more than conventional house

  12. Some Passive House Elements Illustrated

  13. Passive House Addresses Heating/Cooling -Remainder Is Appliances and Lifestyle • Eliminates leaks: 20% of energy costs • New windows next big savings • Thick, tight “building envelope” • Ductwork in the conditioned space • Better appliances found in Europe • Will appear in the U.S. at some point • Still need habit changes

  14. Passive House – Key Future Technology • Heating/cooling/ventilation • Envelope/windows/air tight • Heat exchanger for ventilation • Addresses about half the energy use • Appliances are improving continuously • Sun Frost refrigerators • On-demand hot water heaters • Plug loads can be managed • Some habit change also needed • All together will provide 80-90% reduction by 2050

  15. But!!! This Is for New Homes • New Passive Houses cost 10% more • Passive House retrofits cost 40-50% of new building costs • Easy to build new – hard to retrofit the old • Retrofitting very labor intensive • The good news – retrofits can obtain 90% energy savings • There are many people trying retrofits • Need leading-edge people • Maria Everhart – “In any area of social change, someone has got to go first” • A recent Passive Retrofit – The Carriage House

  16. Carriage House Retrofit – 2008 • Approximately 1,000 square feet • 100-year-old Carriage House

  17. Foundation and Floors • Floors – vapor-barrier, 2’’ rigid foam, 7.5” floor joists, fiberglass • Insulation = R30+ (code is R11) • Vertical 2’’ rigid insulation on foundation walls • Reduce ground heat loss

  18. Walls, Ceilings and Roofs • Walls – double stud, 9 – 14 inches thick (R30 – R40) • Ceiling/roof – dense pack insulation R40+ (code is R30) • High-performance doors and windows

  19. Retrofit Building Energy Savings and $$ • Wide range of estimates to redo all homes • 115 million residence @ $60,000 + is $7 trillion. • Far cheaper than paying fuel bills – e.g. 2010 to 2050 (40 years) • Save 10 BOE yearly– estimate $200 BOE eqv. in 2012+ • $2,000 yearly for 40 years = $80,000 • Life cycle analysis shows this is a win-win situation • Culture might change to 1950s values – homeowners do work • Still a new concept is needed • Staged Passive Energy Retrofitting – SPER

  20. SPER Retrofitting • Idea may have originated with Linda Wigington of ACI • The “1000 Home Challenge” Effort – 2007 • Department of Energy made big change in 2009 • De-emphasis on Building America Program • Initiated the Retrofit for Recovery Program • University of Dayton and Community Solutions formed Yellow Springs Energy Partnership to study energy use • Local companies formed in Yellow Springs and Troy, Ohio

  21. DOE Strategic Plan for Recovery Through Retrofit Addresses Three Problems • Market Barrier 1: Consumers need reliable home retrofitting information to make informed decisions • Solution 1: We must provide straightforward and credible information to American homeowners on the costs and benefits of home energy retrofits • Market Barrier 2: The costs of home retrofit projects are beyond the average homeowner’s budget • Solution 2: We must make it easy for homeowners to identify and access home energy retrofit financing tools and products • Market Barrier 3: Increase the number of skilled workers and green entrepreneurs to successfully expand efficiency retrofit programs on a national scale • Solution 3: Mobilize a skilled national energy retrofit workforce and expand good, green job opportunities for all American workers

  22. Community Solutions Prepared Response • Wide range of partners • Community Solutions (Yellow Springs non-profit), Yellow Springs energy audit company, University of Dayton Building Energy Center, Troy, Ohio construction company • Began working in anticipation of winning the award • Decided to form a company regardless of the award • Idea looked better and better • Key partner provided breakthrough ideas • Staged retrofitting – visit home multiple times over years • Low-, middle- and high-hanging fruit picked over a decade • Bring the mass production factory to the neighborhood

  23. SPER Key Factors of Success • Cut labor costs in half by innovation • Use factory techniques in the home neighborhood • Build a long-term relationship with homeowner • Become their “energy reduction” utility • Review their usage – call when something happens • Provide financing – repayment from lower energy bills • Upgrade the home in stages to meet 2050 needs • Using low-cost technologies that will appear • Use Passive House technology in later stages as technology gained from new builds decreases cost

  24. Summary • Passive building technology proven – goes back to 1970s • Different than green building with its marginal energy savings • Focus is on deep energy reductions • Costs have been tested – 10% more for new, 40-50% cost of new for retrofit • Government now understands need to retrofit • Early adopters (including CS) preparing the examples • Building companies seeing the opportunity • Innovative finance ideas coming • Could actually meet 90% reduction by 2050 with political will

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