Materials
1. US Floors, Natural Cork, Traditional Cork Plank Flooring
2. Recycled Glass Countertops
3. Double paned, energy efficient windows
4. Prairie Harvest- Reclaimed Wood for paneling for Exterior
- Cork flooring is renewable every 8 to 10 years, making it much more sustainable to tile or carpet flooring. It is hypoallergenic; eco-friendly with upcycled materials; impermeable to toxic liquids and moisture; and a great thermal insulator
2. Recycled Glass Countertops
- With a recycled glass countertop, eco-friendly is far from questionable with 85% recycled glass that can be recycled over again after its lifetime use, since glass is easy to maintain and clean and resistant to toxic materials as well
3. Double paned, energy efficient windows
- When replacing single pane windows, savings can be $146–$501 and a carbon footprint reduction of 1,147–3,839 pounds of CO2
- When replacing double pane, clear glass windows, savings can be $71–$247 and a carbon footprint reduction of 692–2,825 pounds of CO2
4. Prairie Harvest- Reclaimed Wood for paneling for Exterior
- There are many options when it comes to local providers for building the exterior frame of our module. Timber and Lumber frames and woods paneling that are reclaimed are LEED certified for a more sustainable house structure
Appliances
The second most consuming appliance that every home has is the refrigerator/freezer. (The first is the clothes dryer, but for our project, we took into consideration of hang drying methods). Efficiency of refrigerators have improved by improving insulation. The savings range from $35 – 300.
Our module home was made for two people, so the appropriate size of the refrigerator would have to be between 16 -20 cubic feet.
1. Kenmore 16.5 cu. ft. Top-Freezer Refrigerator, Non-Ice - Black ENERGY STAR®
BATHROOM
1. American Standard- water conserving toilet
2. Glacier Bay- Shower Head
3. Glacier Bay- Bathroom Faucet
Our module home was made for two people, so the appropriate size of the refrigerator would have to be between 16 -20 cubic feet.
1. Kenmore 16.5 cu. ft. Top-Freezer Refrigerator, Non-Ice - Black ENERGY STAR®
- Annual energy use of 368 kWh/yr and has a yearly cost of only $34
BATHROOM
1. American Standard- water conserving toilet
- This toilet saves water (only uses 1.28 gpf, gallons per flush compared to the average 3.6 gpf) because of its high efficiency design and is WaterSense certified
2. Glacier Bay- Shower Head
- Showering accounts for 17 % of water usage. With this low flow, WaterSense certified shower head, there is a steady flow of 2.0 GPM
3. Glacier Bay- Bathroom Faucet
- This WaterSense certified faucet can save you money overall by a low flow constant rate of water, and less energy usage from water heaters
Lighting
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Residential Energy Consumption Survey
![Picture](/uploads/4/3/9/2/43920657/1418269442.png)
Based on the two pie charts above, we know that the space heating has decreased energy consumption from 1993 to 2009, due to better insulation and improvement in housing building. Despite this major decrease in energy consumption, appliances, electronics, and lighting have increased more than 10%. This could be attributed to a major boom in electronics, inefficient appliances, and lighting inefficiency.
To have the best energy efficiency in our Phase I design, addressing this major energy usage is key.
A simple first step is replacing the lightbulbs as well as pair it with more daylight usage. We can concentrate on what type of light source would be used (LED, CFL, incandescent) and figure out any light control that will help reduce the energy consumption. A comparison of the lifespan of several types of lightbulbs clearly shows LED lights as the forerunner. Furthermore, LED lights use less power to create the same light output, no mercury, and releases less heat. The downside is the high upfront cost but due to the further manufacturing development the cost is declining. Nevertheless the bulb will end up paying itself relatively quickly. Imagine a home with 20 light bulbs, the savings over 25,000 hours would be almost $3000 using only LEDs instead of the incandescent!
To have the best energy efficiency in our Phase I design, addressing this major energy usage is key.
A simple first step is replacing the lightbulbs as well as pair it with more daylight usage. We can concentrate on what type of light source would be used (LED, CFL, incandescent) and figure out any light control that will help reduce the energy consumption. A comparison of the lifespan of several types of lightbulbs clearly shows LED lights as the forerunner. Furthermore, LED lights use less power to create the same light output, no mercury, and releases less heat. The downside is the high upfront cost but due to the further manufacturing development the cost is declining. Nevertheless the bulb will end up paying itself relatively quickly. Imagine a home with 20 light bulbs, the savings over 25,000 hours would be almost $3000 using only LEDs instead of the incandescent!
Dimmers and motion sensors can help reduce the amount of energy consumed. Motion sensors work by detecting motion and turning on lights such as outdoor security
lights and will turn off minutes after no motion is detected. Not so commonly used but can be very helpful are timers which help reduce light by setting times throughout the day where light will be
on or off. With today’s technology, we have digital timers that can be set for
7 days a week, each day with their own specific on and off time schedule. Some
light fixtures for example, outdoor security lights, benefit greatly from these
light controls because otherwise the lights would be on all the time when
people sleep. These controls are mainly for lights that are on the most and
used regularly.
Active Sustainable Systems
RAINWATER COLLECTION
The rain water collection unit is fairly simple and can be bought as a complete system. For Phase I, since cost is not the issue, there's no problem with having too much storage. This system could replace 60% of the total water usage of this house, and from the CSG Network Water Consumption Calculator, the living unit will use approximately 250 gallons of water per day.
SOLAR ARRAY
Solar array packages come with all the necessary equipment to install it except for mounting hardware. Each panel is 66 x 39 x 1 inches and this package comes with 18 panels. Mounting hardware and back up battery will have to be purchased separately. Back up batteries will need to be replaced after 10 years. One design requirement of the living unit would be sloped roofs for the panels to be installed at the right angle.
An estimate of the average cost of electricity in Houston was taken by averaging the cost for our personal individual houses over about 30 different electric provider plans. The average cost would be about 10.9 cents per kilowatt-hour. Based upon our group's housing and the size of this living unit, we estimate that this house will use approximately 500 kWh of electricity per month.
Solar panels provide clean energy for homeowners. This energy is free after the payback time which with current electricity prices would be approximately 27 years. If we aren't worried about the price, the advantage of these panels would simply be that we’re generating clean, non polluting electricity. However, it does cost energy to make these panels, and the energy payback time of these panels is on the order of 2-4 years, so for the rest of the life of the panel, you will be generating clean electricity. Grid power is on all the time, so it is more reliable, but to be as green as possible, solar panels with a decent battery backup would be the way to go.
The rain water collection unit is fairly simple and can be bought as a complete system. For Phase I, since cost is not the issue, there's no problem with having too much storage. This system could replace 60% of the total water usage of this house, and from the CSG Network Water Consumption Calculator, the living unit will use approximately 250 gallons of water per day.
SOLAR ARRAY
Solar array packages come with all the necessary equipment to install it except for mounting hardware. Each panel is 66 x 39 x 1 inches and this package comes with 18 panels. Mounting hardware and back up battery will have to be purchased separately. Back up batteries will need to be replaced after 10 years. One design requirement of the living unit would be sloped roofs for the panels to be installed at the right angle.
An estimate of the average cost of electricity in Houston was taken by averaging the cost for our personal individual houses over about 30 different electric provider plans. The average cost would be about 10.9 cents per kilowatt-hour. Based upon our group's housing and the size of this living unit, we estimate that this house will use approximately 500 kWh of electricity per month.
Solar panels provide clean energy for homeowners. This energy is free after the payback time which with current electricity prices would be approximately 27 years. If we aren't worried about the price, the advantage of these panels would simply be that we’re generating clean, non polluting electricity. However, it does cost energy to make these panels, and the energy payback time of these panels is on the order of 2-4 years, so for the rest of the life of the panel, you will be generating clean electricity. Grid power is on all the time, so it is more reliable, but to be as green as possible, solar panels with a decent battery backup would be the way to go.
Sources:
Materials:
http://www.greenbuildingsupply.com/US-Floors-Natural-Cork-Traditional-Cork-Plank?faux=10501
http://www.greenbuildingsupply.com/All-Products/Cabinets-Countertops-Countertops/Vetrazzo-Countertop
Gulf Coast Windows - local source, talked to the owner in person
Appliances:
https://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=windows_doors.pr_benefits
http://www.ecooptions.homedepot.com
http://www.home-water-works.org/indoor-use/toilets
Lighting:
http://www.energystar.gov/productfinder/product/certified-residential-refrigerators/results
http://www.eia.gov/consumption/residential/
http://energy.gov/public-services/homes/saving-electricity/lighting
http://eartheasy.com/live_energyeff_lighting.htm
www.Lightingdirect.com
www.homedepot.com
Active Systems:
http://www.rainharvest.com/rainflo-5100-pro-rainwater-collection-system.asp
http://www.csgnetwork.com/waterusagecalc.html
Model (shown in picture) made by Christine Nguyen and Tonya Sok
Materials:
http://www.greenbuildingsupply.com/US-Floors-Natural-Cork-Traditional-Cork-Plank?faux=10501
http://www.greenbuildingsupply.com/All-Products/Cabinets-Countertops-Countertops/Vetrazzo-Countertop
Gulf Coast Windows - local source, talked to the owner in person
Appliances:
https://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=windows_doors.pr_benefits
http://www.ecooptions.homedepot.com
http://www.home-water-works.org/indoor-use/toilets
Lighting:
http://www.energystar.gov/productfinder/product/certified-residential-refrigerators/results
http://www.eia.gov/consumption/residential/
http://energy.gov/public-services/homes/saving-electricity/lighting
http://eartheasy.com/live_energyeff_lighting.htm
www.Lightingdirect.com
www.homedepot.com
Active Systems:
http://www.rainharvest.com/rainflo-5100-pro-rainwater-collection-system.asp
http://www.csgnetwork.com/waterusagecalc.html
Model (shown in picture) made by Christine Nguyen and Tonya Sok