When acquiring or building a home, one of the issues we confront is energy use. Because of the degeneration of the materials and the technology used for its construction, an old house often has a worse energy performance, resulting in a higher cost. However, since 1988, when the passivhaus (passive house) standard was initially published, many solutions to near-zero consumption or sustainable housing have been created.
While renovating, these strategies can help us save a significant portion of our power cost. In contrast, in the case of new construction, they can help us achieve maximum energy efficiency. Sustainable houses have a very low energy consumption. In reality, their goal is to utilise the energy that they can generate internally, such as through renewable energies, water recovery, and the utilisation of plants, among other things. This blog is a comprehensive study of energy self-sufficiency, its fundamental characteristics, and the benefits and drawbacks of this form of energy self-sufficient home.
Sustainable Houses: Save the Future
Bioclimatic architecture, or the design of structures that consider climatic conditions and the utilisation of available resources, is one of the principles closely connected to sustainable dwellings. Some elements must be considered while building this sort of structure, such as,
- the sun’s path and the use of natural light
- orientation of the home and its rooms
- vegetation of the region, and
- the wind conditions, among others.
The passive management of a sustainable dwelling includes this kind of conditioning. On the other hand, active management is concerned with the employment of mechanical elements and systems to meet the house’s energy consumption.
Active Management
We define a self-sufficient house as one that uses various equipment to meet the energy needs, such as solar panels, heat pumps, or biomass cookers; this is what we defined as active management.
a. Energy accumulation with Solar Panels
When we think of renewable energy or less energy consumption for our home, we think of solar panels, which can help us create electrical energy or heat a DHW tank.
Solar Thermal Panels: Solar thermal panels use solar energy to create heat, then used to heat water (DHW), followed by heating radiators, underfloor heating, and other heating systems.
Photovoltaic Solar Panels:These are the ones in charge of converting the sun’s energy into electricity. They are made of photovoltaic cells that can be monocrystalline or polycrystalline, silicone-based, or non-silicone, carbon-based, such as organic.
Hybrid Solar Panels:This is the most obscure and underutilised panel. It generates hot water and power by combining thermal and solar panel technologies.
b. Heat Pump
The heat pump is another active system for distributing heat and DHW to a home that has grown in popularity in recent years. Depending on the system, air (aerothermal) or groundwater temperature (geothermal) is employed through wells. Heat pumps are in charge of moving energy from one location to another, achieving the necessary temperature with less effort than a standard boiler because they take advantage of the temperature stability, for example, the groundwater temperature.
c. Biomass Boilers
Fuels such as pellets made from forest leftovers are used as an energy source in this type of boiler. They are often put adjacent to an accumulator that will supply heating and DHW to the residence. Waste is generated by biomass boilers, which is collected in an internal ashtray that must be emptied.
Passive Management
The utilisation of the natural resources of the location where a self-sufficient home will be built is referred to as passive management. A house built on the seaside, for example, will not be the same sort of building as one built inland, nor will it use the same construction materials.
a. Thermal Insulation
As we all know, leaks can develop in specific regions of a house exterior. Doors and windows are the most prevalent; thus, enhancing their insulation is a good idea. Another component is the facade, which must be well insulated for the home to be efficient, using less active energy. There are a variety of building materials for covering a facade, as well as insulation materials that will help us maintain a comfortable temperature inside our self-sufficient home. Another alternative is a vented facade, which will create an air chamber on the exterior of our house, which will aid in temperature regulation.
b. Vegetation as an Insulator
We can’t overlook vegetation in the passive management of a self-sufficient home because it can help us protect the house from both solar radiation and wind exposure. Before choosing which plants to use, we must first investigate the soil, its exposure to atmospheric agents, the growth of potential plants, and so on. Vine, green roofs, and vertical gardens are examples of plants that act as natural heat insulators.
c. Water Harvesting
According to some estimates, only 4% of the water utilised in residence is meant for human consumption or drinking. This is a relatively low number compared to the nearly 40% of people who use the bathroom between the toilet and the shower. This encourages us to consider how we may reuse the water entering our houses but not intended for direct consumption-for example, rainwater collection and filtration and the use of a well. Rainwater is frequently collected by running it down the drain to an underground tank. It should be filtered before use. On the other hand, it necessitates the authorisation of the installation and the detection of subsurface water. We will be able to supply water to our home that would otherwise go unused due to installing a pump and engine.
Rehabilitation, Sustainability and Green Practices
If rehabilitation is used instead of building a house, attaining a self-sufficient home becomes a somewhat more difficult challenge that will ultimately be determined by the degree of intervention used. For example, adding exclusively renewable energy sources like solar panels or heat pumps to a traditional home would result in yearly energy savings of roughly 18%. On the other hand, if a house is modified to increase its insulation by changing its floor, envelope, windows, and doors, the savings can reach 64% per year. Finally, it would be a complete reform by modifying the facade and adding renewable energy sources. If these two interventions are combined, the average yearly savings can be boosted to 75%.
By 2022, environmental awareness will be mainstream. Most countries would support infrastructure that has been strengthened with green techniques to combat the negative impacts of environmental degradation. New green technologies are acknowledged every day, and the day will come when humanity will heal the damage done to the environment – flora, fauna, and ecology!
With its Green practices, Aludecor is committed to society. At Aludecor, India’s most talked-about ACP manufacturer, we recognise the importance of a sustainable future. As a result, our team of Fabrication specialists created Aludecor Systems (Male Female Rainscreen System), which ensures energy efficiency at its best!
To learn more about sustainable ACP sheets, log on towww.aludecor.comor call us on our toll-free number1800 102 0407to beautify your building with Aludecor ACPs.
