Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA)
BIOMASS STOVES: ENGINEERING DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, AND DISSEMINATION
Samuel F. Baldwin
Scholarly compilation of research into the design requirement for
optimum performance of biomass fueled cookstoves, including an
overview of the problems of deforestation that gave rise to the
search for an improved stove. Covers design and testing principles,
stove construction, and dissemination, with technical appendices,
notes, references, and listing of institutions involved in stove
research and projects.
$35.75
ENGLISH 287pp. ISBN 0-86619-274-3
WOOD-BURNING OVEN
Re. Bertrand Saubolle
Wood-burning oven of brick with sheet iron door. (A technical
bulletin)
$5.25
ENGLISH 5pp. ISBN 0-86619-091-0;
FRENCH 4pp ISBN 0-86619-149-6;
SPANISH 5pp. ISBN 0-86619-155-0
.
For Sustainable Energy Consumption Phase Out Fossil Fuels
by Lelani Arris
The world as we know it would not function without energy. From producing the food we eat to
keeping us warm, energy plays an indispensable role. Indeed, life could not exist without it.
However,relying on the kind of energy that fuels much human activity on the planet today -- fossil fuels
-- has serious implications for the environment, from the threat of global warming to local air pollution. It
is beyond the scope of this article to address all the ways in which we use fossil energy, so it instead
looks at an aspect of energy use that is both central to our lives and one that we can have the most
effect on -- home energy use. As with my previous article on sustainable transportation (Gaining
Ground, Volume 2, #3), I will evaluate residential energy use from the standpoint of its contribution to
carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as a way of determining goals for reducing that energy use. When
evaluating sustainable transportation, I used the conclusion that global CO2 emissions should be
reduced to 30 percent of 1990 levels by the year 2020 to stabilize CO2 concentration in the
atmosphere at near-current levels. Over that same time period, global population is expected to increase
to at least 7.7 billion people. Assuming equitable distribution among the people of the world, this means
that by 1995, per capita CO2 emissions should be no more than 3.1 metric tons per person, and by the
year 2020, this should be reduced to less than .8 metric tons per person. That's not much, especially
when you consider that in 1990 the average person in the United States was responsible for emitting
19.7 metric tons of CO2.
Addressing U.S. energy consumption specifically is important because the this country has some of the
highest per capita energy consumption and CO2 emissions rates in the world. Thus, the United States
has the most work to do in changing that global situation. Residential energy consumption accounts for
almost 19 percent of total U.S. CO2 emissions. About two-thirds of this is from electrical use, and the
other one third comes from the use of oil, natural gas, and other fossil fuels for space heating, cooking,
and heating water. To evaluate what our residential energy consumption goals should be over the next
25 years, we will assume that their relative contribution to overall CO2 emissions will remain the same.
In terms of fossil fuels used for heating, cooking, and hot water, this analysis suggests that by 1995, each
U.S. resident should be using no more than 20 gallons of heating oil or 3,600 cubic feet of natural gas
per year. Today, an average household in the northeastern United States uses 600 gallons of heating oil
or 80,000 cubic feet of natural gas per year for heating alone. In 1987, the average nationwide use of
fossil fuels per household amounted to the equivalent of 728 gallons of oil or 98,000 cubic feet of natural
gas. This suggests that by 1995, assuming an average household of 4 people, we should reduce our use
of fossil fuels for heating and cooking by 80 to 85 percent.
Due to population growth, the goals for the year 2020 are even more staggering. In that year, the goals
amount to an annual use per person of less than 5 gallons of oil or 900 cubic feet of natural gas for
heating, cooking, and hot water. This amounts to a 99 percent reduction from current consumption
levels. You can see how far you are from these goals by taking a look at your own heating bills -- add
up how much oil or natural gas you use in one year, and divide it by the number of people in your
household. And don't feel too smug if you heat with wood -- although you are not technically
contributing to CO2 emissions if the trees cut for fuel are replanted, one analysis suggests that annual per
capita sustainable wood consumption is about one tenth of a cord -- hardly enough to heat your home
and have enough left over for paper! (See Gaining Ground, Volume 2, #2 on "Sustainable Forests.")
When we look at goals for residential electricity consumption, we make the assumption that the mix of
fuels used to generate that electricity will remain the same. If renewable sources are used more
extensively to generate electricity over the next 25 years, the goals we set out will be less stringent.
Given the current U.S. fuel mix, however, which is unlikely to change substantially in the next year, he
1995 goal for residential electricity consumption is 587 kilowatt-hours (kWh). By contrast, in 1990 per
capita residential electric consumption amounted to 3,715 kWh -- in fact, your refrigerator alone
probably eats up far more than 600 kWh annually, depending on how old it is.
By the year 2020, we should reduce our residential electric use to a mere 144 kWh yearly -- a
reduction of 96 percent from 1990 consumption, and not even enough to run one of the new super-
efficient refrigerators! Again, you can see where you fit on this scale by adding up how many kWh you
use over the course of a year, or take a typical monthly bill and multiply by 12.
So how do we accomplish such a dramatic reduction in energy use? Space heating accounts for about
46 percent of residential energy use in the United States, and air conditioning accounts for another 9
percent. This could probably be reduced by half or more through better insulation, windows, and
improved furnace and air conditioner efficiencies. The Rocky Mountain Institute's Practical Home
Energy Savings is a wonderful guide to many things you can do yourself to start reducing your home
energy consumption.
Beyond that, we need to look at designing buildings for the climates they are built in -- utilizing passive
and active solar heating, earth-sheltered designs, and landscaping to limit the amount of energy needed
to heat and cool our homes. The size of our homes also plays a role -- the larger the home, the more
energy required to maintain a comfortable temperature. Do we really need all that extra space? More
people living together in a household can also reduce individual energy consumption particularly in terms
of heat, light, and appliances such as refrigerators.
One of the most important things to focus on is shifting electrical generation towards renewable energy
sources, such as solar and wind. The more power we can generate from renewable sources, the more
we can use without concerns about climate change and other types of pollution. You can help with this
by getting involved with organizations that promote renewable energy development. In the near future,
you may actually be able to choose to buy power that has been generated from renewable sources --
although you can expect to pay a premium for it.
However, even if we manage to convert all of our electrical generation to renewable sources, this
shouldn't necessarily be interpreted as free rein to use as much energy as we want. Renewables have a
cost as well -- in terms of the energy and materials used to fabricate things like wind turbines and solar
cells, as well as a cost in land area. For example, it would have required some 3 million acres of land to
supply U.S. residential electric use in 1990 using only solar energy, given today's technology.There are
no easy answers to the energy consumption problem. Although those of us who are relatively well-off
can afford to insulate, install compact fluorescent light bulbs, and buy new energy-efficient appliances,
for many the initial cost is simply too high even if it will save them money over a period of years.
Renewable energy is a promise for the future, but we cannot expect to consume it at the level we have
been gulping fossil fuels. We need to address every aspect of energy consumption in our homes and ask
ourselves "Is this necessary? Can I live without it?"
We also need to become actively involved with legislative efforts at all levels to ensure that renewable
energy is developed, that both publicly and privately funded residential construction uses the most
energy-efficient technology available, and that efficiency standards are mandated for all types of
household appliances. Beyond that, we need to consider other changes in our lifestyles and ways of
doing things that can help us reach a sustainable level of energy consumption. Lelani Arris lives in
Dunster, BC, where she is working on developing a sustainable lifestyle. She also edits the Global
Environmental Change Report. She wrote this article for Gaining Ground.
Passive Energy Building Design Tool
Title:
Passive Energy Building Design Tool
Acronym (Title):
SOLAR5
Author Name/Affiliation:
Milne, M. [University of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)]
Description:
SOLAR5 is a computer aided design tool to help architects design better, more energy efficient
buildings. It is intended for use at the beginning of the design process. To get started, only four
pieces of information are necessary to compute the energy needed: the square footage, the number
of stories, the kind of building (such as school, home, hotel, or any one of 20 types), and its location
(the program stores the temperature ranges for fourty major cities). Additional information may be
given later to fine tune the design. An expert system using heuristics from a wide range of sources,
automatically creates a passive solar baseline building from the four facts specified for that project.
By modifying and adapting prior designs the user can create and work upon as many as nine
schemes simultaneously. SOLAR5 can analyze the buildings thermal performance for each hour of
each month and plot its total heat gain or loss as a three-dimensional surface. After reading the plot,
the user can immediately redesign the building and rerun the analysis. Separate heat gain/loss
surfaces can be plotted for each of the different parts of the building or schemes that add together to
make up the total, including walls, roof, windows, skylights, floor, slab on grade, people, lights,
equipment, and infiltration. Two different schemes can be instantly compared by asking for a
three-dimensional plot showing only the difference in their performances. The objective of SOLAR5
is to allow the designer to make changes easily and quickly with detailed instantaneous pictorial
feedback of the implications of the change.
Method of Solution:
The standard method for calculating the building's heating load assumes that outdoor temperature
remains constant at the design winter low at night with no occupants, no interior loads, and no solar
radiation gains. It further assumes steady-state conditions which means that any thermal mass in the
buildings envelope or interior no longer plays a role. The total heat loss is the sum of the heat loss of
each component of the envelope plus the sensible heat loss due to ventilation and infiltration. Latent
losses are small enough to be ignored. The dynamic instantaneous heat loss or gain is calculated
hour-by-hour inside the building envelope using a modification of the steady-state equations. The
Sol-Air temperature is used to summarize the surface temperature of the opaque sections of the
building envelope. The direct surface radiation falling on the glass is reduced by the geometric
shading ratio of fins and overhangs. Hourly temperatures are simulated by constructing a sine wave
from the daily low temperature, which is assumed to occur one hour before sunrise, to the daily high
temperature, which is assumed to occur between 1 p.m. on the winter solstice and 3 p.m. on the
summer solstice.
Unusual Features:
SOLAR5 contains a built-in demonstration tutorial, which shows the user how to interpret
SOLAR5's graphic output. HELP screens are also available to define terms and explain instructions.
Descriptors:
S CODES/;BUILDINGS/energy efficiency ;SOLAR ARCHITECTURE/s codes ;
BUILDINGS;ENERGY AUDITS;COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN;ARCHITECTS;HEAT
GAIN;HEAT LOSSES;PERSONAL COMPUTERS;COMPUTER PROGRAM
DOCUMENTATION
Computers:
IBM PC
Hardware Requirements:
SOLAR5 requires an IBM PC, XT, or AT with at least 320 Kbytes of memory, a standard IBM
graphics display, and a math coprocessor.
Operating System:
PC-DOS
Programming Language:
Ryan-McFarland FORTRAN
Media Quantity:
5 5.25 Diskettes
Publication Date:
13 Mar 1984
Country of Origin:
US
Country of Publication:
US Copyright: No
Package Contents:
Software Abstract; User's Manual; NESC Note 88-52; Media Includes Source Code, Executable,
Machine Readable Documentation, HELP Files, Control Information
Package Type:
AS-IS
Classification:
Unclassified
Availability:
ESTSC
Package ID Number:
ESTSC--000761IBMPC00
Packed Package ID Number:
ESTSC000761IBMPC00
Residential Building Energy Analysis
Title:
Residential Building Energy Analysis
Acronym (Title):
PEAR2.1
Author Name/Affiliation:
Ritschard, R.L. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab., CA (United States)]
Description:
PEAR (Program for Energy Analysis of Residences) provides an easy-to-use and accurate method
of estimating the energy and cost savings associated with various energy conservation measures in
site-built single-family homes. Measures such as ceiling, wall, and floor insulation; different window
type and glazing layers; infiltration levels; and equipment efficiency can be considered. PEAR also
allows the user to consider the effects of roof and wall color, movable night insulation on the
windows, reflective and heat absorbing glass, an attached sunspace, and use of a night temperature
setback. Regression techniques permit adjustments for different building geometries, window areas
and orientations, wall construction, and extension of the data to 880 U.S. locations determined by
climate parameters. Based on annual energy savings, user-specified costs of conservation measures,
fuel, lifetime of measure, loan period, and fuel escalation and interest rates, PEAR calculates two
economic indicators; the Simple Payback Period (SPP) and the Savings-to-Investment Ratio (SIR).
Energy and cost savings of different sets of conservation measures can be compared in a single run.
The program can be used both as a research tool by energy policy analysts and as a method for
nontechnical energy calculation by architects, home builders, home owners, and others in the building
industry.
Method of Solution:
PEAR utilizes a comprehensive database for residential buildings which was compiled using over
10,000 DOE2.1 computer simulations covering five residential buildings in 45 geographical
locations, to estimate annual energy use. To increase the flexibility of the database to handle different
conservation measures and prototypes, the concept of component loads was developed.
Component loads are defined as the net annual contribution of each building component to the
heating or cooling loads of the building. They are calculated from regressions correlating the change
in loads due to the addition of conservation measures (delta loads) to steady-state parameters for the
various building components. For insulation measures, the delta loads are regressed against either
ceiling and wall conductivity or foundation conductance. For infiltration the delta loads are regressed
against air changes per hour, and for windows against window area. To facilitate scaling, component
loads are normalized either by square foot (ceilings, walls, and windows), per perimeter foot
(foundations), or per cubic foot (infiltration).
Descriptors:
P CODES/;ENERGY ANALYSIS/p codes ;RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS/energy analysis
;COMPUTER PROGRAM DOCUMENTATION;PASCAL;COST BENEFIT
ANALYSIS;PAYBACK PERIOD
Computers:
IBM PC
Hardware Requirements:
PEAR requires an IBM PC or compatible computer with a minimum of 128 Kbytes main memory,
one flexible disk cartridge drive, either a second flexible disk cartridge drive or a fixed disk, and
either a monochromatic or color monitor. A graphics adapter is required to implement the Bar Chart
Option.
Operating System:
MS-DOS; PC-DOS
Related Software:
PEAR utilizes a comprehensive DOE2.1 database for residential buildings. ASEAM2.1 is a modified
bin temperature program for calculating the energy consumption of residential and simple commercial
buildings.
Programming Language:
Turbo Pascal
Media Quantity:
1 5.25 Diskette
Publication Date:
1 Jun 1989
Country of Origin:
US
Country of Publication:
US Copyright: No
Package Contents:
NESC Note; Software Abstract; DOE/SF/00098-H3 Vols. 1,2,3
Package Type:
AS-IS
Classification:
Unclassified
Availability:
ESTSC
Package ID Number:
ESTSC--000173IBMPC00
Packed Package ID Number:
ESTSC000173IBMPC00
------
Simplified Building Energy Analysis
Title:
Simplified Building Energy Analysis
Acronym (Title):
ASEAM2.1
Author Name/Affiliation:
Firevoid, J.A. [W.S. Fleming and Associates, Inc., Burke, VA (United States)]; Willman, A.J.
[ACEC Research & Management Foundation, Washington, DC (United States)]
Description:
ASEAM2.1 is a modified bin temperature program for calculating the energy consumption of
residential and simple commercial buildings. It can be used to evaluate the individual or combined
effects of various energy design strategies. Algorithms include heating and cooling load calculations
based on a methodology documented by the ASHRAE Technical Committee on Energy Calculation