Designing Your Energy Efficient House Part Two: Modeling Your Energy Efficient House

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1 AK Designing Your Energy Part Two: Modeling Your Energy Efficient House Target grades: 6-12 AK ELAM Standards: Reading/Writing RST.KI WSLST.RBPK RST.CS WSLST.RW RST.IKI Mathematics 6.SP.5.b Alaska Science GLEs: [6/7/8/9/10/11] SA1.1 [9] SA2.1 [10] SB2.1 Alaska Skills for a Healthy Life: SHL. D 1 & 2 Alaska Technology Standards: T. A 2, T. C 1 & 2, T. E 1 & 6-8 Alaska Cultural Standards: CS B 3 & 4 NGSS: See page 7 Set up time: 20 minutes Class time: One class period Overview: Students use a computer model to explore how choices made when designing a house will affect energy consumption, costs, and savings. Objectives: Students will balance upfront investment costs with long-term benefits to design an energy efficient house using an Excel spreadsheet model. By playing around with different variables, students will explore tradeoffs between the costs and savings of investing in energy efficient buildings. Materials: Computers with Microsoft EXCEL Modeling_your_EE_house.xlsx file (available online at akenergysmart.org) Modeling your energy efficient house guide Modeling your energy efficient house student worksheet Background: Building a house requires budgeting, prioritizing, and making tradeoffs. Decisions regarding insulation and energy efficiency will impact the long term energy use of the building and its annual energy costs. Significant energy and operating cost savings can be achieved through proper building design as well as use of energy efficient appliances and systems. However, incorporating energy efficient house design and appliances usually increases the cost of the initial investment. Models provide simplified scenarios to use as learning tools to explore how choices and factors can impact outcomes. While the model presented is based on actual building costs, it is designed only for educational purposes and not analyses of actual buildings. Vocabulary List: climate zone - a geographic classification based on climate. In the construction industry, the recommended minimum amount of insulation to use when building is dependent on the climate zones. Alaska is included in the national system that divides the

2 Designing Your Energy Part Two: Modeling Your Energy 2 United States into different climate zones. Alaska contains four climate zones: Zone 6 (Southeast), Zone 7 (Southcentral and Aleutians), Zone 8 (Interior, Southwestern, and Western), and Zone 9 (North Slope). British thermal unit (BTU) - a unit used to measure energy. It is the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit and it is equivalent to 1055 joules. A BTU is approximately the amount of energy that one match stick gives off. footprint of a house - the outline of the exterior walls of a house, i.e. what the foundation of the house supports. The footprint does not include external living areas such as porches or courtyards. payback - the length of time that it takes to recover the cost of an investment. For example, if an upgrade costs $100 but it reduces your cost by $50/year, the payback will be two years since two years of saving $50/year will be equal to the original investment. R-value - A measure of how well a material insulates and resists heat transfer. It is a term used in the construction industry to rate a building s insulation in its roof, walls, and foundation. A high R-value indicates greater insulating effectiveness; the higher the R-Value, the better the building is able to retain heat inside or resist heat from outside. regional cost factor - The cost of living varies greatly across Alaska due to energy and transportation costs. The regional cost factor rates how expensive products are in different regions of the state. In Alaska, Anchorage is considered the standard, so an area with a regional cost factor of 3 indicates that, on average, the cost of living in that region is three times more expensive than Anchorage. thermal envelope - the shell of the building that acts as a barrier to separate the interior of the house from the outside and limits unwanted heat or mass transfer between the interior of the building and the outside conditions. The thermal envelope includes the frame of the house, insulation, the vapor barrier, and siding. U Factor - a measure of how well a material conducts heat, usually used in reference to a building s windows. A material s U Factor is the inverse of its R-value: U Factor = 1/R-value, so a high R-value is equivalent a low U Factor. Gear Up: This lesson is designed to follow the lesson, Designing your energy efficient house Part One: Calculating heat loss by using the heat loss equation. Activity: Using the Modeling your energy efficient house guide, students will fill in their building choices in the Modeling your EE house Excel file worksheet on the computer. They will then answer the questions on the Modeling your energy efficient house student worksheet.

3 Designing Your Energy Part Two: Modeling Your Energy 3 Extension: 1. A model is a simplification of a complex system, so it can be seen as a tool to explore relationships between different variables. Because of this, it may not be as applicable for situations beyond the scenario described. In this model, the largest footprint of a house is 1248 sq. ft. The 2009 Alaska Housing Need Assessment reports that mean house size differs by region and ranges from 1,000 sq ft (Calista region) to 1850 sq ft (Cook Inlet region). How well does this model represent the average household s energy use for homes in different regions of Alaska? How well does this model represent energy use in the students own homes? Have them measure or approximate the size of their houses footprint to compare. 2. Students can look at the AK Warm program available from the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation website at The AK Warm software is used by energy raters to determine a building s energy rating. Additional Resources: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) This NREL Buildings Research website covers building systems, design, and energy efficiency. Alaska Housing Finance Corporation This is AHFC s Alaska Building Energy Efficiency Standard (BEES) information website. Cold Climate Housing Research Center Part of CCHRC s informational video series-- Your Northern Home: Walls. The first 12 minutes of this video give a good explanation of insulation in walls and how different features within the wall can diminish the insulation properties of the wall Alaska Housing Need Assessment Report A report that provides details about housing in Alaska, including energy use by households. pdf

4 Designing Your Energy Part Two: Modeling Your Energy 4 Holmes, J. D., Timothy M. Sullivan, Sam Halterman, Sue Mitchell, and Linda Lester Northern Comfort: Advanced Cold Climate Home Building Techniques. Alaska Craftsman Home Program, Inc. 300 p. ISBN Alaska English Language Arts Standards: Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects RST.KI (see also Gr. 9-10) 3. Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks; analyze the specific results based on explanations in the text. RST.CS (see also Gr. 9-10) 4. Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades texts and topics. Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects WSLST.TTP (see also Gr ) 1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content. a. Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among the claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claim(s) and counterclaims in a discipline appropriate form and in a manner that anticipates the audience s knowledge level and concerns. c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims. WSLST.RBPK Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. Alaska Mathematics Standards: HS.N-Q.1. Use units as a way to understand problems and to guide the solution of multi-step problems; choose and interpret units consistently in formulas; choose and interpret the scale and the origin in graphs and data displays.

5 Designing Your Energy Part Two: Modeling Your Energy 5 HS.A-SSE.1. Interpret expressions that represent a quantity in terms of its context.* a. Interpret parts of an expression, such as terms, factors, and coefficients. b. Interpret complicated expressions by viewing one or more of their parts as a single entity. For example, interpret P(1+r) n as the product of P and a factor not depending on P. Make inferences and justify conclusions from sample surveys, experiments, and observational studies. HS.S-IC.6. Evaluate reports based on data. Alaska Science Grade Level Expectations: [6] SA1.1 asking questions, predicting, observing, describing, measuring, 7] SA1.1 asking questions, predicting, observing, describing, measuring, [8] SA1.1 asking questions, predicting, observing, describing, measuring, [9] SA1.1 asking questions, predicting, observing, describing, measuring, [10] SA1.1 asking questions, predicting, observing, describing, measuring, classifying, making generalizations, analyzing data, developing models, inferring, and communicating. [11] SA1.1 asking questions, predicting, observing, describing, measuring, classifying, making generalizations, analyzing data, developing models, inferring, and communicating. [9] SA2.1 formulating conclusions that are logical and supported by evidence. [10] SB2.1 examining energy (i.e., nuclear, electromagnetic, chemical, mechanical, thermal) transfers, transformations, and efficiencies by comparing useful energy to total energy. Alaska Skills for a Healthy Life: SHL. D 1 & 2 1) make responsible decisions as a member of a family or community; 2) take responsible actions to create safe and healthy environments. Alaska Technology Standards: T. A 2 T. C 1 & 2 2) use technological tools for learning, communications, and productivity. 1) use technology to observe, analyze, interpret, and draw conclusions;

6 Designing Your Energy Part Two: Modeling Your Energy 6 2) solve problems both individually and with others. T. E 1 & 6-8 1) evaluate the potentials and limitations of existing technologies; 6) evaluate ways that technology impacts culture and the environment; 7) integrate the use of technology into daily living; and 8) recognize the implications of emerging technologies. Alaska Cultural Standards: CS B 3 & 4 3) make appropriate choices regarding the long-term consequences of their actions; and 4) identify appropriate forms of technology and anticipate the consquences of their use for improving the quality of life in the community.

7 Designing Your Energy Part Two: Modeling Your Energy 7 Next Generation Science Standards: Standard: ETS1B - Developing Possible Solutions Performance Expectation: MS-ETS1-4 - Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification or a proposed object, tool, or process such that the optimal design can be achieved. (This lesson is just one step toward reaching the performance expectation above.) Dimension Name or NGSS code/citation Matching student task or question taken from the lesson Science and Engineering Practice Disciplinary Core Idea Developing and Using Models Develop a model to generate data to test ideas about designed systems, including those representing inputs and outputs. (MS-ETS1-4) ETS1.B Developing Possible Solutions Models of all kinds are important for testing solutions. (MS-ETS1-4) Designing Your Energy Part 2: Students use an Excel Spreadsheet to model various designs for houses to create the most energy efficient design. Factors students can control include size of footprint of house and wall space with windows. Designing Your Energy Part 2: Students use an Excel Spreadsheet to model various designs for houses to create the most energy efficient design. Crosscutting Concept A solution needs to be tested and then modified on the basis of the test results, in order to improve it. (MS- ETS1-4) Influence of Science, Engineering, and Technology on Society and the Natural World The uses of technologies and limitations on their use are driven by individual or societal needs, desires, and values; by the findings of scientific research; and by differences in such factors as climate, natural resources, and economic conditions. (MS-ETS1-1) Designing Your Energy : Part 2 Student Worksheet Questions 2-4 How easy was it for you to stay within your budgets? Were able to afford everything that you wanted? How does the size of the footprint of the house affect how easy it is to stay within the building budget? In order to maximize the energy efficiency of your house, where did you invest the most when building? Where did you choose the best options available? Revised May 2015 Acknowledgment: This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy under Award Number DE- EE Disclaimer: This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof.