Tue, 19 Dec 2023 05:57:14 +0000 http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/ Lussumo Vanilla 1.0.3 http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=9997#Comment_9997 http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=9997#Comment_9997 Wed, 28 Nov 2007 18:40:23 +0000 GBP-Keith
The story creates as many questions as it answers so please feel free to discuss them here and I'm sure the author will be glad to answer them. I may well publish some of the comments especially if they help clarify or even rebutt the claims made.

Here at the office of GBmag, we have done our best to ensure that the author has evidence to back up his claims but as the story makes clear, he says that some evidence is confidential.

It is our policy to allow everyone to have a voice as it aids discussion and the dissemination of information. We try not restrict authors to 'our own line'. I for one disagree almost entirely with Mikes claims regarding PV power and Biomass heating.

http://www.greenbuildingmagazine.co.uk/winter07/realising_a_vision.pdf]]> http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10006#Comment_10006 http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10006#Comment_10006 Wed, 28 Nov 2007 22:20:15 +0000 Nick Parsons http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10020#Comment_10020 http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10020#Comment_10020 Thu, 29 Nov 2007 10:19:08 +0000 nigel So which is correct, only a factor of three difference. http://www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire/content/articles/2005/06/21/ecohouse_feature.shtml

There is actually a bit more information in the bbc article and it appears that space heating is entirely solar distributed by his 2.5w passive system.
There is no mention of back up heating or active heat storage so how does he heat the place on a dull windy winter evening when the sun has'nt been out for days.
It is also slightly worrying that in August it was hotter inside than outside at all times in the day. Even though it was fully ventilated from 8.50AM. It sounds to me that his design inspiration was something of a shot in the dark.

DHW is solar - there is no mention of backup systems and I dont know any solar system that provides an adequate supply of dhw throughout the year.

I would also question why an eco house needs to have a floor area of 5000sq ft. That is vast and there is not much eco in building a house that big.

My guess is that either the figures for heating costs are fiction or they low because its too cold to occupy and is in fact empty.]]> http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10029#Comment_10029 http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10029#Comment_10029 Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:58:09 +0000 andytk
Some poor bugger is going to have to go in and sort out the heating and probably summer A/C too, in order to make it habitable.

Andy]]> http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10031#Comment_10031 http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10031#Comment_10031 Thu, 29 Nov 2007 17:20:11 +0000 GBP-Keith http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10044#Comment_10044 http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10044#Comment_10044 Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:36:51 +0000 ted ]]> http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10173#Comment_10173 http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10173#Comment_10173 Sun, 02 Dec 2007 02:24:52 +0000 Jeff Norton (NZ)
What I do not understand why he invested so much money into building without research data, i.e. a computer model (dynamic simulation software) of the concept before it was built? That way you can test before and after!]]> http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10182#Comment_10182 http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10182#Comment_10182 Sun, 02 Dec 2007 10:18:50 +0000 funcrusher
It may come as a surprise to many readers that the previous generation of enthusiastic architects and engineers analysed all these topics, ignited by the 1974 oil crisis, and a lot of creative building ensued. The conclusions are unchanged and bear emphasising again; pretty much in order of priority:

1. When Asian countries are building a new fossil-fuelled mega power station every 3 days, the world cannot be saved by small scale self-sufficiency freaks in the west. The urgency of the timescale demands a crash programme of nuclear power stations throughout the world. At worst this will provide time for other alternatives such as wave power are developed.

2. The greenest solution to domestic comfort is to knit sheep's wool into clothing and wear it.

3. Human behaviour and social patterns are the greatest waste of energy, of which simply leaving doors open is probably the worst.

4. Bizarre 'alternative' solutions can make little overall impact as they are utterly impracticable for massed urban society.

5. Solar heating has no cost-effective role in domestic heating at these latitudes.

6. High insulation + low thermal mass is generally energy efficient in winter but creates over-heating and need for air con in summer

7. Wood-burning is a polluting, inefficient and impracticable - peasants excepted.

8. Heat pumps are a valuable means of reversing the thermodynamic penalties of electricity generation in power stations. Electricity can only be efficiently generated on any scale in large power plants, which also have the great advantage of centralising efficient management and any consequent pollution and thus enabling its control. Transmission losses are relatively tiny, and heat pumps enable the full calorific value of the original fuel to be captured at a remote location.

9. Wind power can only be a marginal contributor to electricity generation in an advanced economy, even in countries with high wind resources, and it is very poor investment as a means of reducing carbon emissions.

10. Rain harvesting/sewage disposal raises both public health and energy considerations. Broadly speaking, the Victorians got it right (they usually did). In urban society's ublic water supplies and sewage disposal are essential.]]> http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10194#Comment_10194 http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10194#Comment_10194 Sun, 02 Dec 2007 12:23:56 +0000 biffvernon http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10210#Comment_10210 http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10210#Comment_10210 Sun, 02 Dec 2007 18:24:46 +0000 passivhausfan
It would be more efficient to generate the electricity in the home if the fuel can be carried there (e.g. gas).
If you're going to use the fuel to produce heat rather than more high-class work, it's clearly going to be much more efficient to run the heat pump directly on the fuel on site.]]> http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10211#Comment_10211 http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10211#Comment_10211 Sun, 02 Dec 2007 18:36:38 +0000 GBP-Keith http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10213#Comment_10213 http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10213#Comment_10213 Sun, 02 Dec 2007 19:56:40 +0000 Tuna http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10216#Comment_10216 http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10216#Comment_10216 Sun, 02 Dec 2007 20:06:51 +0000 jon
Point 4: Bizarre solutions should be encouraged, particularly from SMEs, in the event that one of them provides a useful solution. Most are likely to fail. Point 5, for instance may be negated by a bizarre solution: There is sufficient energy available if a low cost garnering and storage system could be developed.

Point 6 sounds correct unless a low mass solution has some form of external access to thermal mass: Wouldn't this be provided, potentially by point 8?

Point 8 relies on the forward assumption that Nuclear power, or some other form of electrical generation is all that will remain. This may be correct but is a built-in assumption.


Have you commented on the Government's proposals as they have come up? They occasionally get it very wrong and need informed opinion to stop the wrong path being taken.]]> http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10832#Comment_10832 http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10832#Comment_10832 Thu, 13 Dec 2007 11:24:23 +0000 mangofire
Tim]]> http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10834#Comment_10834 http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=10834#Comment_10834 Thu, 13 Dec 2007 11:29:28 +0000 biffvernon http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=11136#Comment_11136 http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=11136#Comment_11136 Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:03:57 +0000 Graham Bond It would be very interesting to hear comments here from Mike Hillard. Perhaps inviting him to visit this topic would be a good move.
His email address is given at the end of the BBC article mentioned in Nigel's posting]]> http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=14404#Comment_14404 http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=919&Focus=14404#Comment_14404 Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:42:43 +0000 bobirving