Green Technologies - The LJ ECO House
The ST122 ETP – Green Buildings module is all about energy consumption and efficiency in the home.
To demonstrate the green technologies we have designed an electronically controlled house to enable students and teachers to manipulate various transducers and measure the results. In the US almost 50% of all household energy use is for heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
The Eco House
All of the systems and transducers are controlled by a microcomputer board that is mounted in a sealed area up in the front roof space – underneath the roof section which bears the two type of Solar system.
The electronic sophistication of this product is illustrated by the single multi-function controller and display. Pressing the knob changes between the various functions and activates the various transducers in the Eco House.
The electronic sophistication of this product is illustrated by the single multi-function controller and display. Pressing the knob changes between the various functions and activates the various transducers in the Eco House.
Energy inputs
Eco house includes both PV (photo voltaic) electric cells and a wet solar thermal system.
In a clever twist we are using the current generated by the PV cells (left) to power the pump. This pump pushes water through the glass tubes and manifolds (right) then back into a tank that is situated in the rear roof space.
The efficiency of this system is dramatically improved as students slide different sheets behind the glass tubes. When backed with a highly reflective surface the results are extraordinary, the water heats to a temperature in excess of 75 degrees in minutes when the external lamp is illuminated.
Eco house comes complete with a small scale external wind turbine. The input for this turbine, or optional additional PV cells, is on the back of the house.
The electronic controls need a constant source of electricity, so we also provide a DC supply.
Any energy that is generated by the PV cells or the wind turbine is stored in the house using a super capacitor.
Energy use and efficiency
Internal measurements are based on two ‘rooms’. The front is the heat room. We have included incandescent and led lighting to demonstrate the difference in energy consumption and heat generation. Different insulation materials and glazing are also variables used in these heating activities. We have included a large glazed area to measure the difference that passive cooling (shading) can make.
The rear room is air conditioned. The removable ceiling demonstrates the difference in energy required to cool open areas and cathedral ceilings. The inclusion of an air conditioning system also gives us the basis for a description of the operation of heat pump systems.
All the required sensors are built into the house. However we have incorporated entry points for external probes to accommodate long and short term experimentation using data loggers. This product will be an ideal application for Science departments that are looking for a real-world application.
The Eco house is designed to be used with a software site license for whole class instruction. So it is large enough to be used for front-of-class demonstrations.
