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| Solar thermal building product demonstrates energy savings Researchers at the Alberta Research Council Inc. (ARC) have completed a pilot study identifying a more efficient technology to insulate homes, reducing space heating costs for homeowners. Researchers proved by combining direct solar collection and heat storage technology with existing structural insulated panel system (SIPS), energy consumption for space heating could be reduced by 48 per cent. The study focused on measuring energy consumption during a peak energy load period from February 1 to May 15, 2005. ARC combined existing SIPS technology with thermal solar panels embedded in exterior walls to create a more energy efficient building envelope in a test module. This research project was designed to gather enough conclusive data to demonstrate that new technology could be applied in a real world setting. ARC wanted to improve on existing SIPS technology currently in the marketplace; the results clearly show combining two technologies – SIPS and solar panel technology -- has potential for great cost savings. On average, 65 per cent of Canadian home energy consumption goes to space heating. Another 20 per cent goes to hot water generation, with 15 per cent being used in the form of electricity. The research was conducted using three one-room test modules. The first test module represented a standard home with walls made of 2" x 6" wood studs with R-20 batt insulation. The second test module used SIPS technology – with walls made of six-inch PlastiSpan Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Insulation cores between two oriented strand board panels – an emerging technology in the construction market. The third module used SIPS technology in combination with solar energy collection panels with direct heat storage ability. Energy meters were used to evaluate energy consumption. As compared to the standard module, the SIPS technology-based module used approximately 75 per cent of the energy, while the SIPS and solar panel test module only used 52 per cent. Based on an average requirement of 115 GJ (gigajoules) of energy needed to heat a standard residential home, the average customer would save approximately 55 GJ using this combination of SIPS and solar thermal technology. write your comments about the article :: © 2005 Construction News :: home page |