The Passive House - Term Paper Example

 Table of Contents Introduction 2 Carbon footprint 2 Managing Energy in Home 4 Irish Housing Sector 4 Passivhaus Standards 5 Objectives 6 Theoretical Approach 7 Effects 8 The Last Words 11 References 12 Introduction Carbon footprint Carbon footprint is the tool or technique for measuring the effect and impact of the human and mechanical activities on the environment and changing climate. It also refers to the amount of green house gases generated from the day-to-day activities through transportation, heating, burning fuels for electricity and many others. The above pie chart depicts the contribution of different elements to the carbon footprint in the developed world. There are two parts in the given chart. The green elements are the primary footprint and the yellow elements are secondary footprint. Normally, the human beings have a control over the primary footprint as it measures the direct emission of CO2 directly related with human activities, such as burning of fuels and domestic energy from domestic uses and transportation. Secondary footprint are those which basically measure the indirect emission of CO2 as it is related with the whole lifecycle of the product used in human activities and is manufactured by the industries. It shows that as the consumption level will increase the amount of emission of CO2 will also increase (Carbon Footprint, n.d.). The concept of carbon footprint has been originated from the discussion of ecological footprint. It is a sub-set of ecological footprint and comprehensive life cycle assessment. Green House Gases Emission Assessment Test is a useful approach to measure carbon footprint irrespective of the source i.e. an individual, organization or a nation. For developing a strategy to reduce the carbon footprint, at first the size of it should be determined. The strategies undertaken in this respect can be technological development, changed Green Public and Private Procurement, Carbon Capture, improved process and product management, consumption strategies, etc. The mitigation of the carbon footprint through building up the alternative strategies and projects representing the way of reducing carbon footprint is also known as Carbon Offsetting. Those alternative strategies can be solar or wind energy or may be the reforestation project. Dominic Kennedy observed, “Food production is now so energy-intensive that more carbon is emitted providing a person with enough calories to walk to the shops than a car would emit over the same distance”. Managing Energy in Home The energy usage in a home can be reduced by applying the following procedure. The inhabitants can reduce the use of electrical appliances, and can replace them by purchasing appliances which will be helpful in saving power. They should turn off all the electrical driven things when they do not use those things. The standard light bulbs of the home can be replaced by the low energy equivalent. But the responsibility is not only of the inhabitants the main duty is of the builders. They should construct the building in such a way so that it can by default help in saving energy and reducing carbon footprint. The constructor can take care of few things for reducing energy. By installing loft insulation in the roof, then by using cavity wall insulation through the walls, fitting carpet through the floor the energy usage of a house can be reduced. But not only these even the doors and windows should be fitted properly in this case. The constructor should fit double glazing in windows and should fit draft excluders in the gaps around the doors (Carbon Footprint, n.d.). Irish Housing Sector The Irish residential sector was in a correctional mood during the last year of 2009. In the second quarter of the last year the market faced a definable reprieve on deflation. A greater alignment in terms of price expectation between the vendors and the purchaser has been possible because of the increase in the activity levels due to various reasons. Such as low mortgage rates, falling price along with the increasing vendor acceptance in respect to the market realities. A recent trend has been noticed incase of the second hand properties in this market. The stock of second hand market is being tightened. From the latest available statistics of Ireland and the figures from the National Accounts revealed that the rate of decline in the economic activities of the nation has been continued during the second and third quarter. The Gross National Product has been fallen by an annual rate of 12%. The level of real Gross Domestic Product has been contracted by 8.5%. This slowdown in economic performance badly affects the capital investment expenditure. This is declined by 34.1% in comparison with previous year. This decline in the capital investment expenditure leads to the decline or slowdown in the residential contraction output. As per the latest figure given by the Department of the Environment, total 12,162 residential units had completed construction during the first two quarter of the year 2009; this statistics shows a 48% reduction compared to the last year. The ongoing decline in the house price along with the low historical interest rate has a significant impact on the affordability level in this market. As per the Sherry Fitzgerald Affordability Index the proportion between the mortgage repayment and the take home par ratio is declined during the last year (FitzGerald, n.d.). Passivhaus Standards A specific construction standard for building has been referred through the term of “passivHaus”. This standard ensures the comfort level of the building in both summer and winter. This standard is not only applicable to the domestic building but also to the commercial, public and industrial bank also. There are few benefits of the PassivHaus dwellings. Those dwellings are comfortable, healthy and sustainable. Those are the world’s leading benchmark in energy efficient construction. It has typically achieved 90% energy savings in comparison to the existing housing. It has achieved an exceptionally low running cost. Statistics says that approximately 17000 buildings have been constructed till date as per the PassivHaus standards (PassivHausUK, n.d.). The buildings should have met proper and strict standards to be certified. Those are, The building should use lower than 15kwh/m2 per year in heating energy Total primary energy consumption should only be up to 120kwh/m2 per year The building should not leak more air than 0.6 times per hour The heat load should be more than 10W/m2 It is important to mention here that this dwellings are not at all costly than the normal traditional houses. The tools have been used for this purpose are “Passive House Planning Packages” and specially designed computer simulation software. This software is mainly used for predicting the behaviour of the building (Green Line, n.d.). The innovator of the great mechanism is Professor Bo Adamson of Lund University in Sweden and Wolfgang Feast of the Institute for Housing and Environment in may 1988. Objectives The primary objective behind this project is to acquire an in-depth knowledge regarding the carbon footprint and its application. Irish residential sector is the base of this project that is why the effect of carbon footprint on Irish residential sector should be properly understood. Apart from this the effect of climate change on this sector also has to be determined. The effect of recession is not yet completed. Almost all the industries were the victim of this economic down turn and now they are trying to get back to their previous position. Same scenario is applicable with the Irish residential sector also and through this study an opportunity has been gained to identify the status of this sector in the present situation. Even the rules and regulation applicable on this sector can also be investigated and thus the framework of the regularity and quality control body can be critically analyzed. Passivhaus standard plays a significant role in case of carbon footprint. Therefore the applicability of Passivhaus standard can be determined in this respect. The basic objective of this study is to analyze the potential mitigation of carbon footprint on the passivhaus model. It can be achieved through optimizing the parameters of the building envelop design. All these are somehow related with the core topic of this study but apart from this few more things can also be taken into consideration and should be focused upon. Those are various theoretical concepts related with this study. The theoretical framework is the foundation of any study which provides support though out the project. Theoretical Approach At the time of economic downturn, it is necessary to understand the position of a company among the other players of the industry. Same is applicable for the industry also. When it is a question of an industry or a sector itself then it is necessary to make out the internal and external competence of the sector. To determine the external competence the Porter’s Five Force model is the ideal one as it deals with five external sources. Those are bargaining power of suppliers and buyers, threat of substitutes and potential entrants and among the competitors. Though this model is better applicable in case of an individual company here it can be implemented for each company of the sector or to get a view of overall industry. Now, the question is of the internal competence as Porter’s Five Force Model does not consider or include the existing strength of the company. It does not judge the capabilities and lacking of the internal customers. It is also important to understand the internal business process and the innovation and learning of the company. At the time of recovering from the affects of the economic downturn the companies must take care of innovation to gain the competitive advantage. For this purpose the concept developed by Egbu & associates can also be taken into consideration. This concept has emphasis on the knowledge management. Thus, the knowledge management principle can assist those factors which will bring improvements in the implementation of the innovative products and technologies. Apart from this the theory of balance score card can also be applied. It is developed by David Norton and Robert Kaplan. Balance Score Card has four perspectives. It mainly focuses on balancing the financial and non- financial measures. The four perspectives are Financial Perspective, Customer Perspective, Business Process Perspective and Innovation, Learning and Growth Perspective. This theoretical aspect will enable the company to understand their present status in all these four areas and along with that it will also help the company to improve their position and gain competitive advantages. As this study is mainly concerned with the carbon footprint and with the environmental issue, Environmental Management Accounting can be implemented. It will check whether the companies follow all the regulatory framework related with environment or not and can prove to be an opportunity for the company as it will help to reduce the cost and risk associated with business and will add value to the company. Effects It is quite evident that with the changing climate, the global risk is also increasing. It requires an urgent response. With a growing population the economy of Ireland is also expanding. They use to build up more building, driving more cars and also consuming more energy. That ultimately affects the environmental condition of the country. The Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency scheme has been brought into force in 1st April, 2010. Due to the Cap and Trade Scheme, this includes the public disclosure in a table of performance of participating companies. According to this the high performers will be able to reduce energy cost and will also be able to enhance their brands whereas the low performer will face costly fees and accordingly their reputation will also be harmed. "Energy emissions in the mid-west currently exceed the Kyoto target", it has been stated by Johnny Flynn, Chairperson of RES and Ennis Town Councillor. He also stated that "One of our most significant environmental impacts is the emission of greenhouse gases, which contributes to global climate change. Ireland ratified the Kyoto Protocol to address climate change on the 31st May 2002, along with all other EU Member States, and is internationally legally bound to meet emission reduction targets set out. Under Kyoto, their commitment is to limit the greenhouse gas emissions to 13% above 1990 levels. Currently, Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions stand at 25% above 1990 levels. Clearly, more work needs to be done". Flynn also added that "Energy emissions in Clare are above the Kyoto target by 300,000 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide (CO2). This figure could rise to over 490,000 tonnes by 2010 leaving the County to face a bill of over EUR17 million in carbon levy. Meanwhile, Limerick County and City energy emissions are above the Kyoto target by 409,000 tonnes of CO2. By 2010, Limerick could be 713,000 tonnes over and face a bill of over EUR25 million in carbon levy." According to Mr. Stephens, who has an experience of 15 years in Building Services Design & Energy Management and having experience in the field of construction industry over 25 years gave a statement that local targets have to be fulfilled for achieving the national target. He had fixed a target of 500MW of installed ocean energy by 2020. Mr. Stewart said that the entire region is facing a very critical moment as the price of electricity and the fossil fuel has been increased drastically. He has recommended that the citizen must reduce the consumption of the fuels to comply with the European requirements with respect to the CO2 emission (Dunphy, n.d.). The Last Words In the recent past, the entire world had been facing an economic downturn. Now all the companies are trying to recover from it. Irish residential sector also is doing the same. In this situation, it is necessary to adopt innovative ideas to get the competitive advantage over the rivals. As carbon footprint is a crucial issue in the present world therefore this sector can take care of it. There will be two benefits if this is implemented. Firstly it will help them to establish a strong corporate social responsibility. It will further help the company to improve its image. Apart from that the companies will also be able to attract the customers. To avoid or to reduce carbon emission the constructor can follow the PassivHaus Standard. Or they can construct their building as per the outline provided by this standard thus they will able to make houses which will be energy efficient. The cost will though be the same as the traditional houses but the inhabitants will get more comfort and can save energy cost. Therefore, it can be expected that this features will definitely attract the customers. Thus, following this standard residential sector can get double benefits and it is also cost effective. That is why it will not be a financial burden and rather it can prove to be a business opportunity. Now, for the purpose of this study both the primary and secondary resources will be used. This process will involve interviews of few of the constructors and related person with housing sector. This way, it will be clear that what are the actual feedbacks and views of them and it will help in building a proper understanding on how they will deal with carbon footprint issue. References Carbon Footprint. No Date. What Is A Carbon Footprint? What is it? [Online] Available at: http://www.carbonfootprint.com/carbonfootprint.html. [Accessed June 11, 2010]. Carbon Footprint. No Date. Reduce heat loss in your home. Around Your home. [Online] Available at: http://www.carbonfootprint.com/athome.html. [Accessed June 11, 2010]. Dunphy, M. No Date. IRELAND'S CARBON FOOTPRINT IN A DIFFERENT FIELD COMPARED TO EUROPEAN NEIGHBOURS. Energy & Environment. [Online] Available at: http://www.pr-inside.com/ireland-s-carbon-footprint-in-a-different-r114696.htm. [Accessed June 11, 2010]. Green Line. No Date. Subjects. The Passive House (Passiv Haus) Building Standard. [Online] Available at: http://greenlineblog.com/2008/01/passive-house-passiv-haus-building-standard/ [Accessed June 11, 2010]. PassiveHaus UK . No Date. Overview of PassivHaus dwellings. PassiveHaus. [Online] Available at: http://www.passivhaus.org.uk/. [Accessed June 11, 2010]. Sherry FitzGerald. No Date. Irish Residential Market. Summer Review 2009. [Online] Available at:http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:7pWLssIhZ-MJ:www.dtzpieda.com/portal/downloadContent%3Fimage%3Dc72a330c73913210VgnVCM1000000c02a8c0STFL%26item%3Deb4a330c73913210VgnVCM1000000c02a8c0____%26ctd%3DRESEARCH+Irish+Residential+Market&hl=en&gl=in&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESiH2PHayNt0fOSI3FtLsjnUjI7zpOcWLb7Mg0sxwczqzwvE_L2UAt7YpfsmH-smYQk_yQdxdVAmwm9S44eeeU3Oe8QgBIIjEZgmS9xZW40-O5ppZVwtfPJ6SgOrrTsVVhtlPXdA&sig=AHIEtbTSL-T9o7ngAG7R9bfW3vCpSAPsDQ. [Accessed June 11, 2010]. Read More