Sustainable Housing - Essay Example

The homes form part of the Creative Energy Homes research project managed by the University of Nottingham that aims to stimulate new design ideas for environmentally sustainable housing. (Zero Carbon Hub, 2009)

 Sustainability as a part of the HVAC system- Biomass Wood Pellet Boiler:

 Operation: The boiler uses wood pellets for heating water to a temperature of about 74ºC which can then be used for hot water requirements and also for space heating. Temperature control is achieved using a thermostat.

 Green or environmentally friendly product:

Wood pellets are a recycled by-product of sawmills and other mechanical wood-processing plants which would otherwise be discarded and go for landfill. The clean organic product does not put a demand on any fresh supply of resources; instead, and it is a renewable clean-burning wood-based fuel (Nu-Heat, n.d.) The process involving wood-pellet manufacture does not involve the use of chemicals, instead, the naturally occurring lignin in wood acts as a binding agent.

Energy-efficiency:

 The home featured here is designed by ZED factory Ltd and is targeted to comply with Code Level 6 energy requirements.

Tarmac House (Kennett, Stephen, 2009)

Invention:

 The credit for this invention goes to Mr. Jerry Whitfield of the Pyro industries of Burlington, Washington. He was the first person to demonstrate how wood pellets can be successfully used as an energy-efficient resource. He did this by creating a wood pellet burner similar to an oil burner and felt that this could be easily retrofitted to an existing hot water boiler (Chase, Victor, D., 1999).

Wood pellet boiler system (Chase, Victor, D.)

This invention further developed into a technology involving the use of wood pellets for heating purposes. It is of considerable significance as it reduces the carbon footprint by curbing carbon dioxide emissions and causing energy savings. Thesis implemented on a wide scale would be a great leap towards green or sustainable building development.

The process of manufacturing wood pellets involves moistening the sawdust and then compressing and rolling it into pencil-shaped strands. The finished pellets are then dried and packed in sturdy 40 lb. recyclable plastic bags for shipment (Lignetics, 2009).

 Facts and statistics regarding energy savings:

Considering that each household uses 2.67 tons of pellets per heating season, the following would be the carbon-emission reduction when compared with other sources:

• 8872 lbs. of carbon emission savings compared to electricity
• 2518 lbs. compared to oil
• 1893 lbs. compared to LPG
• 1466 lbs. compared to natural gas

(Phoenix Renewable Energy, 2009)

The cost of wood pellets is also quite reasonable when compared to its output and efficiency.

It is easily available and can cause considerable cost-savings in addition to its environmental advantages and can be beneficial to cost-conscious or environmentally conscious customers. As per sources, the average wood pellets costing $150 per ton and burned in a typical pellet stove cost about $11.50 per million Btu, a figure that is less than the cost of electric heat and competitive with average energy costs of some other fuels like oil or gas (The Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy and Sustainable Living, n.d.)

Anglia Easy Energy in Norwich, Bioenergy Technology Limited in East Sussex Broag-Remeha Ltd in Wokingham is some of the manufacturers of wood pellet boilers.

This alternative green source of energy is important because continuous depletion of natural resources and the significant amount of carbon dioxide and toxic emissions produced as a result of energy production has added to global warming and caused environmental degradation. If preventive steps are not taken to use alternative renewable sources, we may end up exhausting these naturally available resources. Again, it is necessary to choose a protectant has minimal toxic or carbon emissions.

It has been reported that Earth has only experienced the full effects of greenhouse gases for about a decade (Roach John, 2006). However, if the current pace of emissions continues, it would lead to the melting of snow and sea levels rising to such an extent socius flooding in low-lying areas and coastal cities might be engulfed by such phenomena.

So eco-friendly solutions for building heating by using pellets can be looked upon as an economically, socially and environmentally viable option and a positive approach towards issues concerning a healthy living environment for ourselves and the future generations as well.