I was emailing recently with Bradley E. Layton  Ph.D., Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics at Drexel University, after reading his article A COMPARISON OF ENERGY DENSITIES OF PREVALENT ENERGY SOURCES IN UNITS OF JOULES PER CUBIC METER.  We had been bantering back and forth on the concept of simple pay back.  Sometimes if feels like there is really no such thing as simple payback, as we’re not comparing apples to apples.  The goal of his paper is “to provide a new perspective on how to compare energy sources on a more fundamental basis. Finally, the article provides a method of estimating the dollars-per joule for natural resources versus human resources and concludes with commentary on how political decisions may be affected by energy densities and energy costs.”

In the banter relating to the energy analysis SBS gives to a customer after an audit, Layton replied to me:

Dang dude, that’s a lot for one house. Do you give them a “break even” point? I would hate to have to go out and buy an new toilet if I was broke, if I knew it would only save me money on my water bill after I was dead.

Touche!  And right back to simple payback (and his toilet example above).  I agree on the simple payback on a toilet.  I think most folks would.  But we know the value of water and how simple it is to conserve, so we just buy the better toilet without the simple payback analysis.  So how do we get to apples on energy?  Hence, Layton’s article (and my response to his email above.)

Yes, we usually do include pay-back information.

But due to the size of this project and the client’s desires we didn’t feel like we needed to with them.

We’ve also developed some bigger picture financial payback info that looks beyond “simple pay-back” which is typically not a strong selling point of these technologies.

I had a chance to read your article more carefully. Very cool and something we struggle with all the time. (i.e… comparing energy savings between gasoline usage, propane usage, natural gas usage and electricity usage for our customers, each of them using a different measure.)

From a broader picture- here is something to consider: (just very rough notes)

From your article it is so very clear that oil and it’s derivatives are a massively compact and powerful source of energy. As we are forced to transition away from these fuels and from “the age of oil” is there anything on the radar screen technology-wise that offers similar amounts of energy in such a small package with the same mobility? Right now obviously the answer is NO, but can we expect to replace this incredible gift of energy that we have enjoyed for the last 200 years?

From an economic perspective, it is certain that the growth we have experienced in the last 200 years is absolutely tied to the amount of inexpensive energy we have had access to through these liquid fuels. To continue to grow and prosper as a species we must be able to continue to feed at the trough of an INCREASING energy source in a world that shows an ever DECREASING ability to provide this through traditional discovered forms of energy. Is it scientifically realistic to replace the amount of energy consumed currently, and to indeed, increase that level of energy consumption in order to continue to grow? Or are we doomed to run out of energy and see a decrease in growth of the species?

How much of a part does efficiency play in this equation? It seems that we can safely assume that there is generally speaking a 15-20% savings in energy to be had through efficiency measures. World wide we continue to waste large amounts of liquid fuels due to the fact that for so many years the supply was huge and the price was low.  If 15-20% is a safe number for “free, inexpensive efficiency measures that wouldn’t get in the way of growth” than how does that play in the macro environment of overall energy consumed and remaining supply.

STUDY IDEA NUMBER ONE- I suspect, that if one were to look at the overall total of available energy through liquid fuels remaining on the planet, as compared to the growing desire to utilize this energy by the earth’s human population, that we would see a near tragic confluence of graph lines coming in the near future. (20-50 years? or sooner?) Then, if one were to graph in the savings made possible through efficiency and the resulting decreased demand, would things look different? (I hypothesize, not really) Then, if one were to graph in the possible energy savings from current renewable technologies employed on a big scale what would the graph look like then?  Probably quite different, but I’m still not convinced that it can transition us from this oil boom train we have been on for so long, to another train of equal speed and size!

STUDY IDEA NUMBER TWO- Does this mean that we must invent new energy technologies to replace oil and it’s derivatives to sustain our growth as a species? Do we even want to try, given the population of the planet? If we don’t find a replacement at equal price and mobility, should we be working on designing a “soft landing” where the planet’s population will shrink slowly and without major unrest? What does that do our current economic models where shrinkage and non-growth are equated with death?  Can you design a society that is peaceful, sustainable, and healthy in an environment of economic shrinkage?

I’d love to see the first question addressed (simple analysis of the world’s supply of available energy as compared to the world’s appetite for the stuff.) Then so many other questions would come to light.

I’m sure someone is working on this already, if you see something will you pass it along?

Jeff Crouch, President
Sustainable Building Systems, LLC
www.SBSlink.com

SBS is proud to announce (okay, we’re bragging a bit, but you’ll understand why)… that our very own Zandy Sievers  was appointed to the City of Missoula’s Greenhouse Gas and Energy Conservation Team!  He says, “Hopefully my say will have an effect on local energy reduction measures!”

As if that weren’t enough, Zandy is also on a 7-person verifier panel shaping the functionality of the green scoring tool for  NAHB Research Center’s National Green Building Standard.  The City of Missoula is about to incentivize  the NGBS for local green builders.  How yet, the panel is not sure.

Here is Zandy’s new bio:

Alexander (Zandy) Sievers, SBS Project Technician, began working in the building industry as a handyman, doing everything from plumbing and electrical work to carpentry, while finishing his B.A. degree in Psychology at the University of Montana.  After working in the human service field and a couple years in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Zandy made his way back into the building industry working as a carpenter and was hired by Eclipse Engineering, Inc. in 2006 as a Structural Draftsman.

In 2008 he convinced Eclipse to support his interest in Green Building and become a NAHB Green Home Verifier for the company.  After completing his Energy Star Verifier and Home Energy Rater training, his interests in ecology and building science led him to Sustainable Building Systems.   Since working for SBS he has been noted by the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) as one of the top 15 most active verifiers in the country and has assisted the NAHB research center in developing the scoring tool for the ANSI approved ICC 700-2008 National Green Building Standard.   In May of 2010 he was appointed to the Missoula City Greenhouse Gas & Energy Conservation Team, helping lead the City in conservation measures.

Currently Zandy is studying to be a consultant for the most stringent energy standard in the world, Passive House.  Literally meaning “home that conditions itself” homes certified to the Passive House Institute standard use a tenth of the energy of conventional code built homes.

Zandy and His wife Prairie are bringing sustainability to their neighborhood by starting a small scale CSA garden on their lot in city limits.  They also have chickens, a German Sheppard, a barn yard cat, and a stellar son, Bannin.  Zandy has always had a love for the outdoors and when there is no snow to ski you’ll probably find him Mountain biking or juggling at the farmers market.

We are proud of our staff and their accomplishments.  It’s not just enough for us to talk about green energy around here, we strive to live it and do it, as well.

NICE WORK, ZANDY, YOU MAKE SBS PROUD!

for more information on SBS, Energy Consulting or to talk with Zandy:

Alexander (Zandy) Sievers
RESNET Home Energy Rater, NorthWest Energy Star Homes Verifier, NAHB Green Building Verifier
T/(406)531-3143
zsievers@sbslink.com

We just finished installing a 3450 watt solar PV system in the Rattlesnake where we employed 16 Enphase micro inverters. Micro inverters offer several advantages over more conventional string inverters.

Racking system in, Panel get ready!

Each solar module power production is optimized individually so little module mismatching occurs.  As well, if one module is shaded from a nearby tree, this one module will have reduced output, not the entire series string of modules as with the larger string inverters.  This advantage alone makes a huge difference but the pluses don’t end here.

Josh setting the first panel. Check out the lines on those racks and micro-inverters.

The Enphase engineers designed one of the coolest monitoring programs found in the PV world.  Each individual module reports its power output over the existing AC output wiring to your in home computer or with internet service, this data is directed to the company’s website where current and cumulative data is displayed and stored.

A good graphic says a thousand words so if you are interested check out this link to the Enphase monitoring examples.  http://enlighten.enphaseenergy.com/public/systems/BxqT67#.

Micro Inverters, Monitoring and Mountains.

PS – don’t those snowy spring peaks just look great in the distance?  It sure is nice to be working Solar in Montana.

Dan Brandborg
SBS Solar guru
dbrandbog@sbslink.com

Hi, I’m Larry and I have been serving my internship with SBS as I work toward my AAS in Energy Technology this semester (Spring 2010).

The work here has been interesting since the company is in the process of defining its market niche.  They already have some pretty hot irons in the fire and so I was tasked with finding a viable, affordable “Home Energy Management System” to be incorporated into the stable of energy efficiency measures that SBS can tender as recommendations to clients.

The research has lead me into some interesting areas that include the use of programmable thermostats, home and small business automation, the differences between use of Radio Frequency (RF), Infrared (IR) and hard wired control technologies.  Additional work here has also involved home energy audits to assist in finding where energy is being used and where it is potentially being wasted.  Let me tell you that the people here at SBS are top notch professionals that sincerely have the interest of not just the client but also the interests of the planet at heart.  The professionals here recognize that the kilowatt save or conserved today will stave off the need to construct additional power plants for the near future.  That saves us all money, now and later our children and grandchildren will appreciate the fact that we have taken a leading position in preserving the earth for them.

The folks here at SBS have shown me that the use of both stand alone Photo Voltaic (PV) systems and the increasingly popular grid-tied PV systems can have a great impact on how to best use the suns energy sources.  The energy production is free once the system is installed and commissioned.  These folks are also heads up with the latest incentives available to the consumer.  The incentives come from the federal government, state government, and utility providers; they take the form of rebates, subsidized low interest loans and direct subsidies.  These incentives go beyond making energy systems affordable-the professional installation stops just short of being making them a piece of art.  The offset in a homeowner’s energy bill every month will wind up leaving money in their pockets for decades to come.  There is something pleasing about watching a meter run backwards!

Insulation here in the State of Montana is a necessity to keep the bite of winter outside where it belongs and during the summer to allow us to rest easy in the comfort of our climate controlled environments.  It still amazes me that more people don’t make the small investment of providing adequate insulation for their homes!  We could concentrate on talking about R-values, yet the bottom line is that we are more comfortable in a snug home and insulation coupled with draft reduction takes us to that level of comfort.

Windows and doors typically can be replaced with the ensuing comfort of living in a draft free, energy efficient home.  The costs, when off-set by the incentives and subsidies are frequently recaptured with the energy savings alone within just a few years.  In essence the homeowner may not see the savings when first repaying the borrowed monies but the financial reward comes soon when the costs of energy go up but the usage cost has gone down because of the gained efficiency.

I’ll be finished here in mid-May and am spending the last couple weeks understanding how much our state legislatures actually know about all this sort of work and what SBS can do to be a positive part of the evolution to a more sustainable and energy efficient world.

Larry “the Intern” Keogh