Energy efficient home - a living laboratory in Wilden

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Due to scarcity of natural energy resources, energy efficient smart homes are the future of human abode. Continuous development on construction materials and practices, and implementation of new heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) as well as heat recovery systems can substantially help meet the goal of sustainable living. However, living in a residential place is a dynamic phenomenon and largely dependent on the dwellers' pattern of energy usage. To investigate the performance of the construction materials and practices, and HVAC systems the concept of living laboratory emerged where the temperature and energy are being monitored to understand the effect of energy usage, the performance of the construction materials, heat recovery and HVAC system interaction.A living laboratory study is being planned in the fastest growing area in Canada, the Okanagan valley. One of the largest sustainable construction industries, Blenk Development will be the partner in this study where two residences will be instrumented with traditional and advanced construction materials and HVAC systems. The objective is to assess the thermal characteristics of the construction materials, monitor the energy usage pattern, temperature etc. throughout the year. A comprehensive model for energy consumption will be developed based on the real temperature and energy data, type of materials used, and environmental data. Upon validation, the model will be able to take the meteorological data and forecast the average energy usage to predict the future energy needs for residential usage. The study will provide a means for the construction industries and home buyers to select the type of materials and HVAC system based on the computational model. Finally, a cost model will be developed as a decision making tool to select the right type of construction materials andcomponents such as concrete, window types, heat recovery systems, HVAC systems towards the goal of sustainable energy efficient living.