Energy Efficient House
For this project, I was in a group with Leo Buoncristiani, MIkey Harris, and Isabella Bergmark. Within this project, there were small projects that would help us complete the final project. Throughout all of these projects, we learned a lot about reflection, heat, and sun angles (day lighting). To master these concepts we created things such as a solar water heater, a model house that would capture the most sunlight, and finally our addition to the solar studio which was a reflector to get light into the North window and a cold frame for the garden. Along the way we also did a site selection and a justification table.
Here are all of our mini projects with descriptions:
Atomic Structure, State, and Heat- This portion was more of a lesson rather than a project but it is still important to mention. While going over this information, we learned some concepts:
Atomic Structure:
Nucleus- the center of an atom
Molecule- multiple atoms bonded together
Compound- type of molecule with different types of elements bonded
Isotope- an atom with an unusual number of neutrons
Ion- an atom with an unusual number of electrons
Protons (+)
Neutron (no charge)
Electrons (-)
Atomic States:
Solid- all molecules are held in place
Liquid- all molecules are bonding with each other but they can change bonds to flow (more movement)
Gas- all molecules don't have to/can't bond with each other; they take up way more space (even more movement
Heat/Heat Transfer:
Heat- a form of energy due to temperature difference
Specific Heat- how much energy it takes to heat a substance
Radiation- transfer of heat through waves/particles/rays
Insulation- bad at conducting (opposite of conduction); resistant to transferring heat.
These concepts helped us in making our next project which had a lot to do with heat reflection and absorption.
Hot Water Heater- For this project we had to create our own water heater without using electricity. Our design included a
shoe box, copper tubing, plastic wrap, and a mirror.
We then set them out in the sun and took the temperature
of the water every so often to see how well they worked.
Daylighting Design- For this project we had to create a house out of cardboard that had many additions that would provide light for the interior. We used things such as clerestory windows, skylights, solar tubes, light shelves, and regular windows. We then used a flashlight in a dark room to test how much light those fixtures provided to the house. For an image of our cardboard house, you can look at the bottom of this page at the image labeled daylighting design house.
Site Selection- For this activity we had to go around and pick a few sights that we thought a house could go. We had to consider temperature, sun angles, accessibility, and much more. After we picked some sights we had to rate them and add up the scored to choose the best one based on all of the factors
Materials Testing- This was more of a lab in which we thought of many materials used in building houses and tested them. We used hot water to test insulation and lightbulbs to test how easily other materials heated up. This helped us know what materials are best to use in future projects.
Justification- This is a chart that we did together in class discussing many aspects of solar energy and other concepts. Here is a link to the chart. Link
Generation of Electricity- For this project we designed two wind turbines, a VAWT and a HAWT. These stand for vertical axis wind turbine and horizontal axis wind turbine. We then tested these under different levels of wind to see how much electricity they generated. For an image of our drawings of our wind turbines look at the bottom of the page at the picture labeled wind turbines.
Building- This project was the largest one. It included the reflector panel and the cold frame. Our reflector panel was a "billboard style" with 3 reflective panels. Our cold frame was a simple design using brick and wood. Here is a link to our presentation on the reflector. Link
The cold frame presentation can be seen at the bottom of the page titled cold frame presentation.
Reflection: Overall our project went pretty well but every project has its pits and peaks. Two pits or things we could have done better in this project include working together better and having better time management. Two peaks or things I learned include how to angle things the right way and how much preparation and energy is put into sales pitches.
Throughout this project, my group work separately because it seemed easier. Although It probably wasn't very beneficial for our educations since we didn't learn how to work with different people and we didn't get to learn much about the project that the other person was working on. Another thing I could have done better was manage my time because I put a lot of time into my scale model of the reflector so I didn't have as much time for my presentation or rubric. There were also some days where I probably should've focused on the task a bit more.
Making the reflector aspect of our project provided me with a great learning experience. I was able to learn a lot about angles and how to manipulate them to reflect into a certain area. Another thing I learned was how much energy and preparation goes into a sales pitch. When I did my own sales pitch it took me a lot of time to get everything ready and to make sure the presentation was perfect (of course it didn't turn out perfect because everything has room for improvement, but it was pretty good). You also have to really know your product just in case the people you are presenting it to ask you a lot of complex questions. I learned many things from this project and there are a lot of things I could've done better, but that just makes it even more of a learning experience.
For this project, I was in a group with Leo Buoncristiani, MIkey Harris, and Isabella Bergmark. Within this project, there were small projects that would help us complete the final project. Throughout all of these projects, we learned a lot about reflection, heat, and sun angles (day lighting). To master these concepts we created things such as a solar water heater, a model house that would capture the most sunlight, and finally our addition to the solar studio which was a reflector to get light into the North window and a cold frame for the garden. Along the way we also did a site selection and a justification table.
Here are all of our mini projects with descriptions:
Atomic Structure, State, and Heat- This portion was more of a lesson rather than a project but it is still important to mention. While going over this information, we learned some concepts:
Atomic Structure:
Nucleus- the center of an atom
Molecule- multiple atoms bonded together
Compound- type of molecule with different types of elements bonded
Isotope- an atom with an unusual number of neutrons
Ion- an atom with an unusual number of electrons
Protons (+)
Neutron (no charge)
Electrons (-)
Atomic States:
Solid- all molecules are held in place
Liquid- all molecules are bonding with each other but they can change bonds to flow (more movement)
Gas- all molecules don't have to/can't bond with each other; they take up way more space (even more movement
Heat/Heat Transfer:
Heat- a form of energy due to temperature difference
Specific Heat- how much energy it takes to heat a substance
Radiation- transfer of heat through waves/particles/rays
Insulation- bad at conducting (opposite of conduction); resistant to transferring heat.
These concepts helped us in making our next project which had a lot to do with heat reflection and absorption.
Hot Water Heater- For this project we had to create our own water heater without using electricity. Our design included a
shoe box, copper tubing, plastic wrap, and a mirror.
We then set them out in the sun and took the temperature
of the water every so often to see how well they worked.
Daylighting Design- For this project we had to create a house out of cardboard that had many additions that would provide light for the interior. We used things such as clerestory windows, skylights, solar tubes, light shelves, and regular windows. We then used a flashlight in a dark room to test how much light those fixtures provided to the house. For an image of our cardboard house, you can look at the bottom of this page at the image labeled daylighting design house.
Site Selection- For this activity we had to go around and pick a few sights that we thought a house could go. We had to consider temperature, sun angles, accessibility, and much more. After we picked some sights we had to rate them and add up the scored to choose the best one based on all of the factors
Materials Testing- This was more of a lab in which we thought of many materials used in building houses and tested them. We used hot water to test insulation and lightbulbs to test how easily other materials heated up. This helped us know what materials are best to use in future projects.
Justification- This is a chart that we did together in class discussing many aspects of solar energy and other concepts. Here is a link to the chart. Link
Generation of Electricity- For this project we designed two wind turbines, a VAWT and a HAWT. These stand for vertical axis wind turbine and horizontal axis wind turbine. We then tested these under different levels of wind to see how much electricity they generated. For an image of our drawings of our wind turbines look at the bottom of the page at the picture labeled wind turbines.
Building- This project was the largest one. It included the reflector panel and the cold frame. Our reflector panel was a "billboard style" with 3 reflective panels. Our cold frame was a simple design using brick and wood. Here is a link to our presentation on the reflector. Link
The cold frame presentation can be seen at the bottom of the page titled cold frame presentation.
Reflection: Overall our project went pretty well but every project has its pits and peaks. Two pits or things we could have done better in this project include working together better and having better time management. Two peaks or things I learned include how to angle things the right way and how much preparation and energy is put into sales pitches.
Throughout this project, my group work separately because it seemed easier. Although It probably wasn't very beneficial for our educations since we didn't learn how to work with different people and we didn't get to learn much about the project that the other person was working on. Another thing I could have done better was manage my time because I put a lot of time into my scale model of the reflector so I didn't have as much time for my presentation or rubric. There were also some days where I probably should've focused on the task a bit more.
Making the reflector aspect of our project provided me with a great learning experience. I was able to learn a lot about angles and how to manipulate them to reflect into a certain area. Another thing I learned was how much energy and preparation goes into a sales pitch. When I did my own sales pitch it took me a lot of time to get everything ready and to make sure the presentation was perfect (of course it didn't turn out perfect because everything has room for improvement, but it was pretty good). You also have to really know your product just in case the people you are presenting it to ask you a lot of complex questions. I learned many things from this project and there are a lot of things I could've done better, but that just makes it even more of a learning experience.
Daylighting Design House:
Wind Turbines:
Cold Frame Presentation: