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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Hi Gordon, <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>This Passive House in Ottawa does indeed have everything already in place for the PV panels (excuse me, <u>modules</u>) and solar hot water to be installed in the Spring as part of its LEED Platinum certification (so might end up being NZ or pretty close to it without being a “science project” – and don’t get started on LEED, that’s a whole other program you can criticize). So nobody was feeling “threatened” (don’t be paranoid, we’re all on the same side), I’m not a “PH people with an anti-NZ agenda”, both Chris and I are just interested in building homes the way they should be, which certainly includes what you’re doing out West. My experience with an actual net zero home on the ground is limited to the Minto Equilibrium house… ‘nuff said? I remember attending a presentation by CMHC after a couple of years of Equilibrium and all they had accomplished at that point was millions of dollars worth of meetings and photo ops across the country for middle aged consultants in suits & ties (oops, maybe you were one of those guys? Sorry, no offence intended), so that sort of influenced my impression of the practical nature of the exercise. Anyway, I really do appreciate the facts and knowledge you’ve passed along here about the progress you’re making in Edmonton, and we hope to see something similar here in Ottawa if we can get the bureaucrats out of the way, they don’t actually build and sell houses like you do, they create “research projects”. And by the way, I’ve been involved in this since all the way back to the 1978 Saskatchewan house, and I know how slow progress has been since then, so I’m glad to see all of what’s going on today, PH, NZH, R-2000 and even tract-house ESNH, and hope the next 30 years don’t end up like the last 30! I hope to see your NZ homes next time I’m out your way.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Obsolete refers to the almost-fact that most of the mechanical systems in the early energy-efficient homes have all gone by the wayside, including perfectly good PV panels that don’t work with current inverters. But I really do hope you’re right in saying YOUR modules will still be in operation in 100 years.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>By the way, it’s good manners to delete all but the posting you’re replying to.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Ross Elliott <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Gordon Howell -- Howell Mayhew Engineering [mailto:ghowell@hme.ca] <br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, January 26, 2011 12:23 PM<br><b>To:</b> greenbuilding@lists.bioenergylists.org; Ross Elliott; John Straube<br><b>Subject:</b> PassivHaus and NZE comparison<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hello Ross and John:<br><br>May I recommend that comments on solar PV on NZE homes be made in the company of facts and knowledge.<br><br>The first NZE home in Edmonton cost $110k more than standard construction, see <<a href="http://www.riverdalenetzero.ca/"> www.riverdalenetzero.ca</a>>. If we built it as standard construction, it would have cost $250k for the solar PV system (in 2008) and have been 205 m2 in area. No-one in their right mind would do something like this ... instead we added energy efficiency measures (envelope and appliances) until the incremental capacity cost ($/kWh/year) of energy efficiency was roughly equal to the incremental capacity cost of PV at the time. Then because energy efficiency is so vastly cheaper than PV (even now) then the incremental cost of the house was reduced to about $25k for energy efficiency and $35k for solar thermal, and $50k for solar PV.<br><br>The next two NZE homes, Mill Creek <<a href="http://www.greenedmonton.ca/"> www.greenedmonton.ca</a>> and Belgravia, are in around the $70k incremental cost... why? Same energy efficiency measures, more passive solar (south windows), very simple solar thermal (on Mill Creek) and zero solar thermal (on Belgravia) and price of PV continues to plummet. Add to this that the Alberta government provides a $10k incentive for EGH 86 houses and the incremental cost to the homeowner is around $60k.<br><br>So I wish PH people would get off the pot on their comments about "The Net Zero homes use exorbitantly expensive renewable energy systems to push them to zero"... we only put on solar PV when the ultra energy efficiency measures are in place... and these measures roughly equal the PH standard.<br><br>NZE homes aren't political statements or science experiments... they are homes that people are desiring to purchase... you wouldn't go around and say that granite counter tops or BMWs are political statements and yet PV has superior economics than these products... dismissively referencing these houses as "science experiments" is not appropriate.<br><br>Solar PV modules (which are not called "panels") have warranties of 25 to 30 years (and they are working on 40-year warranties) and degradation rates of about 1/2% per year... so 100 years from now they will be 1/2 as good as they are now... (with today's technology). "obsolete" merely means "not manufactured anymore"... so big deal. Most items you own are obsolete: clothes you wear, TV you own, stove, fridge, house, carpets, toaster, computer, software... cars become obsolete (not made any more) at a max of 1 year after you've bought them... yet we don't hear perjorative dismissive comments about cars do we?... so what's with the dismissive comments about PV being "obsolete"?<br><br>I don't want subsidies for solar PV... I just want all energy sources to pay for their true cost of energy production and energy generation -- and then renewable energy economics will take care of themselves thank you very much. My estimates are that solar PV will be the least-cost electricity option for homeowners <u>in Alberta</u> within 2 to 4 years (and if I'm wrong then it is 6 years) -- all without subsidies to solar PV. see also <<a href="http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/pdfs/dpw_lushetsky.pdf"> http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/pdfs/dpw_lushetsky.pdf</a>><br><br>PassivHaus is merely an organisational structure and training programme that shows people where and how to become ultra-energy efficient (which is great)... ultra energy efficiency has been around since 1978 (with the Saskatchewan Conservation House in Regina)... we've just not previously been interested in it because we didn't care about the environment. Anyone can become ultra energy efficient if they know what to do... PH is great, and so is NZE and R2k and others.<br><br>Edmonton now has some 12 NZE houses under development by various builders (shown below)... We look forward to anyone's comments on them. You see some of my presentations on NZE homes at <<a href="http://www.hme.ca/presentations"> www.hme.ca/presentations</a>> to see what we've learned with the first three. My gut feel is that NZE-ready homes are the least-cost energy option for homeowners in Alberta right now... I am working on the economics analysis to vet this. NZE-ready is ultra energy efficient plus solar PV ready. So why doesn't the PassiveHaus standard incorporate PV-ready too? It should be a no-brainer. Talk about "obsolete" houses? How about PH in 5 years without being PV ready...! Imagine: being in a PH house where you can't put on a $20k solar PV system to generate <u>all</u> your electrical energy (which isn't "power") because the designers were feeling threatened by PV when it was designed and so didn't accomodate it... ("threats" have to do with our ego-states and not with technologies or costs)<br><br>Edmonton's NetZero Energy Houses<br>======================<br>Riverdale NetZero Energy Project (duplex), Habitat Studio and Workshop ... completed and occupied by the homeowners <<a href="http://www.riverdalenetzero.ca/"> www.riverdalenetzero.ca</a>> <<a href="http://www.riverdalenetzero.ca/equilibrium"> www.riverdalenetzero.ca/equilibrium</a>> <<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_energy_building"> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_energy_building</a>><br><br>Mill Creek NetZero Energy Home, Habitat Studio and Workshop ..... completed and occupied by the homeowners <<a href="http://www.greenedmonton.ca/MillCreekNetZeroHome"> www.greenedmonton.ca/MillCreekNetZeroHome</a>><br><br>Belgravia NetZero Energy Home, Habitat Studio and Workshop ...under construction<br><br>Parkland NetZero Energy Home, Habitat Studio and Workshop ...under construction<br><br>Larch NetZero Energy Home, Habitat Studio and Workshop ...under development<br><br>Belgravia Green NetZero Energy Houses (3 separate houses), Effect Homes, ...under construction<br><br>Ritchie Net Zero Ready house ...under construction<br><br>Sherwood Hills NetZero Energy Home ...under development<br><br>Shafraaz Kaba NetZero Energy Home ...under construction<br><br>Mike Turner NetZero Energy Home ...under construction<br>======================<br><br>Mike Holmes: very interesting comments. You might be interested in one of his latest projects <<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Verde-in-Clearview-Ridge/174181109278587?ref=ts"> http://www.facebook.com/pages/Verde-in-Clearview-Ridge/174181109278587?ref=ts</a> > .<br><br>I welcome any comments and challenges to what I've written.<br><br>+Gordon Howell<br><br><br><o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>