Sarah Gruver

April 29, 2010

 

Summary of Fieldwork-CDAE 106

I fulfilled the field work component of this course in two ways. First, I spent two days at the Better Buildings by Design Conference. I attended presentations on a variety of topics: natural building materials, exterior air barriers , high R-value wall systems, and net zero design and performance. I was able to meet many interesting businesspeople in the field of efficiency and renewable energy as well as compare a variety of renewable energy system designs in person. Second, I worked with Karen Walkerman, an energy analyst and owner of Second Law, on thermal modeling. Our work focused on creating a thermal model as well as a passive ventilation model of an earth-bermed greenhouse I designed for my thesis. The model’s output was an estimate of the year round heating and cooling costs, given the passive gains (and losses) in the greenhouse. The model allowed me to optimize portions of my design to maximize thermal performance.