Facebook Twitter Linkedin

  • Home
  • News Center
    • Latest News
    • Events
  • Publications
  • Education
    • Education Home
    • Calculation Examples
    • Online Historical Database of Civil Infrastructure
  • Networking
  • Jobs
  • Software
  • Maps
  • Advertising Services
  • Home
  • News Center
  • Latest News
  • Other News
  • Energy-efficient houses: Gas or Electric power?

Energy-efficient houses: Gas or Electric power?

Written by  TheCivilEngineer.org
Published in Other News
Low-Energy and Low-Impact Homes-Image Source: Inhabit.com Low-Energy and Low-Impact Homes-Image Source: Inhabit.com
29
May

When evaluating the energy needs of residences, heating and cooling needs are the most significant factors to be taken into consideration. “Fuel type is an important factor because heating and cooling accounts for a significant amount of home energy consumption,” David Webb, civil engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), stated. 

NIST attempted to compare gas and electricity costs and presents a method that could be used to perform their analysis on their region. “We used a unique NIST tool set of databases and software known as BIRDS [Building Industry Reporting and Design for Sustainability] to assess and measure that impact scientifically, and then provide a research method for others to do the same for any climate region in the United States,” Mr. Webb added.

BIRDS have been utilized since 2014 to examine the sustainability of a building's energy and material consumption during their lifetime. Based on computer simulations, cost-efficient decisions to improve a structure's performance can be conducted.

The team used computer modeling and created two virtual houses, one powered by an electric HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) system and the other by natural gas. The study compared the two simulations based on codes and regulations in Maryland. The simulations considered 960,000 building design combination and 8 different financial scenarios to evaluate the buildings' performance over a 30-year period.

The results showed that a natural gas system is more cost-efficient than an electric HVAC at least when considering the Maryland codes. The electricity system had greater environmental impacts due to the emissions generated during its production. However, it could easier achieve net-zero performance. “The overall economic benefit of natural gas was expected because, at this time, it is the cheaper fuel source in Maryland, costs less in dollars and energy expended to produce and transport, and carries a lower construction price for installation of an HVAC system which uses it,” Mr. Webb, stated.

According to Joshua Kneifel, NIST economist, claimed that electricity may become an eco-friendlier choice in the future. “For example, as more power companies move to cleaner forms of electric generation, such as natural gas instead of coal, the environmental impact will lessen. Also, technology changes, such as cheaper and more efficient solar energy and HVAC systems, should help make the use of electricity more cost-effective,” he stated.

Source: NIST.gov

 

 

 

More in this category: « Characteristics of Load Bearing Masonry Construction The unoccupied North Korean "Hotel of Doom" »
Read 476 times Last modified on Wednesday, 29 May 2019 15:44
  • Social sharing:
  • Add to Facebook
  • Add to Delicious
  • Digg this
  • Add to StumbleUpon
  • Add to Technorati
  • Add to Reddit
  • Add to MySpace
  • Like this? Tweet it to your followers!
Tagged under
  • Efficient houses
  • Electric power
  • NIST
  • HVAC
  • Cost efficient
  • Natural gas power
  • Eco friendly
  • Maryland
  • Housing codes

Latest from TheCivilEngineer.org

  • Major flood defense project in UK completed
  • Partial building collapse in North Vancouver, Canada
  • Removing left turns to increase safety and reduce congestion on roads
  • Using biometric data to make urban infrastructure safer
  • Iceberg wall collapsed in Titanic Museum

Related items

  • Study on the impact of fires in high-rise buildings
  • New warning system monitors the internal damage of fiber-reinforced polymer materials
back to top
Place your ad here - Reach throusands of Proffesionals!

Search News

Filter By Category

More News On

China Climate Change Earthquake Environmental Engineer Infrastructure Landslide Newsletter Structural engineer UK USA

Facebook Twitter Youtube Linkedin

Our Resources

Contribute

Services

Advertising Kit 2022

Contact Us

Copyright © 2002-2022 Elxis s.a.
Powered by ARGO-E LLC. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer - Copyrights & Permissions - Cookies

TheCivilEngineer.org uses third party cookies to improve our website and your experience when using it.

To find out more about the cookies we use and how to delete them visit our Cookies page. Learn more

I understand
Latest News