Bonnyrigg solar village: An analysis of annual energy use and comfort

• Published in: Solar energy 1993-06, Vol.50 (6), p.499-506
• Main Authors: Ballinger, J.A., di Franco, T.L., Prasad, D.K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 140901 - Solar Thermal Utilization- Space Heating & Cooling; Applied sciences; ARCHITECTURE; AUSTRALASIA; AUSTRALIA; BUILDINGS; Buildings. Public works; CALENTAMIENTO; CHAUFFAGE; Climatology and bioclimatics for buildings; CONCEPTION; DESIGN; DEVELOPED COUNTRIES; DISENO; ECHANGE D'ENERGIE; EFFICIENCY; ENERGIA SOLAR; ENERGIE SOLAIRE; Energy; ENERGY CONSUMPTION; ENERGY CONVERSION; ENERGY EFFICIENCY; ENERGY EXCHANGE; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; EQUIPO; Exact sciences and technology; HABITAT RURAL; HEATING; Heating, air conditioning and ventilation; HOUSES; HOUSING; INTERCAMBIO DE ENERGIA; LOGEMENT; MATERIEL; NEW SOUTH WALES; NOUVELLE GALLES DU SUD; NUEVA GALES DEL SUR; PUEBLOS; Q1; RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS; RURAL HOUSING; SOLAR ARCHITECTURE; SOLAR ENERGY; SPACE HEATING; Technical data: comfort, insulation, loads, etc; THERMAL COMFORT; VILLAGE; VILLAGES; VIVIENDA; VIVIENDA RURAL
• ISSN: 0038-092X; 1471-1257
• DOI: 10.1016/0038-092X(93)90112-2

In 1981, 12 solar-efficient houses and 3 standard houses were designed and built for the New South Wales Housing Commission near Sydney, Australia. Recently, a pilot study was done to evaluate the energy use and comfort levels in these 15 houses over a two-year period. Heavyweight, well insulated houses, as a group, used the least energy annually, averaging 19,235 MJ in 1983–1984. They are least likely to require winter space heating, which typically contributes 31% of the total energy bill. A trade-off of a well insulated house is less comfort in the summer unless active measures are taken by the residents to open windows in the evenings and close shades in the day for effective cooling. Even so, the four houses with heavyweight wall construction remained in the daytime comfort zone an average of 76% of the time in 1983. The annual energy use in the houses was compared to other studies done in Australia. The average energy consumption of the 12 passive solar homes was 22,687 MJ/year in the two-year period 1983–1984. Bartels (1985) found the average household consumption in New South Wales to be 28,000 MJ. The three control houses used 30,059 MJ/year on average, though the sample size was considerably smaller, and thus more likely to be affected by atypical user behavior. This study provides clear evidence of the effectiveness of solar efficient design in significantly reducing winter heating loads.