Educational - Energy Efficient House

~~Educational – Energy Efficient House
This house is aiming for the elusive ‘A’ rating on energy efficiency. It includes all the options for energy efficiency. Starting at the top of the house there are:
• Mini-windmill for energy generation
• Solar panels for generation
• In the loft there is overall loft insulation, an insulating blanket for the water boiler and all the piping is lagged to minimise heat loss and prevent freezing
• All the walls have three layers – an outer brick layer, an inner layer built from insulating blocks before being covered by an insulating plaster and painted and a middle cavity which has been filled with cavity wall insulation
• The windows are all triple glazed to maximise energy and sound insulation
• Appliances in the kitchen will have been chosen for their energy rating
• There is a smart meter and pc control panel in the kitchen from which it is possible to monitor energy usage and to program that lights and heating in any room is switched off when the room has no occupants. Aerials on the roof are included to ensure a good remote link to energy monitoring.
• The conservatory at the front of the house uses special energy generating glass (hence its’ orange colour) – this glass is in use in a demonstration house at the Building Research Establishment in the UK. The conservatory also provides a thermal barrier for much of the front of the house.
• All external doors would be well insulated and draught proofed though it is difficult to demonstrate this on a LEGO model.
• Below ground there is insulation between the house and the ground plus:

• • An underground heat pump
• • Rainwater storage tanks

• Inside the house – the house has all the normal rooms you would expect and they all have household fittings though they are simple so that the focus of this model is on the energy saving features.

Educational – This model will support discussion of energy conservation and of renewable energy generation options. Each option for generation or energy saving can be individually discussed so that students/pupils can understand how they work and how effective and economic they can be.

Dimensions – this model is built on a 32 x 32 baseplate and has 1980 bricks. As the aim is educational there are no minifigs.