The Green Equilibrium home currently under construction in Kamloops BC at Sun Rivers will be the green wall assembly I will compare to a conventional 2x6 wood frame home. Wood has the least amount of embodied energy. It is already known that the embodied energy of the materials in this type of home is significantly less than the green home materials. I will look at how the embodied energy compares to the energy efficiency of the home when it is being used. How long does it take for the green home make up for how much energy goes into constructing it?

Embodied Energy Comparison Proposal

Summary statement:
Green building has risen in popularity around the world and is leading the way to a better future. Is this technology green from start to finish? How does embodied energy of building materials for a green home compare to a conventional wood frame home? These materials may produce a greener more sustainable home, but does that alone make up for how much energy may go into manufacturing these materials. There are many different materials that go into constructing a home, but not all of them have been proven to be green.

Purpose:
The building green concept definitely produces an energy efficient home, but what about before those materials arrive at the construction site. The purpose is to find out how the embodied energy of materials in green homes differs from the traditional wood frame home. It’s also important to determine whether or not the way these materials are transported is more or less green.

Goals and Objectives:
· Determine if there is a big difference in the embodied energy of a wood frame home and a net zero energy home.
· Interpret statistics on how much embodied energy there is in producing and transporting and extracting different materials and applications in these homes.
· Establish how the energy input differs in the construction of the two types of buildings. Find out how different material affects how quickly or effectively a project is completed.
· Evaluate how green a home is after determining the embodied energy.

Methodology and analytical approach:
· Extract information from various publications, and sources.
· Research embodied energy of the individual components of each home.
· Calculate energy of transportation and production combined.
· Apply information to specific type of home.
· Convey the information in a detailed report.

Previous Studies:
Previous studies show calculations of embodied energy of materials without a lot of application to the building. This project will provide a conclusion of how embodied energy affects the overall process of construction. The knowledge gathered from these studies will help to define a green building and will show how green these building actually are.
Plans for dissemination of work:
Discussions on the topic and the different ideas amongst peers in the same area of study; Provide a blog allows others from all over to give their input on the topic. This allows a broader audience to access the information researched and quickly provide their feedback. Professionals in the field are another great source of people to discuss ideas with.

Welcome To My Blog!

Welcome! I will be continually updating my research throughout the next couple of months & encourage any comments that will contribute to my work. It would be greatly appreciated. The research will later be developed into an applied research report on embodied energy, specifically comparisons between a wood frame home and an equilibrium home. The blog will help expand my knowledge of my topic, as well as keep my ideas organized.

Thanks,

Ellissa