Energy efficiency solutions in a single-family house: case study in Canberra, Australia

Abstract

The constant increase in energy prices is not geographically bound and has an effect on everybody worldwide. The objective of this dissertation is to demonstrate that the implementation of photovoltaic panels and an evacuated tube collector in a residential building’s system can improve energy efficiency and in turn provide financial savings. In order to determine the different energy consumptions of the building before and after the implementation of the proposed energy system, simulations must be run. These simulations were performed using IDA ICE, a program that is designed to simulate the annual energy consumption and the indoor climate of a building. A comparison is then made of the energy consumption and production of the building and calculations are performed to determine the proposed solar system’s financial exploits. The calculations were performed based on the current energy prices at the time of writing and proved that the implementation of the proposed solar system does in fact save over $12,000 over the course of the life span of the proposed system. More studies are required to determine the exact environmental benefit of the implementation of the proposed solar system of the building in question.