ARCHIVED Canadian Centre for Housing Technology 10 Years of Achievement

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1 ARCHIVED Canadian Centre for Housing Technology 10 Years of Achievement This PDF file has been archived on the Web. Archived Content Information identified as archived on the Web is for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It has not been altered or updated after the date of archiving. Web pages that are archived on the Web are not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards. As per the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada, you can request alternate formats by contacting

2 The Canadian Centre for Housing Technology (CCHT), a partnership between the National Research Council of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, is celebrating ten years of achievement in Since its launch in 1998, CCHT has supported manufacturers in their product research and development, and brought insight to builders and homeowners alike. With its twin R-2000 house facility and accompanying InfoCentre, CCHT has been the site for the assessment of more than 30 housing-related technologies, ranging from compact fluorescent light bulbs and high-performance windows to innovative natural gas fired engines and even a fuel cell. The fully instrumented twin houses, with over 300 sensors, 23 meters and a simulated occupancy system, provide an ideal steppingstone between the laboratory and the marketplace. From helping to integrate products at the prototype stage, to assessing those that are already commercially available, CCHT researchers pursue a mandate of helping industry to accelerate the development of new technologies and their acceptance in the marketplace. The success of CCHT can be attributed in part to its partnership with world-class research laboratories and computer modelling specialists. Often, assessments at the twin house facility are preceded by detailed laboratory studies, creating a more complete picture of the performance of a given technology within a house. Modelling expertise has been developed to extend the scope and application of research results obtained. For instance, experimental results have contributed to model benchmarking, which are in turn used to predict residential energy performance for different locations across Canada. Ghost family The CCHT twin houses feature a simulated occupancy system that simulates the actions and heat gains of a family of four. Body heat from the family is simulated by two 60W light bulbs and two 40W light bulbs (children). The family goes through a total of 63 on/off events each day including taking showers, washing dishes and cooking three meals. An integral part of CCHT is the InfoCentre, where the Canadian housing construction system and energy-saving technologies are displayed to national and international audiences. The InfoCentre building is a modified three-unit rowhouse. Two units have been converted to a showroom and meeting space, while the third showcases a FlexHousing design, a practical approach enabling layout and construction to be adapted and converted as the needs of occupants change. The InfoCentre hosts over 1000 visitors each year.

3 Projects While each project is unique with its own set of objectives, challenges and outcomes, studies at CCHT have centered on technologies that can be grouped into several themes, as reported below. Combined Heat and Power Generation Residential-sized technologies that generate both heat and electricity are referred to as micro Combined Heat and Power technologies, or microchp units. Researchers at CCHT have examined a number of microchp units including the very first residential fuel cell installation in Canada, two generations of a Stirling engine from New Zealand, and an internal combustion engine coupled to ground storage. All these technologies are powered by natural gas and generate between 1 and 6 kw of power. The simulated occupancy system in the test house provides realistic electrical and heating loads with which to assess a microchp s capabilities. Through these experiments, researchers explored connectivity issues that arise between the microchp technologies and the house; for example, is thermal storage needed and how much; what is the proportion of electrical contribution of the microchp when the house and microchp are grid connected; and what is the optimal sizing of the microchp unit relative to the house loads. Alternative Energy CCHT has demonstrated a number of renewable energy technologies. In the spring of 2005, a solid oxide fuel cell provided heat and power to the test house. Once running at steady state, the fuel cell emits only water and carbon dioxide, making it a clean alternative for generating heat and electricity. A Canadian first In 2005, CCHT hosted the first ever installation of a fuel cell in a residential application in Canada. Fuel cell core technology has the potential to make small distributed combined heat and power (microchp) plants that can make the generation of electricity and heat at the single household level a viable alternative to grid electricity. The InfoCentre and FlexHouse have been benefiting from solar energy in two ways: solar photovoltaic panels on the roof generate electricity during daylight hours, and a solar concentrator system connected to a storage tank in the basement of the FlexHouse provides heat for water and space heating. Additionally, two ground source heat pump loops have been installed beside one of the CCHT twin houses. The ground source system harnesses the power of the deep ground having a constant temperature of 11 C year round to provide the cooling needs and part of the heating needs of the house. Heating Systems The very first systems assessed in the CCHT twin houses were gas-fired combined space and water heating systems. Hot water from these systems provides both the space heating and hot water needs of the house allowing a hot water tank to perform the heating function of a furnace. Since then, CCHT has examined a variety of commercially available heating systems including a two-stage natural gas furnace, a high-efficiency condensing gas furnace, and electric furnaces with innovative controls and fan motors. In a novel heating project, a hydrogen electrolyzer produced hydrogen from water and electricity, which was then added to the natural gas stream of a high-efficiency condensing gas furnace.

4 Window and Shading Technology The twin houses feature very efficient argon-filled high solar gain (HSG) windows. A project was carried out to compare the performance of these HSG windows to that of low solar gain (LSG) windows on a whole-house basis. Researchers found that even though the LSG product provided better cooling performance, the HSG product offered higher year-round energy savings. Based on the experimental results, models were created to predict the overall energy performance for different locations across Canada. The models showed that for all locations the winter energy savings associated with the HSG windows outweighed the increases in summer cooling, resulting in a net overall benefit with HSG. While HSG windows bring in larger solar gains in winter, reducing the cost of heating, they also allow larger solar gains in summer than the LSG product. For this reason, researchers at CCHT have been examining ways of reducing solar gains in summer. Early experiments showed that shades on the exterior could reduce cooling loads by up to 26% on a sunny day, while trials with Venetian blinds provided evidence of only slight daily savings (<1 per cent) in cooling energy consumption on the clearest days. Future projects will examine the use of commercial shading devices, to reduce heat losses at night during winter and air conditioning loads in summer. Energy-Efficient Devices A number of projects have examined energy-saving technologies and methods. For efficient products such as compact fluorescent lights and electronically commutated furnace motors, researchers measured not only the electrical savings, but also their impact on the space heating and cooling loads of the house, as well as indoor conditions. The increased electrical efficiencies of these two technologies result in a reduction in heat gains to the house. As a result, a slight increase in heating gas consumption in winter and a decrease in cooling consumption in summer were detected during the experiments. More than meets the eye Although they differ completely in appearance, compact fluorescent light bulbs and brushless DC furnace motors have similarities. Both offer substantial electrical savings, while their improved efficiency means they release less heat to the surrounding environment. This in turn influences the heating and cooling loads of the house. A simple 3 C nighttime thermostat setback assessed in the house resulted in 7% seasonal heating energy savings. Raising the thermostat setpoint by 2 C in the summer resulted in 23% cooling energy savings. An evaluation of several commercially available shower water heat recovery systems resulted in the creation of an online calculator to determine savings and payback periods.

5 Facility Upgrades The original twin house facility at CCHT has been adapted over the years in anticipation of the needs of manufacturers. The facility now features: A microchp research facility. Both research houses have been outfitted to be able to export electricity or run off grid, while monitoring the power generated by a microchp unit. The facility also has the ability to harness the generated heat for space and water heating. A facility to study the comparative performance of window technologies. Innovative modifications now enable all 31 windows in one house to be changed with relative ease in a single day, without affecting the airtightness of the house. Harnessing the power of the ground Three wells have been drilled beside one of the CCHT twin houses to examine the ground s potential for providing heating and cooling, and also energy storage. A CCHT success story ēkocomfort systems are designed to integrate space heating, hot water and continuous ventilation into one spacesaving, energy-efficient unit. The ēkocomfort consortium of manufacturers was established by Natural Resources Canada with seed funding from the Climate Change Action Fund and contributions from NRC-IRAP, among others. In 2001, the CCHT twin-house facility was used by ēkocomfort manufacturers to install and evaluate their products in a fully monitored and controlled house. This initiative contributed to the commercialization of numerous highly-efficient and integrated systems, such as the air handler recently showcased at the Drake Landing Solar Community. (Web link: A deep-well ground source heat pump facility. Three wells about 55 to 75 metres in depth have been drilled beside the CCHT reference house to explore the use of ground source heat, and ground heat storage. Capability to store and retrieve excess heat from the microchp into and out of the ground has been included. For nearly 10 years, CCHT has anticipated and met the needs of Canadian manufacturers, helping bring innovative technologies to Canadian and international markets through rigorous assessment and the sharing of results. By supporting the development of energy-saving technologies, CCHT is assisting industry and government in their efforts to reduce the energy footprint of Canadian homes and to contribute to a sustainable future. For more information about the facility and projects, please visit the Web site at or contact Marianne Armstrong at For research opportunities or information about initiating a research project, contact Mike Swinton at mike.swinton@nrccnrc.gc.ca,