|
Zero Carbon Housing and Zero Energy Housing are terms used interchangeably to define single family dwellings with a very high energy efficiency rating. Zero Energy Housing requires a very low amount of energy to provide the daily needs and functions for the family occupying the home.〔“Energy Performance of Buildings Directive”, Zero Carbon Hub, April 2011, http://www.nhbcfoundation.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=vuga43X50g0%3d&tabid=458&mid=848, Retrieved 2011-12-14〕 A zero carbon home has a yearly net carbon footprint of zero. The carbon footprint is the total measure of all greenhouse gas emissions generated or produced directly or indirectly by activities in the home such as heating the home or running an appliance, personal activities such as driving a car, broader services such as the use of public transportation or air travel, and individual consumption of food and other products.〔“What is a Carbon Footprint”, UK Carbon Trust, http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/solutions/CarbonFootprinting/what_is_a_carbon_footprint.htm, Retrieved 2011-12-14〕 A home’s carbon footprint consists of the sum of two parts, the primary footprint and the secondary footprint, expressed in units of metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent(CO2e). The primary carbon footprint is a measure of the CO2 emissions from the direct consumption of fossil fuels for energy consumption and transportation. The secondary carbon footprint is the measure of indirect CO2 emissions related to the manufacturing process of products used in the home and eventual decomposition of products. Examples of the parts that make up the secondary carbon footprint are the manufacturing of clothes, cars, and furnishings, as well as recreational activities by the inhabitants.〔“What is a Carbon Footprint”, Carbon Footprint, http://www.carbonfootprint.com/carbonfootprint.html, Retrieved 2011-12-14〕 The calculation of the carbon footprint becomes detailed when considering secondary factors. Secondary factors involve the home’s occupant lifestyle such as diet, foods are consumed (example organic vs. non organic), frequency of yearly air travel, commuting mileage to and from work, school, etc., use of public transportation, and number, type, and use of private vehicles. Secondary factors also include fashion or type of clothes purchased and worn, frequency of recycling, recreational activities and use of financial and other services throughout a given year. The frequency of airline flights in a year is considered due to the amount of fuel consumption and other energy usage and emissions generated by one flight. A person that travels frequently may have a significantly bigger carbon footprint than someone who flies once a year for a vacation.〔“Carbon Footprint Calculator”, Carbon Footprint, http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx, Retrieved 2011-12-15〕 The emissions for an individual flight are calculated by using the greater circle method. First, the distance between airports is determined. Then calculations are completed to account for indirect distances and by an emissions factor in relation to the type of flight (international or a short flight, and what class seating the person is in).〔“Help and Information for the Carbon Footprint Calculators”, Carbon Footprint, http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculatorfaqs.html, Retrieved 2011-12-15〕 Another contributing factor to a person’s carbon footprint is their personal vehicle which includes the type of car driven, the efficiency or miles per gallon (MPG) rating, and the amount of miles driven each year. The frequency of public transportation used by an individual, miles traveled on public transportation and the type of public transportation used such as bus, train, or subway contributes to their carbon footprint as well. Other factors, as trivial as they might seem, are included in the calculation of a person’s carbon foot print to include things such as the type of diet. A vegetarian compared to a person that eats a lot of red meat will have a lower carbon footprint. All factors being the same except diet, a vegetarian secondary carbon footprint averages three metric tonnes of CO2, one tonne less than the individual who consumes meat.〔Carbon Footprint Calculator”, Carbon Footprint, http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx, Retrieved 2011-12-15〕 Other factors include the purchase of local and /or organically grown produce vs. imported items, the latest clothes fashions vs. more conventional purchases, buying individually packaged products vs. buying in bulk, recycling activities, and the types of recreation such as carbon-free activities like hiking and cycling or carbon-intensive activities like skydiving or boating. == Determining a Zero Carbon Home == *Energy Efficiency: Homes have to be energy efficient and minimize the energy demand that is generated daily from a home. New homes will be required to have sufficient insulation installed and be “adequately airtight.” The installation of 180mm (or more depending on climate) thick insulation, recycling of gray water, replacement of appliances with an energy efficiency rating of “A” and insulation of hot water heaters all contribute to qualifying the degree of energy efficiency. *Carbon Compliance: The onsite contribution to zero carbon includes low onsite carbon usage and zero carbon energy such as a community heating network. A community heating network or "district heating" is a system that distributes heat for residential and commercial water and space heating needs usually from a central location. This dramatically reduces the carbon footprint of individual homes. Which type of heating fuel/system used further impacts on the carbon footprint. *Allowable Solutions: Any type of approved carbon-saving measures that could be used on homes consisting of on-site, near-site, and off-site options. On-site options include installation of smart appliances, use of grid injected bio-methane, installation of site-based heat storage, etc. Near-site options include local micro-hydro schemes, communal waste management solutions, and local energy storage solutions. Off-site options include the investment in plants that turn waste into energy, investment of renovating with low carbon technologies, and investment of low carbon cooling, etc.〔“Allowable Solutions for Tomorrow’s New Homes”, Zero Carbon Hub, July 2011, http://www.zerocarbonhub.org/definition.aspx?page=4, Retrieved 2011-12-14〕 Other alternative solutions include the development of alternative projects such as reforestation, solar, hydro, and wind power. This is known as carbon offsetting.〔“Carbon Footprint”, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_footprint#cite_note-1, Retrieved 2011-12-14〕 These projects are considered carbon offsetting because they either prevent the burning of fossil fuels (solar, hydro, wind) or they utilize CO2 from the atmosphere (reforestation) resulting in offsetting the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere by conventional fossil fuel burning methods. Various private entities and government agencies are beginning to promote the concepts of zero carbon homes and zero carbon footprints. In the United Kingdom the Zero Carbon Hub was set up in the summer of 2008 to help the building of Zero Carbon Housing become a more common practice in the United Kingdom. The Zero Carbon Hub is a public/private partnership working together with the private industry and the government to help reach the government’s energy consumption reduction goals set by the European Union under the Kyoto Protocol of 1997.〔"Energy performance of Buildings Directive", Zero Carbon Hub, April 2011, http://www.nhbcfoundation.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=vuga43X50g0%3d&tabid=458&mid=848, Retrieved 2011-12-14〕 In the European Union, buildings are responsible for 40% of the total amount of energy needed by the European Union. This percentage is expected to rise with an increase in future building construction.〔“Energy performance of Buildings Directive”, Zero Carbon Hub, April 2011, http://www.nhbcfoundation.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=vuga43X50g0%3d&tabid=458&mid=848, Retrieved 2011-12-14〕 Despite UK being involved in pioneering some definitions of Zero Carbon Homes, it now appears that it will become unacceptable to market such homes using the term "Zero Carbon Home", because the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) have ruled that nothing which is manufactured can be called Zero Carbon.〔““Zero Carbon Homes” in UK national ASA ban”, April 2012, http://www.solartwin.com/zero-carbon-homes-face-imminent-asa-ban, Retrieved 2012-04-25〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「zero carbon housing」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|