Measuring to Build: Research into Low Energy, HighPerformance Housing research.carleton.ca Ian BeausoleilMorrison, PhD Carleton University’s Canada Research Chair in Innovative Energy Systems for Residential Buildings Ian BeausoleilMorrison’s Research Aims for Low Energy and High Performance Home Construction Canadians are energy hogs. Intensely cold winters combined with a growing taste for larger homes pose significant challenges for anyone involved with home building because of demands on energy supplies and environmental damage. The twin objectives of Ian BeausoleilMorrison’s research involve reducing energy consumption with novel technologies that are also designed for high energy performance. The effective by-product of his research is to lessen greenhouse gases that result from excessive energy use. Successful strategies in energy conservation hinge on accurate simulation prediction and field evaluation, which is where BeausoleilMorrison’s expertise is renowned in international circles. He has developed sophisticated performance simulation tools reflecting building physics and energy systems to measure and test adaptive technologies. The software integrates a range of parameters from basement insulation to outdoor climate condition to energy conversion systems. Beausoleil-Morrison’s work also brings new meaning to the phrase re-use and recycle. His research investigates methods to trap redundant heat for use when temperatures drop. Solar energy offers the luxury of lots of extra radiant heat when the sun shines brightly even on bitterly cold days. BeausoleilMorrison has devised a means to harness and store the heat to recycle during dark, cold wintry hours. How to deliver affordable, efficient and workable heat management systems that home builders will eventually adapt for Canadians is the focus of a new Carleton University research lab. The laboratory plan is a 1,600 square foot home, the Urbandale Centre for Home Energy Research (CHEeR), that will provide and measure the performance of solar heating and cooling, and heat storage together with a range of energy efficient design strategies. THE RESEARCH What I do Develop new technologies and analyze to heat and cool, and store energy for housing; provide software tools to assess and analyze low-energy, high-performance systems. Why it matters Heating and cooling systems in Canada’s extreme winter cold and high summer temperatures are expensive and significantly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. What it will change “We’re working with ideas and technologies that the home building industry cannot and will not use until they have been proven. Our performance measure models will expand our capacity to deliver results that will have an impact on government and industry.” Proven, newer technologies and building practices can be adapted by home builders for more efficient energy use. THE RESEARCHER 2010 - 2014 President, International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA); and Co-founder, co-editor Journal of Building Performance Simulation. 2011-2016 National Sciences and Engineering Research Council Smart Net-Zero Energy Buildings Strategic Research Network. Partners in the project include a major construction company, and Urbandale. The National Research Council and Natural Resources Canada are also key supporters. Former Operating Agent, Annex 42 research project, involving 25 research organizations from 10 countries on micro-cogeneration for the International Energy Agency’s programme on Energy Conservation in Buildings and Community Systems (IEA/ECBCS). “A single-family detached house that seasonally stores thermal energy and is configured to maximize use of solar energy for space and water heating has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by six to eight tonnes every year,” says Beausoleil-Morrison. Expand that to even two per cent of Canada’s housing stock and the savings would amount to more than one megatonne (one million tonnes), he says. PARTNERS Partnerships and collaborations include The National Research Council of Canada (NRC); Natural Resources Canada; Smart-Zero Energy Buildings Strategic Research Network; Urbandale Construction, Ottawa; Sumaran Inc., Ottawa, and Ecologix, Cambridge, ON. “If solar energy available from early spring through late autumn can be captured and stored for use during winter, a significant portion of a home’s heating needs could be met without an excessively large, expensive solar collection system.” research.carleton.ca