The SOLCER energy positive house: whole system simulation

There is a global trend to deliver zero carbon buildings, with European countries required to deliver near zero energy housing by 2020. This paper presents the results of the simulation of the energy performance of the SOLCER house. The house was designed using a ‘systems’ approach to integrate the building technologies for thermal and electrical energy systems, based on the concept of buildings as power stations, using the renewable energy systems as part of the building envelope. The aim was to produce a house that achieves an ‘energy positive’ performance, which, on an annual basis, generates more energy than in consumes. The house is designed for wide-scale application, so, in addition to energy performance, the focus was also on affordability and ease of build. In order to assess the performance of the house a model was needed to assess the whole building energy performance of the building and its integrated energy systems. The paper describes the development of a simulation model based around the building thermal model, HTB2 (Heat Transfer in Buildings: version 2). A number of sub-models were constructed to simulate the innovative heating, ventilation and power systems. Results are presented relating to seasonal performance of the building, which demonstrate that on an annual basis the building is around 70% self-sufficient in its energy needs, with a grid export to import rate is 1.75.