Energy Efficient Housing
To start off the second semester, my STEM class is focusing on energy efficient housing/engineering. The class started out by researching different kids of energy, mainly solar. Through this we gained an understanding of the energy we would be using. There were several parts to this project:
Part 1
1. Make a solar water heater
2. Make a model of a house that would be energy efficient
3. Make a design for an actual house that we will put in the garden
Part 2
4. Design a cold frame and make a model.
5. Create an add on to the solar house that was made last year to increase the light that goes in.
6. Make a solar reflector to increase light taken in by the solar studio.
This project took just over a month to complete. In my group I had Julia Corbani, Conrad Walas, and Sterling Reed. We worked together to make a presentation of all the tasks I listed above. At the end of this project's time period, there was a presentation night that every STEM student came to show their final products to various panels of judges.
The first part of all of these tasks was to make a solar water heater. For our water heater we used:
1. A small shoe box
2. Tin foil to capture sunlight and warm the water
3. Long, thick copper wire in which the water will run through to get warm.
4. Plastic wrap which we placed around open areas of the box so no cold air could get in
5. A one liter soda bottle to hold the water
Our task for this part of the project was a competition with our class mates of sorts. For an hour and half we sat out on the pavement and worked to calculate how many degrees our water had climbed since starting. The design for our group was to pour the water into the 1 liter bottle and have it drain into the copper wire that ran through the shoe box. While the water ran through the wire the sunlight that was bouncing off the tin foil was reflected onto the copper wire, heating the water. The heated water drained into a cup on the other side of the shoe box. We repeated this process for the entire hour and a half, filling the soda bottle with water that drained into the cup. Every ten minutes we took the temperature. Our water started at 18*F and the final temperature was 25*F.
Part 2
For the first part of Part 2 we had to make a cold frame for the garden. A cold frame is a tool that holds small plants inside while they grow. The cold frame holds heat and water to help the plants grow. We made our model out of cardboard which we cut to make our desired shape. We then used plastic wrap to represent a window.
For the add on we had the choice of designing anything we wanted that could benefit the solar studio. We chose to design a solar shelf that worked as a reflector for the double window. This design was both aesthetically pleasing and would have been simple to set up if selected.
The North Window Solar Reflector was the final part of the project we worked on in the solar energy unit. Instead of making a solar reflector which was attached to the house, we decided to make a stand alone reflector that would reflect maximum amounts of sunlight into the window. The positioning of the reflector is key. To reflect light in the first place you have to have it set at the right angle, and our group especially had to look at the seasons and the positions of the sun to properly decide where to place this reflector.
Reflection
During this project I learned how to take measurements more in depth and learned loads about solar energy. This subject was really interesting
because a lot of the time people don't bother to think about how solar power is used and why/how its used. During this project our design changed several times due to measurements being to big/small or we were off by a couple inches.
I think my group could have done several things better. We could have been much more efficient and neat with how we planned and made things. We also could have tried to be more precise with measurements and research more. We could have made the poster board neater or example. We could have researched more to gain a further understanding and therefore make better models.
Part 1
1. Make a solar water heater
2. Make a model of a house that would be energy efficient
3. Make a design for an actual house that we will put in the garden
Part 2
4. Design a cold frame and make a model.
5. Create an add on to the solar house that was made last year to increase the light that goes in.
6. Make a solar reflector to increase light taken in by the solar studio.
This project took just over a month to complete. In my group I had Julia Corbani, Conrad Walas, and Sterling Reed. We worked together to make a presentation of all the tasks I listed above. At the end of this project's time period, there was a presentation night that every STEM student came to show their final products to various panels of judges.
The first part of all of these tasks was to make a solar water heater. For our water heater we used:
1. A small shoe box
2. Tin foil to capture sunlight and warm the water
3. Long, thick copper wire in which the water will run through to get warm.
4. Plastic wrap which we placed around open areas of the box so no cold air could get in
5. A one liter soda bottle to hold the water
Our task for this part of the project was a competition with our class mates of sorts. For an hour and half we sat out on the pavement and worked to calculate how many degrees our water had climbed since starting. The design for our group was to pour the water into the 1 liter bottle and have it drain into the copper wire that ran through the shoe box. While the water ran through the wire the sunlight that was bouncing off the tin foil was reflected onto the copper wire, heating the water. The heated water drained into a cup on the other side of the shoe box. We repeated this process for the entire hour and a half, filling the soda bottle with water that drained into the cup. Every ten minutes we took the temperature. Our water started at 18*F and the final temperature was 25*F.
Part 2
For the first part of Part 2 we had to make a cold frame for the garden. A cold frame is a tool that holds small plants inside while they grow. The cold frame holds heat and water to help the plants grow. We made our model out of cardboard which we cut to make our desired shape. We then used plastic wrap to represent a window.
For the add on we had the choice of designing anything we wanted that could benefit the solar studio. We chose to design a solar shelf that worked as a reflector for the double window. This design was both aesthetically pleasing and would have been simple to set up if selected.
The North Window Solar Reflector was the final part of the project we worked on in the solar energy unit. Instead of making a solar reflector which was attached to the house, we decided to make a stand alone reflector that would reflect maximum amounts of sunlight into the window. The positioning of the reflector is key. To reflect light in the first place you have to have it set at the right angle, and our group especially had to look at the seasons and the positions of the sun to properly decide where to place this reflector.
Reflection
During this project I learned how to take measurements more in depth and learned loads about solar energy. This subject was really interesting
because a lot of the time people don't bother to think about how solar power is used and why/how its used. During this project our design changed several times due to measurements being to big/small or we were off by a couple inches.
I think my group could have done several things better. We could have been much more efficient and neat with how we planned and made things. We also could have tried to be more precise with measurements and research more. We could have made the poster board neater or example. We could have researched more to gain a further understanding and therefore make better models.