One of the great things about specializing in modern architecture is that I often have access to architectural drawings & models of a home (in addition to beautiful photos). In the case of 1011 Canyon Edge I have some of the original architectural drawings, but also a Sketchup model:

Since Google enabled the integration of Sketchup models into Google Earth, I thought it would be cool to record a flyby through the canyon. Let me know what you think in the comments below, and don’t forget to come by the open house on Sunday!

Required Disclaimer: The Sketchup model and/or google earth data may not be to scale or 100% accurate.

If my builder pulled up in a ‘Site Commander’, or rode around the jobsite on a heavy-duty Segway, I might have some questions about his fee. Watch the video for all of the features of this builder concept vehicle:

Full details are here: thesitecommander.com (the video text is wrong)

The main features are must-haves for most builders today – internet access and a generator. My builder could have used that coffee maker too.  I think a detachable moped may be more useful than a Segway – for those daily runs to the hardware store for odds and ends.

I’m interested to hear from a few builders – What’s do you think is the best/worst feature on the ‘Site Commander’?  Or what is missing that would be on your dream truck?

I’ve discussed Energy Monitoring in previous posts:

• Home Energy Monitoring
• Home Energy Monitoring – Update 

I have now purchased and installed my own TED Model 1001 energy monitor so I thought I’d share my thoughts.

Energy Detective Details

The Energy Detective (TED) is a fairly simple device – a measurement unit installed in my electrical panel transmits real-time power consumption data to a LCD display.  The display unit tracks peak levels and can display power in kilowatts (kW) or dollars as well as the line voltage.  Here’s what came in the box:

You’ll notice the USB port on the LCD unit – I paid an extra $40 for the TED Footprints software so I can log and view data on my PC.  More on this in a moment.

Installation was fairly straightforward, as long as you don’t mind mucking around in your electrical panel.  I won’t go into detail – you can read the instructions and muck around at your own risk .  If you’d rather avoid the hassle an electrician could easily install this in less than an hour.

Next there are a few setup steps on the Display Unit – you can enter electrical rate details which allows TED to display in dollars (and $/hr).  It works well with the Austin Energy 2 tiered rate model and seasonal rate change. 

Living with The Energy Detective – My Review

I’m not going to say that TED changed my life, but I certainly enjoy having it.  I’m kind of a data addict and TED allows me to measure and track my power consumption.  The first hour or so after I installed it were spent turning on all of our lights and appliances and monitoring the change in kWh.  Kind of nerdy, but an enlightening experience.

For anyone considering the TED, I would highly recommend the Footprints software.  It allows me to connect the TED display to my PC and log the data.  This has been very useful for tracking the performance of our HVAC system as well as monitoring our use-patterns.

All of the above information has helped me to live more efficiently and consider the costs of leaving a light on, or even baking brownies…

Baking with TED

Last weekend I baked a small pan of brownies in our electric oven.  Brownie ingredients are pretty cheap (chocolate, eggs, butter, etc.), but I was curious as to the cost of the ‘embodied energy’ (at least my oven’s contribution).  So I pulled up the TED data for the afternoon, here is a snapshot:

Here is a PDF of the full-size chart: TED-Baking.pdf

This graph shows a lot of good data.  The TED takes a measurement every second, so the x-axis shows the time I spent baking.  The blue plot is the power consumption (in kW) – this is what we’re after.  The red plot is the voltage (RMS) of the power lines – interesting mainly to see the power quality from Austin Energy and to see it drop as I draw more current.

First – Wow!  My oven takes some power!  The plot jumps up about 5 kW when the oven started pre-heating.  I checked my owner’s manual and it turns out I have a 5 kW heating element – this supports the measurement data.  It’s also interesting to see how the heating element turns on and off to maintain the 350 degree temperature.  This is basically the same control algorithm used by your average thermostat – simple but effective.

Also notice the two ~ 2 kW spikes around 2:40 pm – this was when I used the microwave to melt the butter/chocolate mix.  Here’s a closer look at this section of the plot (oven pre-heat and microwave):

With the TED power measurement for each second, I can calculate the total power consumption for baking the brownies.  This is the area under the blue plot in kilowatt-hours.  To be fair I’ll remove the ~0.6 kW base level as this is due to the lights, computer, fridge, etc. in the house. 

So there you have it – Thanks to TED I know that baking brownies required 1.67 kWh of power, which cost me about 12 cents.

Conclusion

You get the idea – The Energy Detective is a neat way to learn more about how you consume electricity, which should help you to be more efficient in your consumption.  I think installing TED is a great idea for builders – costing less than $200 it’s very affordable feature and it can immediately measure/demonstrate the effectiveness of the home and its systems.  Of course TED can eventually pay for itself by helping to reduce wasted energy. 

What do you think?  Is the TED providing worthwhile data or is this too much information?  Share your questions or comments below.

Solar panels are growing in popularity in Austin as we have many sunny days as well as significant rebates from Austin Energy.

This question often comes up when I visit homes with buyers.  “Does this home have good potential for solar power generation?”  Obviously there are several factors:

1. Roof size, angle, and orientation
2. Roof shading from nearby trees and structures
3. Deed restrictions
4. Available rebates

Items 2 – 4 can be quickly determined.  However, calculating the solar power generation potential is a bit more complicated as it depends on the area, angle, and orientation of the roof (Item #1 above).  Of course the path of the sun changes through the year, which should also be taken into account for proper estimation. 

Sounds like a fun exercise right?  Well, if you’d rather avoid the calculation there is a handy website that will take care of it for you.  Check it out: www.roofray.com

With this website all you have to do is find the home on Google Maps and draw the area where the solar panel array would be installed.  You then set the orientation and angle and Roofray does the rest.  Here is an example:

With this information the website can calculate your monthly power generation:

As well as generate a cost-benefit analysis based on your average utility bill and the utility rates for your area.  Here is the break even calculation from my sample report (unfortunately they don’t include our rebate program):

If you’re considering solar, check it out!

Attention Austin artists, architects, designers, creative’s, and Sketchup jockeys – Dwell and Sketchup are holding a little competition:

 

Design Your Dwelling Competition

Here is their description:

What does it mean to feel at home in the modern world? Dwell & Google SketchUp challenge you to explore what this means to you in the "Design Your Dwelling" design competition featuring Google SketchUp software.

Most people define their home as a place where they feel comfortable and secure. But what does that actually look like? What would make it personal to you? Is it scale, materials, sustainability, environment? Only you know for sure. Entry period is July 3-August 31, 2008.

Check out this website for competition details: Design Your Dwelling

Grand Prize Details

Besides the pride and prestige of winning, the grand prize sounds like a lot of fun:

On September 12th the competition winner will be flown to San Francisco, California to join Dwell editors for lunch at the Dwell offices in San Francisco, tour the "site" of their Dwell home, and take the Dwell/AIA architecture home tours in San Francisco. In addition, a physical 3D model of their winning home will be created and displayed in the Dwell headquarters and then gifted to the winner. Airfare will be provided by Google SketchUp and two nights accommodation in San Francisco will be provided by Dwell.

Sketchup Resources

There are several powerful 3d design tools in the marketplace.  Sketchup stands out because it is not only capable of rendering complex and detailed spaces, but it is also very easy to learn.  There are many online resources to help you get started.  Here are a couple:

• 3D Basecamp 2008 Presentations
• Google Sketchup Tutorials

Feel free to add others in the comments.  Let me know if you enter the contest and I’ll post your work here.  Good luck!