Kilowatt Ours Interviews
Jeffrey Christian - Building Technologies Director, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
He is an energy efficiency guru and architect of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's unique living lab of energy-efficient and renewable generating technologies. The pursuit of zero-energy housing has no greater champion than Jeff Christian. In 2002, when the Department of Energy introduced the daunting concept of a house that would produce as much energy as it used, Christian seized the challenge and has not let go.
Jeffrey Christian - Part One
Chapter Nine
- This is a "Net Zero" house with all the amenities of a normal house but with a very tight construction. The ultimate goal is to have the house produce all the energy the house needs.
- With no additional costs we can easily save 30% by building it right.
- Another 30% can be achieved by using the right kind of appliances.
Jeffrey Christian - Part Two
Chapter Nine
- When you have the chance to replace an appliance be sure to purchase an energy saving one so that you can save the 60% or so of operating costs.
- In new construction it is possible to save 15 to 30% of ongoing energy use for the future.
- What we hope is that we can truly attain "Net Zero" energy use.
Jeffrey Christian - Part Three
Chapter Nine
- One way to see how your house stacks up against others is to do an energy audit. Many utilities will do this and show you where you are misusing your energy.
- One of the most promising things a person can do is to pressurize a house and walk around with a smoke producer and see where that smoke goes. You can spot many leaks and save lots.
- Once you have done all the energy efficiency you can do, then adding PV solar collectors makes a huge difference.
- You can actually see this meter reverse itself meaning the house is producing more than it is consuming.
Relevant Links:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Building Technologies Center
- WorldChanging.com: interview with Jeff Christian
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Interview with Jeff Christian
