[GSBN] energy efficiency.

[Nehemiah Stone]

It might be important to remember that this is a newspaper reporter, and remember who her/his audience is. The reporter is likely looking for a sweeping, usually and generally accurate, estimate. While the nuances of “compared to what?”, and “in what climate?”, are important for builders, energy geeks, and clients who are considering their immediate home-building options, for a newspaper article, those details are in the weeds.
I suggest that you give her/him a range, like “between 20% and 50%.” You should tell the reporter that there are a lot of variables that can affect how big that percentage is, but unless this reporter also writes for a more technical journal, s/he is not likely to want to get into that level of detail.

Best,
Nehemiah Stone
Stone Energy Associates
(916) 663-1225 (office)
www.StoneEnergyAssc.com<http://www.stoneenergyassc.com/> (not yet live)

“The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

From: Gsbn [mailto:gsbn-bounces at sustainablesources.com] On Behalf Of asbn at baubiologie.at
Sent: Friday, May 12, 2017 8:38 AM
To: 'Global Straw Building Network' <gsbn at sustainablesources.com>
Subject: Re: [GSBN] energy efficiency.

Dear Rikki

The question is energy saving compared to what?

We can build straw bale houses in low energy standard (according to the minimum energy standards)
or even as passive house. So the energy saving in this case compared to a conventionally insulated house is zero.
If you build with big bales, this may result (theoretically, without including windows) in half the energy consumption of a passive house.

Important is the saving of preliminary energy compared to conventional insulations and the CO2-storage.
According to Werner Schmidt: „Straw Bale Houses need only 10-15% of the preliminary energy of a conventinal house”.

Compared to a concrete house a straw bale house needs 50 times less energy in production (source: GrAT, TU Vienna)

Liebe Grüße / kind regards
Herbert Gruber
asbn – austrian straw bale network
ph: 0043 2958 83640
mobile: 0043 650 22 16 812
asbn at baubiologie.at<mailto:asbn at baubiologie.at>
www.baubiologie.at<http://www.baubiologie.at/>
www.strawbuilding.eu<http://www.strawbuilding.eu> (ESBA – European Straw Building Association)


Von: Gsbn [mailto:gsbn-bounces at sustainablesources.com] Im Auftrag von Rikki Nitzkin
Gesendet: Freitag, 12. Mai 2017 13:06
An: Global Straw Building Network
Betreff: [GSBN] energy efficiency.

Hi,
A reporter for a National newspaper here in Spain wants to write an article on SB.

She asks me: what is the % of energy savings in a SB house?

Can anyone give me a ball-park figure? o a link to somewhere with reliable data?

I usually compare the centimeters of insulation in a conventional house, to that of SB. But I don’t have the data on what the difference is in real savings…

thanks, Rikki

Rikki Nitzkin
Strawbale Building and Clay Plaster:
education, consulting, and building
www.tallerconco.org<http://www.tallerconco.org>
https://www.facebook.com/TallerConCo

tallerconco at gmail.com<mailto:tallerconco at gmail.com>
(+ 34) 657 335 162

[cid:image001.png at 01D2CD60.F0469E00]
Coordinator & Professional Member of:
[cid:image002.png at 01D2CD60.F0469E00]

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