Monitoring NNH Performance

We recently met with Jeff Christian (Director, Buildings Technology Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory) to get an expert's opinion on determining a strategy to monitor the performance of the New Norris House. We discussed some general areas of focus: temperature, humidity, energy use, daylight, and air/water quality testing. In each case, a different approach to monitoring is to be considered. Jeff was able to show us some useful examples of testing instruments, including thermocouples and thermistors, current transducers, data loggers, pyranometers, etc., but encouraged that we take a close look at our personal monitoring goals and design an instrumentation plan with the exact equipment that best suits our needs. He also extended an invitation to his lab where he could help guide us in constructing our desired testing equipment.

The level of detail that can be monitored is seemingly infinite, so part of our challenge is to pose specific questions and set attainable testing goals that will still acquire enough data for a meaningful study. While our immediate focus remains fixed on the NNH, these monitoring studies could potentially apply to a much larger scope. If we can use our comprehensive data to illustrate the superior performance of the NNH in terms of sustainability, then we can begin comparative studies with older homes in the Norris community as an incentive for homeowners to retrofit these less efficient houses with similar sustainable technology.