DeepSummary
Robert Bean, a registered engineering technologist, discusses the importance of an integrated design approach in building construction that considers factors like human health, comfort, energy efficiency, and exergy efficiency. He advocates for designing buildings around the needs of occupants rather than segregating different aspects like electrical, mechanical, and interior design.
Bean explains the differences between convection-based heating systems like furnaces and radiant-based systems like radiant floors or ceilings. He emphasizes the need to control humidity for various reasons like thermal comfort, respiratory health, and reducing moisture damage, rather than just worrying about condensation.
The concept of exergy, or the maximum capacity for useful work from energy conversion, is introduced. Bean argues that society needs to understand exergy efficiency, as non-renewable resources like natural gas are often used inefficiently for low-temperature heating applications when their high temperatures could have been used for more valuable industrial processes.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- The importance of an integrated design approach in building construction that considers human health, comfort, energy efficiency, and exergy efficiency.
- The differences between convection-based heating systems (e.g., furnaces) and radiant-based systems (e.g., radiant floors, ceilings).
- The need for proper humidity control in buildings for reasons like thermal comfort, respiratory health, and reducing moisture damage.
- The concept of exergy efficiency, or maximizing the useful work from energy conversion, particularly in the context of using non-renewable resources like natural gas efficiently.
- The inefficient use of high-temperature energy sources like natural gas for low-temperature heating applications, when those high temperatures could have been used for more valuable industrial processes.
- The disconnect between society's understanding of appropriate energy use and the inefficient practices in building design and heating systems.
- The importance of considering the radiant component of heat transfer, which accounts for a significant portion of the human body's energy release.
- The potential for renewable energy sources like solar thermal or heat pumps to provide more exergy-efficient heating solutions compared to traditional combustion systems.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “Because I'm anti segregated design, as if.“ by Robert Bean
- “And when we talk about. Let's take an example. Let's take a 25 pound sledgehammer, and that's pound in a finishing nail. The 25 pound sledgehammer is an industrial tool for a non industrial application of putting in a finishing nail.“ by Robert Bean
- “So entropy is basically a measure of disorder.“ by Robert Bean
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Episode Information
The Energy Transition Show with Chris Nelder
XE Network
10/4/17