Level two · L2-HOME
From a building survey to a verified change in its energy role.
Teaching asset H-01: a 180 m² home with electric resistance heating, annual space heat demand of 20,000 kWh and hot water demand of 4,000 kWh. Other appliances use 6,000 kWh. The proposal combines a 20% reduction in space heat demand, a heat pump with a seasonal factor of 3.2 and 15,000 kWh of solar generation. These are teaching assumptions; a real project requires measured inputs.
Outcome: Prepare and defend a specific home project with energy, power, comfort and cash balances.
Level-one foundations
Start by defining the rooms, equipment, external inputs and useful services inside the project boundary. Record floor area, occupancy, room temperature, hot water use, fuels, contracted power and meter locations. Reconcile meter readings with bills and label estimates.
H-01 initially consumes 30,000 kWh of electricity each year: 24,000 kWh for direct electric heating and 6,000 kWh for appliances. A gas-heated home requires separate fuel and efficiency accounting. The electric-heating example has a different starting cost and loss structure.
The electricity balance records imports and exports across the building boundary. The heat balance records useful heat and its sources. The cash balance records payments, receipts and maintenance over the same period. Define units and signs for each measure.
A heat pump transfers ambient heat. Delivering 20,000 kWh of heat using 6,250 kWh of electricity draws 13,750 kWh from the environment. Include this input in the physical balance. An annual solar surplus describes the home’s electricity position and supports that specific claim about performance.
Q_useful = E_heat_pump + Q_environment B_electric = E_export − E_import
Heating demand depends on the envelope, ventilation, internal gains and the chosen comfort level. Connect each surveyed defect to a demand change. Evaluate insulation at the same temperatures and occupancy; record comfort changes separately.
The 20% reduction in H-01 applies only to the 20,000 kWh space-heating demand. Hot water remains at 4,000 kWh. The modified home needs 20,000 kWh of useful heat. Applying the reduction to the entire bill would overstate the result. For a new building, define the reference design or construction option before comparing outcomes.
Q_after = Q_space × (1 − reduction) + Q_hot_water
Divide useful heat by the seasonal factor for the stated equipment boundary. In this teaching case, 3.2 applies to the heat pump; external pumps and controls add 600 kWh. Add appliances separately. Total electricity is 6,250 + 600 + 6,000 = 12,850 kWh.
When using a measured whole-system seasonal factor, check whether auxiliary loads are already included in its denominator. Adding the same pumps again would double-count consumption. Every efficiency figure needs an explicit list of included equipment.
E_total = Q_after / SPF_heat_pump + E_aux + E_appliances
H-01 generates 15,000 kWh against 12,850 kWh of demand, an annual surplus of 2,150 kWh. With 45% solar self-consumption, it uses 6,750 kWh directly, imports 6,100 and exports 8,250 kWh. Check both meter-side identities.
Then examine monthly and hourly series. Winter demand and summer generation have different profiles. Storage changes the timing of exchange and introduces losses. Export limits, shading and inverter shutdowns can reduce actual generation. The laboratory treats the self-consumption share as a simplified input; a real design derives it from time series.
E_self ≤ min(E_generation, E_total) E_import = E_total − E_self E_export = E_generation − E_self
Annual energy does not determine connection capacity. Check the design cold day, simultaneous equipment operation, starts, backup heating and recovery after an interruption. Define the minimum services to preserve when power is limited.
Test loss of solar generation, lower heat-pump efficiency and an unavailable sensor. Each scenario needs a defined response, decision owner and recovery condition. Estimate thermal inertia using measured temperature change and comfort limits. Any autonomy claim requires its own duration and available-reserve calculation.
The teaching scenario uses an import price of €0.18/kWh, an export payment of €0.06/kWh and €350 of additional annual maintenance. These are hypothetical rates. The post-project annual payment is 6,100 × 0.18 − 8,250 × 0.06 + 350 = €953. The starting bill is €5,400, giving an annual improvement of €4,447.
The home has a positive annual electricity exchange balance while retaining maintenance and energy-purchase costs. Add capital, financing, taxes and replacement as separate cash flows. Any income forecast needs an available sale or service agreement and its conditions.
Annual_payment = E_import × import_price − E_export × export_price + maintenance
Acceptance links each requirement to a measurement: temperature, flow, electrical power, useful heat, noise at an agreed location, protection operation and recovery. Keep diagrams, settings, software versions and source data. Give the owner a short guide for normal operation and failures.
Check metering and behaviour after one month. Reassess settings and the seasonal forecast after a season changes. Verify annual performance over a complete observation period. Practitioner qualification requires an implemented project; a calculation defence demonstrates project readiness. The Sultanguzin Academy route uses this cycle and adds replication in another home.
The annual H-01 model joins heat, electricity and money. Change SPF and solar output independently: an annual surplus still does not describe winter operation.
Status: teaching example
Calculated result
Baseline space and water heating use resistance electricity with a factor of 1. Self-consumption is capped by available generation and demand. SPF here covers the pump; external auxiliaries are added separately. Time profiles, network charges, taxes, investment and autonomy are outside this model.
Calculate the initial electricity use of H-01 and state the assumption linking heat and electricity.
30,000 kWh/year. Direct resistance heating is assumed to convert 1 kWh of electricity into 1 kWh of heat within the stated boundary.
Reduce space heat demand only by 20%, then calculate heat-pump electricity at a factor of 3.2.
Heat: 20,000 kWh. Heat-pump electricity: 6,250 kWh. Including external auxiliaries and appliances: 12,850 kWh.
Using the laboratory defaults, calculate annual electricity balance and annual payment.
Exports minus imports: +2,150 kWh. Payment: +€953. A positive payment is an expense.
Set solar self-consumption to 100% with other inputs unchanged. Explain the calculation limit.
Self-consumption is capped at demand of 12,850 kWh, leaving 2,150 kWh of exports. Hourly mismatch may reduce the feasible share further.
Reduce the heat-pump factor to 2.4 and solar generation by 20%. Calculate demand and the annual balance sign.
Demand is 14,933.33 kWh; generation is 12,000 kWh. Net exchange is −2,933.33 kWh. The inversion forecast is unsupported in this scenario.
For a second home, replace the original heating with gas and change occupancy. List the inputs that must be established again.
Gas use and price, useful heat and boiler seasonal efficiency, occupancy and temperatures, hot water load, electrical auxiliaries, comparison boundaries and the measurement plan.
Choose an existing home or a specific new-build design. Submit an asset passport, monthly balance, metering plan, two technical options, an adverse-condition power calculation, cash-flow model, acceptance programme and post-installation observation plan.
For the calculation defence, another agent receives only the inputs and method and reproduces the result. Practitioner assessment additionally requires implementation records and measurements. The final claim must identify the achieved form of inversion, period, boundary and uncertainty.
Academy teaching rubric: 100 points maximum. The calculation defence requires at least 80 points and all mandatory checks. Practical assessment additionally requires an implemented project and measurements. This page prepares the work; it does not issue certificates automatically.
| Measure | Outcome | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Problem and boundaries | Asset, useful service, units and constraints are defined. | 20 |
| Calculation and data | The main result is reproducible and inputs are traceable. | 25 |
| Result verification | Measurement, comparison and uncertainty match the claim. | 20 |
| Adverse conditions | Failure, changed conditions and recovery are examined. | 15 |
| Operational handover | Owners, acceptance programme and actionable instructions are present. | 10 |
| Transfer to a new asset | New conditions and required adaptations are demonstrated. | 10 |
Units and boundaries are consistent. Every material input has a source. Assumptions and measurements are identified separately. An adverse scenario is tested. The submitted result is reproducible. Practical claims are backed by implemented work.
Fill in your asset details. Keep the downloaded file and pass it to a reviewer with the evidence.
Study the book and prerequisites. Reproduce the reference calculation. Solve the exercises before reading the methods. Prepare a project for a new asset. Return inputs with units and provenance, calculation, applicability limits, an adverse scenario, a measurement plan and questions for the human. Give the package to another agent for independent checking.
Download assignment · TXTExternal material supports method study. Mention does not imply partnership or external Academy accreditation.
Find Homeowners Guide to Heat Pumps and building assessment material. Compare the guidance with the selected unit documentation.
Estimate solar generation for a specific location and configuration. Check the monthly profile and loss assumptions.
Measurement boundaries, baseline and a savings verification plan. Record the chosen protocol edition when applying it.
Requirements, life cycle, system verification and decision traceability.
After one month, check metering and operating conditions. After a season changes, review the forecast and limits. Verify the final claim over its complete stated period. Add new observations to the project history and use them to develop the next exercise.