Power Budget

1. The 3,000 kWh budget for the i-MiEV assumes about 9,000 miles driven per year.  This budget would be similar for the Nissan Leaf, may be higher for the GM Volt because it is larger and heavier.
2. HVAC – The projection assumes that both houses would require both heating and cooling.  There are US Sunbelt regions where little or no heating is required, but usually cooling demand is much higher in these locales.  In the KONAUS™ House HVAC is very fungible.  Since the KONAUS™ House will utilize on-demand high-efficiency AC, and the latest heat pump technology, its total HVAC power budget will vary little because of geography.  The efficiency, and demand usage of the HVAC system, coupled with the expected much improved energy efficiency of the KONAUS™ House construction yields a dramatic energy savings over current technology.
3. Appliances – Significant energy gains are accomplished by specifying Energy Star certified appliances that are widely available.
4. Water Heating – The comparison assumes a heat-pump technology water heater in the KONAUS™ House, and a standard electric hot water heater in the existing house.  The energy budget could be reduced further to 100 – 200 kWh by using a passive solar hot water heating panel.
5. Lighting – The KONAUS™ House saves large amounts of energy by totally eliminating incandescent lighting in favor of CFLs and LEDs.
6. Electronics – Efficient computer and entertainment systems – that shut off totally when not in use – accomplish big energy savings.
7. Many other energy consumers will also be under “smarthouse” control and have high Energy Star certifications.
8. Total Annual Energy Consumption – Not only does the KONAUS™ House use much less power than the existing house, it does so while supplying all of the power for the electric vehicle.  A 6 – 8 kW solar photovoltaic (PV) system should supply all of the “net metered” power required by the KONAUS™ House all year.