Week 4 Questions
Zero Net Energy (ZNE buildings) require more than a well-coordinated integrated design process and detailed, considered design; to truly reach zero net energy, a building also needs to be operated and occupied with a detailed, considered approach.
Building occupants use a great deal of energy that is difficult to account for accurately in the design process for several reasons, primarily the inherent variance in occupier use and the lack of inclusion of occupier energy use in regulatory codes. To model energy use in the design phase of a ZNE building, occupant densities and hours of operation must be set through expectations and approximations. Because these numbers are often higher than planned, the actual energy use of a building is equally as often higher than what was modeled. Another major user of energy is plug loads. When occupants plug in devices and equipment, and especially when items are continuously plugged in, energy use increases significantly.
There are several approaches to counteracting this occupant energy use. One of the most important is occupant engagement and education, including awareness initiatives, that inform people of the energy that they are actually using. Examples of this are green campaigns, dashboards that provide immediate user feedback regarding energy use by devices and lighting, and simple communication such as daily emails that remind occupants to shut down their computers at the end of the day.
The significant effect of plug loads upon overall energy use requires particular attention. Advanced plug strips with schedule controls and controlled wall outlets both help a great deal in reducing the negative effect of continuous plug loads, especially while a building is unoccupied. More efficient appliances and equipment also go a long way towards negating this issue.
Another important approach is the use of commissioning and monitoring, which allow for adjustments to be made quickly rather than after a standard annual cycle. If energy use is much higher during the first several weeks of occupancy, and this is known, necessary adjustments can be made quickly to help the building reach ZNE status. Involvement of the design team over the initial year of occupancy can contribute to this, as well as to the education and awareness efforts.
A crucial aspect to the continued development of the ZNE building market is data. Currently, accurate and complete data is often difficult to find. As more data becomes available, education of owners, developers, and designers will help to expand the ZNE building market and result in a much larger number of ZNE buildings. Data also proves what a ZNE approach can achieve, thereby making it seem more attainable and desirable to a wider range of people.
Benchmarking, the submission of energy use data, is extremely important to the ZNE building movement as it leads to a more comprehensive understanding of actual energy use. This then allows energy use goals to be set, and reveals the feasibility of ZNE strategies. New York and Seattle have had success with benchmarking, and in the process have set a strong example for others to follow in the near future.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Week 3 Questions
It is extremely important to monitor building energy and water use for several reasons.
One is that monitoring usage allows for the adjustment of building systems and the potentially significant reduction of energy and water consumption. If there is a thorough understanding of use, informed decisions can be made and efficient adjustments can be implemented.
An example of this is the VIU building, which had much higher energy consumption than was originally predicted. Because extensive monitoring software was used in the project, it was determined that gas, primarily the boiler gas loads, was one of the major reasons for this. The use of separate meters for lighting, plug loads, and boilers provided the necessary data to resolve the issue.
Another reason for the importance of monitoring energy and water use is that it provides data that allows for increased awareness and education. For example, when water use is monitored, a device can be placed a water fountain to graphically show the user how many water bottles are being saved.
A long term benefit of monitoring the energy and water use in a building is that it provides a resource for future modeling. The more data that is available, the more accurate modeling will be and the more efficient future design will be.
The AIA states that energy is a design problem, and they are undoubtedly correct. Energy use, especially when considered in a modern, sustainable fashion, is absolutely integral to a building.
Energy use strategies have a significant impact upon a building in the physical sense, from site orientation to form to material selection, as well as the building systems. They also inform the experiential aspect of a building: the influence of energy usage in the design of an atrium or a facade invariably affects the way in which users experience and occupy a building. An example of this is the Genzyme building in Cambridge, with its massive atrium that directly impacts the way in which employees work and interact. Creating this atmosphere while addressing energy usage is an iterative process, and certainly is a design problem.
Energy is a design problem in another sense as well, in that the way in which the design process is structured is inherently different when energy use is a primary goal of a project. Due to the complexity of energy efficient building systems, an integrated design process in which all team members work in a highly collaborative environment is arguably necessary. Creating this environment, and maintaining it, is a type of design problem.
Water is also a design problem. The rapid increase in water consumption over recent years has created an issue with supply and availability, and as a result a new design problem has arisen: how can water needs be addressed more efficiently to reduce consumption, and how can they be addressed on site to increase supply?
Paula Kehoe and Sarah Rhodes, in their article "Water Efficiency", suggest that creating new supplies is equal in importance to conserving consumption. They also note that toilet flushing, as a significant percentage of overall use, is something that can be addressed through treatment and reuse of water that is already on site. Resolving the issue of water consumption is certainly possible, but not easy, and therefore the search for more efficient solutions throughout the design of a building can be considered a design problem.
It is extremely important to monitor building energy and water use for several reasons.
One is that monitoring usage allows for the adjustment of building systems and the potentially significant reduction of energy and water consumption. If there is a thorough understanding of use, informed decisions can be made and efficient adjustments can be implemented.
An example of this is the VIU building, which had much higher energy consumption than was originally predicted. Because extensive monitoring software was used in the project, it was determined that gas, primarily the boiler gas loads, was one of the major reasons for this. The use of separate meters for lighting, plug loads, and boilers provided the necessary data to resolve the issue.
Another reason for the importance of monitoring energy and water use is that it provides data that allows for increased awareness and education. For example, when water use is monitored, a device can be placed a water fountain to graphically show the user how many water bottles are being saved.
A long term benefit of monitoring the energy and water use in a building is that it provides a resource for future modeling. The more data that is available, the more accurate modeling will be and the more efficient future design will be.
The AIA states that energy is a design problem, and they are undoubtedly correct. Energy use, especially when considered in a modern, sustainable fashion, is absolutely integral to a building.
Energy use strategies have a significant impact upon a building in the physical sense, from site orientation to form to material selection, as well as the building systems. They also inform the experiential aspect of a building: the influence of energy usage in the design of an atrium or a facade invariably affects the way in which users experience and occupy a building. An example of this is the Genzyme building in Cambridge, with its massive atrium that directly impacts the way in which employees work and interact. Creating this atmosphere while addressing energy usage is an iterative process, and certainly is a design problem.
Energy is a design problem in another sense as well, in that the way in which the design process is structured is inherently different when energy use is a primary goal of a project. Due to the complexity of energy efficient building systems, an integrated design process in which all team members work in a highly collaborative environment is arguably necessary. Creating this environment, and maintaining it, is a type of design problem.
Water is also a design problem. The rapid increase in water consumption over recent years has created an issue with supply and availability, and as a result a new design problem has arisen: how can water needs be addressed more efficiently to reduce consumption, and how can they be addressed on site to increase supply?
Paula Kehoe and Sarah Rhodes, in their article "Water Efficiency", suggest that creating new supplies is equal in importance to conserving consumption. They also note that toilet flushing, as a significant percentage of overall use, is something that can be addressed through treatment and reuse of water that is already on site. Resolving the issue of water consumption is certainly possible, but not easy, and therefore the search for more efficient solutions throughout the design of a building can be considered a design problem.
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