Chapter 6 - Energy and Atmosphere Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Chapter 6 - Energy and Atmosphere Deck (115)
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1
Q

Potential consequences of global climate change:

A
  • rising sea levels leading to coastal floods
  • severe droughts
  • heat waves
  • disease migration
2
Q

Conventional fossil-based generation of electricity releases:

A
  • Carbon dioxide

- Contributes to global climate change

3
Q

Coal-fired electric utilities emit:

A
  • Nitrogen oxide: key element in smog
  • Sulfur dioxide: key element of acid rain
  • Contributes to disruption of habitat and devastate landscapes
4
Q

Natural gas is major source of:

A

Nitrogen oxides and greenhouse gas emissions

5
Q

E&A credits focus on:

A

reducing energy use and demand and encouraging energy accountability and renewable energy

6
Q

What is the Fundamental Commissioning and Verification intent?

A

To support the design, construction, and eventual operation of a project that meets the owner’s project requirements (OPR) for energy, water, indoor environmental quality, and durability

7
Q

What is commissioning?

A

Is the process of verifying and documenting that a building and all of its systems and assemblies are planned, designed, installed, tested, operated, and maintained to meet the owner’s project requirements

8
Q

What is an Owner’s project requirements (OPR)?

A

Is a written document that details the ideas, concepts, and criteria determined by owner to be important to the success of the project.

9
Q

What does the OPR details?

A

It details the functional requirements of a project and the expectations of how it will be used and operated

10
Q

What issues does the OPR addresses?

A
  • Owner and User requirements: primary purpose, program, and use of the proposed project
  • Goals: program needs, future expansion, flexibility, quality of materials, sustainability goals
11
Q

Benefits of Commissioning:

A
  • Reduced energy use
  • Lower operating costs
  • reduced contractor callbacks
  • better building documentations
  • improved occupant productivity
  • verification of systems performance according to OPR
  • improves energy efficiency by 5-10%
12
Q

Cost of commissioning:

A
  • may add 1% total project cost. Savings far outweigh this cost
  • For existing buildings: $0.72/ft2, whole-building energy savings of 15% and payback time of 0.7 years
  • For new constructions: $1.00 (0.6% of total construction costs), payback time of 4.8 years
13
Q

Fundamental Commissioning and Verification prerequisites:

A
  • Complete commissioning (Cx) process activities for MEP and renewable every systems and assemblies. According to ASHRAE Guideline
    • Develop the OPR
    • Develop a BOD
14
Q

What is BOD?

A

Basis of Design is a written document that includes design information necessary to accomplish the OPR

15
Q

What does the BOD include?

A
  • Primary design assumptions: space use, climatic design conditions, space zoning, occupancy
  • Standards: codes, guidelines, regulations
  • Narrative descriptions: performance criteria of MEP and other systems that are to be commissioned
16
Q

When should the BOD be completed?

A

By the Design team prior to the approval of contractor submittals of any commissioning equip. or system.

17
Q

Commissioning plan is:

A

a document that outlines the organization, schedule, allocation of resources, and documentations requirements of the commissioning process. Plan to assign responsibilities and tasks

18
Q

Commissioning authority (CxA) responsibilities:

A
  • Review OPR, BOD, and project design
  • Develop and implement a Cx plan
  • Confirm incorporation of Cx requirements into the construction documents
  • Develop construction checklist
  • Develop system test procedure
  • Verify system test execution
  • Maintain issues and benefits log throughout the Cx process
  • prepare final Cx process report
  • Document all findings and recommendations and report directly to the owner
19
Q

Current Facilities Requirements and Operations and Maintenance Plan must include:

A
  • sequence of operation for the building
  • building occupancy schedule
  • equipment run-time schedule
  • setpoints for all HVAC equip.
  • set lighting level thruout the building
  • minimum outside air requirement
  • any change in schedules or setpoints for diff. seasons, days of the week, and times of day
  • system narrative describing the mech. and elec. systems and equipment
  • preventive maintenance plan
  • commissioning program that includes periodic commissioning requirements, ongoing commissioning tasks, and continuous tasks for critical facilitites
20
Q

CxA qualifications:

A
  • Must have experience on 2+ building projects with similar scope.
  • Must not be part of the project neither in the design or construction team
21
Q

Enhanced commissioning (ECx) intent:

A

To further support the design, construction, and eventual operation of a project that meets the OPR for energy, water, indoor environmental quality, and durability

22
Q

Additional CxA responsibilities in ECx:

A
  • Gets involved early in the conceptual design and finishes late in the construction phase.
  • review contractor submittals
  • verify inclusion of systems manual requirements in CDs
  • verify inclusion of operator and occupant training requirements in CDs
  • verify systems manual updates and delivery
  • verify operator and occupant training delivery and effectiveness
  • verify seasonal testing
  • review building operations 10 months after substantial completion. Warranty is still valid for many equip. and systems
  • develop on-going commissioning plan
23
Q

FCx vs ECx :

A

ECx covers all FCx plus:

  • Review contractor submittals
  • CxA participation in the design and construction phases
  • CxA provides operational training
  • Review building operations 10 months after completion
  • Measurement and Verification of the commissioning plan
  • Envelope Commissioning
24
Q

Retro-commissioning is:

A

commissioning process that can be performed on existing buildings. Usually occurs at least one year after the building has been occupied

25
Q

Building automation system (BAS):

A
  • Collects data about a building’s systems and tract it over time
  • Used to determine trends or anomalies
26
Q

Minimum Energy Performance intent:

A

Reduce the environmental and economic harms of excessive energy use by achieving baseline building standards ASHRAE 90.1 2010

27
Q

ASHRAE 90.1 2010

A
  • provides minimum requirements for energy-efficient design of buildings
  • LEED encourages design to have lower energy costs than standards
28
Q

Minimum Energy Performance requirement:

A
  • New buildings: 5% improvement over ASHRAE
  • Renovation of existing buildings: 3% over ASHRAE
  • Core and shell: 2% over ASHRAE
29
Q

Most commonly energy code used in US:

A

International Energy Conservation Code

30
Q

Min. Energy Performance comparison against baseline:

A
  • LEED BD+C : ASHRAE 90.1
  • LEED for homes: ENERGYSTAR for Homes
  • LEED Homes and Multifamilies: HERS ( Home Energy Rating System)
31
Q

We pay electricity based on:

A

Energy, btu and Power, KW

32
Q

Energy Use Intensity (EUI):

A
  • expresses a building’s energy use as a function of its size or other characteristics
  • Energy/building area per year, Kbtu
  • A low EUI = good energy performance
  • LEED buildings’ EUI are 24% lower than typical buildings’.
33
Q

EPA’s ENERGYSTAR Portfolio Manager:

A
  • Used to compare buildings of a similar size and function or against itself over a period of years.
34
Q

Process Energy:

A

generally comes from equipment that is plugged into a wall outlet

35
Q

Examples of Process Energy:

A

Computers, office equipment, kitchen stoves, kitchen refrigerators, washer and dryers, elevators and escalators

36
Q

Non-process Energy or regulated energy:

A

generally includes built-in building components

37
Q

Examples of non-process energy:

A

Interior and exterior lighting, HVAC (heating, cooling, fans, pumps), hot water heating, toilet exhaust, parking garage ventilation

38
Q

According to USGBC, on average, the max. and min. distribution of energy use by systems is:

A
  • Max: Space heating: 36%

- Office Equipment: 1%

39
Q

Six ways to save energy:

A
  • turn it off
  • turn it down
  • increase efficiency
  • reduce demand
  • harvest energy/recover waste energy
  • shift energy demand to off-peak periods
40
Q

Turn it off strategy:

A
  • Maximize day lighting
  • Occupancy sensors
  • Natural ventilation
41
Q

Turn it down strategy:

A
  • Reduce ambient lighting and complement with task lighting
  • Use of dimmers
  • Digital Control ( e.g chiller waste, fans, pumps, and condenser motors)
  • Demand control ventilation
42
Q

Increase efficiency strategy:

A
  • Increase chiller efficiency (+tons/KW)
  • Increase boiler effic. (+Mbtuh/KW)
  • Increase effic. of domestic water heaters
  • increase lighting efficiency (+lumes/kW) T5 fluorescent lighting
  • Use more effic. design (displacement/under-floor ventilation)
43
Q

What is Energy Efficiency?

A

The use of technology that required less energy to perform the same function as a conventional item

44
Q

What is Lighting power density?

A

Is the installed lighting power per unit area - the amount of electrical power used to illuminate a space. (W)

45
Q

Plug loads or receptacles are:

A

electrical current drawn by all equipment connected to the electrical system via a wall.

46
Q

Are plug loads part of the building’s energy use calculations?

A

yes, for better efficiency try ENERGYSTAR fixtures

47
Q

Cogeneration or Combined heat and power (CHP)

A

Is a electricity generation technology, which recovers waste heat from the electric generation process to produce simultaneously other forms of useful energy, such as heat or steam.

48
Q

Benefits of Cogeneration:

A
  • Converts more than 70% of fuel into usable energy

- reduces pollution and greenhouse gas emissions

49
Q

District Energy System (DES):

A

Central energy conversion plant, transmission, and distribution system that provides thermal energy to a group of buildings. Does not include central electric energy systems

50
Q

Reduce Demand strategy:

A
  • passive design
  • high performance glazing
  • insulated exterior walls (high R factor)
  • Increase thermostat setpoint as long as it does not exceed code requirement
51
Q

Passive design:

A

use ambient energy sources instead of purchased energy like electricity or natural gas.

52
Q

Examples of Passive design strategies:

A
  • daylighting
  • natural ventilation
  • solar energy
53
Q

Harvest energy/recover wast energy strategy:

A
  • building integrated photovoltaics
  • Wind energy
  • solar thermal systems (for hot water)
  • Geothermal heating and electric systems
54
Q

How to increase building efficiency in building energy use?

A

by using LED lighting, ENERGYSTAR appliances and equipment, high efficiency HVAC systems and boilers.

55
Q

Shift energy demand to off peak periods strategy

A
  • use cooling thermal energy storage

- use absorption chillers

56
Q

ASHRAE 90.1 standards and requirements are assigned based on:

A

the building’s climate zones

57
Q

Energy Simulation:

A

Computer- generated representation of anticipated energy consumption of a building. 5 energy simulation runs are required:
- 1 Proposed Design simulation
- 4 Baseline Design
-

58
Q

Proposed Design simulation:

A

models the building as designed . The total annual energy cost taken by this simulation is called “Proposed Building Performance”

59
Q

Baseline Design simulation

A

usually 4 identical models that only orientation for each is modified. The average of total annual energy cost is taken as a Baseline Building
Performance

60
Q

Whole-Building Energy simulation- credit + prerequisite:

A
  • Comply with ASHRAE 90.1

- Perform energy model to show cost savings

61
Q

Prescriptive Compliance: ASHRAE advanced Energy Design guide- credit + prerequisite:

A
  • comply with ASHRAE 90.1
  • follow ASHRAE 90.1 advanced energy design guide requirements
  • eligible projects: K-12 schools, hospital over 100k sf, office buildinds < 100k sf, retail buildings between 20k and 100k sf
62
Q

Prerequisite Compliance: Advance Buildings Core Performance Guide- Prerequisite only:

A
  • comply with ASHRAE 90.1
  • Design process strategies
  • Core performance requirements
  • implement enhanced performance strategies
  • projects must be > 100k sf
  • healthcare, warehouses, or laboratories are not eligible
63
Q

Enhanced performance strategies:

A
  • Supply air temperature reset (VAV)
  • premium economizer performance
  • Variable speed control
64
Q

Optimize Energy Performance intent:

A

To reduce environmental and economic harms of excessive energy use

65
Q

Optimize Energy Performance requirements:

A
  • Whole-building energy simulation
  • prescriptive compliance: ASHRAE advanced energy deisgn
  • Prerequisite compliance: advanced building core performance guise
66
Q

Optimize Energy performance Responsible parties

A
  • energy analyst
  • architect
  • MEP engineer
67
Q

Components of the building envelope that would be included in the energy model?

A
  • roof
  • spray foam insulation
  • windows
68
Q

What are some strategies to increase energy performance for EA credit 1?

A
  • Reduce demand by optimizing the building orientation

- use ventilation cooling for space conditioning

69
Q

Building-Level Energy Metering intent:

A

To support energy management and identify opportunities for additional energy savings by tracking building-level energy use

70
Q

Building-Level Energy Metering- all rating system adaptations except core and shell:

A
  • provide energy metering devices for all energy inputs

- commit to sharing whole-building energy usage data for 5 years or until a change in ownership or lesse

71
Q

Building-Level Energy Metering - Core and Shell:

A

same as all rating system adaptations but pertaining only the base building

72
Q

Advanced energy metering intent:

A

To support energy management and identify opportunities for addition energy savings

73
Q

Advanced energy metering - all but core and shell requirements:

A

install advanced energy metering for all whole-building energy sources and any individual energy end use that is 10% or more of the total annual use

74
Q

Advanced energy metering - core and shell:

A
  • install advanced energy metering for all base building energy sources
  • install meter for future tenant spaces
  • minimum one meter per energy source per floor
75
Q

Advanced energy metering must meet:

A
  • meters are permanently installed, max. record level of 1h, and transmit data to a remote location
  • electric meters must record consumption and demand
  • data collection system must use a local area network, building automation system, wireless network, or comparable communication infrastructure
  • system must be capable of storing all data for at least 36 months
  • data must be remotely accessible
  • all meters in system must be able to report hourly, daily, monthly, and annualy
76
Q

Energy use data over time can assist in the identification of which following issues?

A
  • solar panel failure

- boiler malfunction

77
Q

Fundamental Refrigerant Management intent:

A

To reduce stratospheric ozone depletion

78
Q

what are refrigerants?

A

working fluids of refrigeration cycles that absorb heat from reservoir at low temperatures and reject heat at higher temperatures

79
Q

What are halons?

A

substances used in fire suppression systems and fire extinguishers in buildings. These substances deplete the stratospheric ozone layer.

80
Q

Types of refrigerants:

A
  • Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
  • Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)
  • Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
81
Q

CFCs refrigerants:

A

have long atmospheric life that causes harm to the ozone layer. CFCs are man-made

82
Q

HCFCs refrigerants:

A

cause significantly less depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer compared to CFCs

83
Q

HFCs refrigerants:

A

do not deplete the ozone layer. However, some HFCs have high global warming potential, thus are not environmental benign

84
Q

Fundamental Refrigerants Management prerequisites:

A
  • do not use CFC-based refrigerants in new HVAC&R systems
  • if existing systems contain CFC-based refrigerants, complete CFC phase-out conversion before project completion
85
Q

Fundamental Refrigerants Management requirements:

A
  • Base building HVAC&R equipment: any permanently installed equipment that contain more than 0.5 lb of refrigerant.
  • Low values of ODP and GWP on refrigerants
86
Q

Enhanced Refrigerant Management intent:

A

To reduce ozone depletion and support early compliance with the Montreal Protocol

87
Q

Montreal Protocol:

A
  • Banned CFCs
  • Phase-out HCFCs after 2030
  • 90% of HCFCs phase-out by 2015
88
Q

Enhanced Refrigerant Management credit requirements:

A
  • No refrigerants or low-impact refrigerants use

- Calculation of refrigerant impact: all HVAC&R equipment

89
Q

Enhanced Refrigerant Management credit requirements (LEED retail only):

A
  • Refrigerant must have 0 ODP
  • HFC charge of 1.75 lb per 1000 Btu/h total evaporator cooling load
  • show 15% or less annual refrigerant emission rante. Conduct leak testing using GreenChill’s guidelines
90
Q

Enhanced Refrigerant Management strategies:

A
  • refrigerants should have small ODP and GWP
    Minimize refrigerant leakage
  • Select equipment with efficient refrigerant charge
  • Select equipment with long service life
91
Q

Demand Response Intent:

A

To increase participation in demand responses technologies that make energy generation and distribution systems more efficient, increase grid reliability, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions

92
Q

What is demand response?

A

allows utilities to call on buildings to decrease their electricity use during peak times

93
Q

Demand response requirements:

A
  • demand response thru load shedding or shifting in buildings.
  • electric utility program must participate
  • if no electric program is available, infrastructure for future participation is required
94
Q

Demand Response strategies:

A
  • Demand Response Event: defined period of time when the utility calls for a reduction in peak demand by users
95
Q

Demand Response benefits:

A
  • Reduce energy costs

- reduce reliance on fossil fuels

96
Q

Renewable Energy Production intent:

A

To reduce the environmental and economic harms associated with fossil fuel energy by increasing self-supply of renewable energy

97
Q

Renewable Energy Production requirements:

A

Use on-site renewable energy to offset 1%. 5%, 10% of building energy cost using energy model or CBECS database

98
Q

% renewable energy calculation

A

Equivalent cost of usable energy produced by the renewable energy/ total building annual energy cost

99
Q

Eligible Renewable energy sources:

A
  • Electrical systems: photovoltaics, wind, low-impact hydro, wave, tidal, and certain bio-fuel based electrical production such as, untreated wood waste, agricultural wood waste, animal waste, organic waste, landfill gas
  • Geothermal systems: using deep-earth water or steam sources (not using vapor compression systems for heat transfer)
  • Solar Thermal systems: Active solar thermal energy systems such as hot water tank
100
Q

Not Eligible Renewable sources:

A
  • Architectural features: passive solar and daylight strategies
  • Geo-exchange systems: a.k.a geo-thermal or ground source heat pumps
  • Green power: green power products
  • Some bio-fuels: combustion of municipal solid waste, forest biomass waste, wood coated with plastic, laminate, or paint, wood with hazardous chemical preservatives
101
Q

Renewable Energy Production strategies:

A
  • Net metering
  • Net-zero Energy
  • water balance
  • Carbon neutrality
102
Q

Net-Zero Energy building:

A

it relies on renewable sources to produce as much energy as it uses, usually as measured over the course of a year. Starts with energy conscious design.

103
Q

water balance is:

A

is the use of no more water than which falls on the site as precipitation

104
Q

What is carbon neutrality?

A

Is emitting no more carbon emissions than the project can sequester or offset

105
Q

Which could be sources of onsite renewable energy?

A
  • bio-fuel made from agricultural waste
  • wood chips left over from a mill
  • low-impact hydroelectric
106
Q

Green Power and Carbon offsets intent:

A

To encourage the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions thru the use of grid-source, renewable energy technologies, and carbon mitigation projects

107
Q

Green Power and Carbon offsets requirements:

A
  • Engage in a contract to purchase 50% or 100% of the project’s energy from one or more of the following for a minimum of 5 years:
  • Green Power
  • Carbon offsets
  • Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) for at least 5 years
  • Determine the % of gree power or offsets based on the quantity of energy consumed, not the cost
  • Green power and RECs must be Green-e Energy certified
  • Carbon offsets must be Green-e Climate certified
108
Q

Renewable Energy Certificates (REC):

A
  • REC represents the environmental, social, and other attributes of power generated by renewable sources. May be sold separately from electricity
  • REC represents the reduced emission of renewable energy compared to conventional fossil fuels. Sold separately. Anyone can purchase a REC
  • RECs have no geographic constraints
  • RECs are also called green-tags and compensate Green-e generators for the premium of production over the market rate
109
Q

Carbon offsets:

A
  • A unit of carbon dioxide equivalent that is reduced, avoided, or sequestered to compensate for emissions occurring elsewhere
  • Can be purchased to help fund projects
  • one way to achieve carbon neutrality is to purchase carbon offsets
110
Q

Projects eligible to get funds by purchasing carbon offsets:

A
  • reforestation
  • wind farm
  • truck stop electrification projects
  • planting trees
  • preserving forest
  • changing land-use
  • methane abatement
111
Q

Which is true for projects using both electricity and natural gas energy inputs, related with green power and carbon offsets?

A
  • Both gas and electric use must be considered when attempting green power
  • the project must purchase green power, carbon offsets, or RECs to earn green power
112
Q

What renewable energy systems are not eligible for EA credit 2 on-site RE?

A
  • Passive solar architectural features

- Tradable renewable certificates

113
Q

Demand Reduction strategies:

A
  • Reduce the amount of energy needed for building operations
  • Focus on design strategies such as positioning a building to optimize sunlight and including large, operable windows for light and ventilation
  • Reduce the economic and environmental impacts of excessive energy use
114
Q

Energy Efficiency strategies

A
  • Focus on mechanical improvements such as installing energy-efficient appliances
  • increase energy performance compared to a baseline building or energy code
115
Q

Generate on-site energy:

A

refers to clean, carbon-free energy produced on the building site from sources such as solar panels, solar hot water, and wind.