BCIT SEMAC - CESA 5300 Energy Systems

Assignment #1 - High Performance Buildings

Student Name: Jose Daniel Posada_____ Student #: A01010951_________________

Read “Building with a Mission” in High Performance Buildings Magazine (attached file
or http://www.hpbmagazine.org/past-issues), and based on the article, answer the
following questions.
Assignment to be uploaded to the Dropbox.

1. Describe the passive systems utilized for the building envelope (building structure,
envelope, orientation, insulation).
The passive systems utilized for the building envelope include:
- Improved wall insulation by adding R-10 interior insulation to existing wall
assembly, continuous R-10 insulation on the outside of the new construction
- R-30 insulated roofs with green surface through native low irrigation plants.
- Improved airtightness of the old building by repairing bricks and repointing
masonry enclosure,
- Adding high-efficiency, thermally insulated fenestration with a U factor of 0.3
- For the new construction, an air barrier, vapour barriers, rainscreen cladding, and
thermally isolated sub-framing cladding support system, in conjunction with use
of mock-ups, reducing water leakage, air leakage, thermal bridging and
condensation
- 35% window-to-wall ratio with south-facing window shading with a glass wall in
the middle of the south façade protected
- Building orientation facilitates heat exchange between southern and northern
façades
2. Describe the active and passive examples of lighting systems utilized and describe
which are active and which passive.
The passive and active systems utilized for the lighting systems include:
- Daylighting through a central atrium (passive).
- High window-to-wall ratio allows for natural light (passive).
- Controlled roof monitor for interior space day light (active).
- Daylight and occupancy sensors on light fixtures (active).
- Reduced artificial light levels (active).
3. Describe the active and passive examples of heating, ventilation and air conditioning
systems (including heat recovery) utilized and describe which are active and which
passive.
The passive and active systems utilized for HVAC systems include:
- Zone comfort control through VRF heat pumps (active).
- Dedicated outdoor air system reduces the energy requirements of space
conditioning by concentrating sensible loads on terminal VRF units (active).
- Gas fired rooftop unit with heat-wheel heat recovery for variable supply of
tempered ventilation through a variable air volume (VAV) system, based on CO2
and pressure sensors that identify changes from operable openings (active).
- Economizer air delivery for cooling through the DOAS (active).
- Distributing loads between internal zones and external facades through zonal heat
exchange (active).
- Maximize diversity by having multiple zones to increase space cooling load
capacity by 25% to 50% using the same 20-ton condenser (passive).
- Low flow fixtures for 44% DHW reduction (active).
- Electrochromic glass sunscreen adjusts with outdoor air temperature to shade
southern exposed glass and reduce cooling load (active).
- Large wall glass on the south façade to allow for heat gain during sunny days
(passive).
- Actuated roof monitor provides natural ventilation parallel to the DOAS (passive
and active).
4. Describe any examples of renewable energy utilized
The renewable energy systems utilized include:
- Array of solar photovoltaic panels located on the roof.
- 35% of electricity is sourced from renewable energy through a green power
provider, mostly hydroelectric power.
5. What examples of building controls are provided in the case study?
The building controls provided in the case study include:
- Occupancy sensors for temperature control of zones.
- Control of VAV zones from CO2 sensors for ventilation requirements.
- Temperature sensors for actuation of roof monitor.
- Temperature sensors for opacity control of electrochromic glass.
- Pressure sensors to determine operable openings and required ventilation rates.
- Flow control of refrigerant on terminal heat pumps based on occupancy and zone
temperature.
- Speed control of rooftop fan on VAV system.
- Control of lighting based on occupancy and available natural lighting.

6. Did the article refer to building commissioning? Describe the impact it had?
The article mentioned the importance of balancincing the HVAC system upon start-
up and providing a system that enabled people to make better decisions on when to
open operable windows based on exterior weather conditions.

7. Did the article refer to building simulation or modelling? If so, what benefit did this
have? If not, what application do you think it could have had.
DOE2-based software eQUEST was used to simulate the energy performance of the
building. The building simulation allowed to estimate the benefits of different energy
efficiency measures to select the most impactful measures to be used in the building
and select a design path for the building, as well as to have an estimate of the
consumption that the building would have upon start-up in a base case scenario to
have a baseline for performance improvement.
8. Did the article refer to energy performance monitoring and results. Describe the
results and how it compared to expectations.
Energy monitoring was performed to quantify the energy consumed during operation
of the building. The building’s first year energy use intensity (EUI) was 36 kBtu/
ft2·yr, just below the energy model EUI of 38 kBtu/ft2 · yr. Annual actual energy
costs are $0.98/ft2, just above the modeled $0.95/ft2. The energy performance
monitoring aligned closely with the estimated modelled performance and validated
the efficacy of the EEMs utilized.

9. What other examples of “success” were cited beyond any answers above?
The costs savings attained from operation strengthened the case for sustainability and
energy conservation. The dedicated DOES provided over a 30% increment in fresh
air over the minimum required standard while consuming less energy. The old
building provided additional structural strength to the new construction. 20% of
materials had recycled content. Building layout gives best views, daylight access and
fresh air to the occupants. The green roof allowed for the building to not contribute to
the City’s thermal islanding.

10. What were some lessons learned from this case study beyond any answers above?
The savings from the DOAS was higher than had been estimated and the natural gas
consumption was lower than modelled. Also, operable windows on common areas
were not diligently opened and closed due to a lack of ownership from people using
the spaces.

11. Other Comments