3. WE & EA Flashcards
Potable Water
TYPE OF WATER
Water fit for human consumption (meets or exceeds U.S. EPA drinking water quality standards). Comes from municipal water supply or wells.
Graywater / greywater
TYPE OF WATER
From soapy water sources – can be reused for irrigation, flushing, process water, or cleaning. Sources are lavatories, showers, bathtubs, laundry tubs, clothes washers.
Blackwater
TYPE OF WATER
Water from urinals, toilets, kitchen sinks and dishwashers that must be treated.
Reclaimed Water
TYPE OF WATER
Water that has been treated for NON-POTABLE reuse (i.e. flushing, irrigation, process water)
Rainwater
TYPE OF WATER
Water from precipitation
Plumbing Water
WATER USE
Water used for toilets (water closets), urinals, lavatories (restroom sinks), kitchen sinks, and showers
Irrigation Water
WATER USE
Water used for landscaping
Process Water
WATER USE
Water used for building processes and systems such as cooling (chillers, cooling towers), heating (boilers), washing (dishwashing or laundry), cooking…etc.
Evapotranspiration Controller
An irrigation controller that measures the amount of water vapor lost to apply that amount back to the plants and soil. This is an efficient irrigation technology.
Drip Irrigation
Drip irrigation is often a hose or tube, at or below ground level, with holes to deliver water directly to the roots of plants to minimize evaporation loss. Drip also slows the rate of water delivery. These combine to reduce water use by 30% - 50%.
Weather-Based Controllers
Rain gauges, satellite-based systems, or other technologies that assess rainfall to reduce irrigation water application when there is enough rainwater available.
Dual Flush Toilets (Water Closets)
The term water closet means toilet.
A dual-flush toilet has two directions on a handle or two buttons on a tank. The “liquid” flush uses less water than the “solid” flush, saving water over standard fixtures.
ASHRAE 90.1
A U.S. standard (energy code) that provides minimum requirements for energy efficient designs for buildings except for low-rise residential buildings.
HERS
The Home Energy Rating System – this index is the industry standard by which a home’s energy efficiency is measured. It’s also the nationally recognized system for inspecting and calculating a home’s energy performance.
Energy Audit
An ASHRAE Level 1 audit is required for LEED – a basic assessment of energy use by end use.
An ASHRAE Level 2 audit is optional – this is best for older buildings to assess capital improvements with the greatest paybacks (life-cycle costing for energy efficiency)
Value Engineering
A systematic method to improve the “value” of goods (value = ratio of function to cost). Value can be increased by either improving the function or reducing the cost. NOT necessarily a LEED concept (sustainability = LCA & LCC, not this)
New Building Commissioning
Intensive quality assurance process that begins with meeting with the owner, insuring goals are implemented into the design, and continues through construction, and hopefully occupancy and operations.
Retro commissioning
A process to improve how building equipment and systems function in an existing, occupied building. Typically consists of monitoring system performance, executing functional tests, and verifying equipment operation.
Demand
A measure of power in kW (kilowatts). Think of peak demand as the amount of power the building is “calling for” when all systems are running, or demanding power.
Consumption
A measure of energy use in kWh (kilowatt-hours). This is the amount of energy used over a set period of time. Energy bills reflect the amount of consumption, typically in a given month.
ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager Tool
A program from the EPA used to benchmark the performance of existing buildings vs. the national average of its type
Passive Design
Harnessing free energy and improving the building envelope to reduce the amount of power used by a structure. Elements include daylighting with shade control, tighter envelope with better windows and insulation, passive heating, and natural ventilation
Demand Response
Enrolling in a program with a utility or initiating internal steps to reduce power use during peak periods. Examples include turning off lights, turning off unnecessary equipment like lobby displays and fountains, adjusting temperature setpoints
Direct Emissions
Emissions emitted directly from the building into the atmosphere
Indirect Emissions
Emissions at the power plant caused by the building’s need for power
GHG’s
Greenhouse Gases
Gases that create a greenhouse effect in the atmosphere, contributing to climate change (global warming)
GWP’s
Global Warming Potentials
Gases that are GHG’s – create a greenhouse effect in the atmosphere, contributing to climate change – this measures the effect in a gas
ODP’s
Ozone Depleting Potentials
Gases the contribute to breakdown of the stratospheric ozone layer – our natural filter of dangerous UV rays from the sun
Montreal Protocol
The first international environmental agreement, this protocol phases out products with ODP’s. CFC’s were phased out in 1996, HCFC’s were 90% phased out in 2015, leaving HFC’s as the only available refrigerant after 2020.
CFC’s
Chlorofluorocarbons
The first widely used hydrocarbon for air conditioning (“grandpa”)
The most efficient (effective) refrigerant
CFC’s have the highest ODP’s and GWP’s among the fluorocarbon family
HCFC’s
Hydrochlorofluorocarbons
The second generation of air conditioning gases (“dad”) – not as efficient as CFC’s
Lower ODP’s than CFC’s, but still being phased out
HFC’s
Hydrofluorocarbons
The third generation of air conditioning gases (“son”)
Lowest ODP’s, but the least efficient refrigerant
Natural Refrigerants
Carbon Dioxide
Air
Water
Ammonia
Propane, Ethane, Butane, Isopentane, Isobutene
Energy Use Intensity (EUI)
Energy Use per Square Foot (lower = better)
Renewable Electricity
Typically, utility-owned green power initiatives to put emissions-free (Net Zero) power onto the grid. Can offset building electricity use
REC’s
Renewable Energy Certificates
Proof that a unit of carbon-free energy was produced and put onto the grid. REC’s are often the cheapest form of off-site renewable electricity, and a way for buildings to directly support a green power plant / provider
Carbon Offsets
A way to offset building electricity AND direct emissions from heat. Carbon offsets can come in a variety of forms.
Process Energy
Energy used for systems OTHER THAN base building systems. Examples include:
Tenant kitchens
Computers / plug loads
Data centers
Laundromats
Cooking
Lighting Power Density
A lighting power requirement defined in North America by ANSI, ASHRAE, and IESNA. This represents the load of any lighting equipment in any defined area, or the watts per square foot of the lighting equipment.
Cooling Tower
In water-cooled air conditioning systems, the cooling tower transfers building heat into the atmosphere. Cooling towers lose water to evaporation. This will leave solids behind in the basin that will eventually need to be flushed out. Chemical treatment can help to suspend more solids, reducing flushes, and saving water. Also consider using non-potable water for the system.
