Chapter 8: Energy and Atmosphere Flashcards
American National Standards Institue (ANSI)
The organization that oversees the creation, promulgation, and use of thousands of standards and guidelines that directly impact businesses in nearly every sector. ANSI is also actively engaged in accrediting programs that assess conformance to standards, including globally recognized cross-sector programs such as the ISO 9000 (quality) and ISO 14000 (environmental) management systems.
ASHRAE 90.1-2010
A standard that sets the minimum requirements for energy-efficient design of most buildings, except low-rise residential buildings, by offering, in detail, the minimum energy-efficient requirements for design and construction of new buildings and their systems, new portions of buildings and their systems, and new systems and equipment in existing buildings, as well as criteria for determining compliance with these requirements.
British Thermal Unit (Btu)
The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 pound of liquid water 1 degree F (such as from 60 degrees F to 61 degrees F). This standard measure of energy is used to describe the energy content of fuels and compare energy use.
Building Envelope
The interface between the interior of a building and the outdoor environment. Reducing the transfer of hot or cold air through the building envelope is important for energy efficiency measures. Insulation, air sealing, and windows can each play an important role in minimizing heat transfer.
Building Footprint
The area of ground that the building occupies as defined by its perimeter.
Building Loads
The amount of energy and the devices and systems that use that energy in a building.
Carbon Footprint
The amount of greenhouse gases and specifically carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by something such as a company or the manufacture and transport of a product during a given period.
Carbon Offsets
A purchasable form of trade that funds projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as forest restoration, power plant and factory updates, or increases to the energy efficiency of buildings and transportation.
Chiller
A machine that removes heat from a liquid via a vapor-compression or absorption refrigeration cycle. This liquid can then be circulated through a heat exchanger to cool air or equipment as required.
Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)
Any of several simple gaseous compounds that contain carbon, chlorine, fluorine, and sometimes hydrogen, that are used as refrigerants, cleaning solvents, and aerosol propellants and in the manufacture of plastic foams, and that are believed to be a major cause of stratospheric ozone depletion. CFCs are banned in many countries, including the U.S
Commissioning (Cx)
Verification after construction that a structure and its systems and subsystems meet project requirements as intended and designed.
Commissioning Authority (CxA)
A third party contracted by a building owner who reports directly to the owner and oversees the incorporation of the design and energy goals throughout the lifetime of a project.
Demand Response (DR) Program
A program offered by utilities that allows large energy users to reduce energy loads during peak energy usage times in exchange for reduced rates.
Energy Efficiency
Utilizing less energy to complete the same amount of work.
Energy Star Portfolio Manager
An EPA-provided building benchmarking system that is the most widely used in the U.S. The energy and water data for a building is entered into a web-based tool that then displays where the building type falls in whole-building energy use compared to other buildings of the same type. Greenhouse gas emissions are also measured.
Energy Use Intensity (EUI)
A metric that expresses a building’s energy use as a function of its size.
Fossil Fuels
Nonrenewable energy produced from the burning of ancient, organic remains such as peat, coal, crude oil, and natural gas.
Green Power
Renewable energy from solar, wind, biobased, water, and geothermal sources.
Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)
A refrigerant used as a replacement for chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants and propellants in aerosol canisters, considered to be less destructive to the atmosphere.
Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC)
A refrigerant that is considered a long-term replacement for CFC and HCFC refrigerants since it consists of hydrogen, fluorine, and carbon but not ozone-damaging chlorine; it does, however, contribute a small amount to global warming.
Illuminating Engineer Society of North America (IESNA)
An organization that publishes nationally and internationally used standards for the lighting industry.
Lighting Power Density (LPD)
The installed lighting power per unit area.
Mechanical Ventilation
The process of supplying, directing, and removing air from an indoor space by mechanical means.
Megawatt-hour (MWh)
A unit of energy equivalent to one megawatt (1 MW) of power expended for one hour (1 h) of time.
Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer
An international treaty that was adopted in 1987 to eliminate the production and consumption of ozone-depleting chemicals, ratified at the United Nations by 197 countries and the European Union. The Montreal Protocol bans the uses of CFCs and phases out the use of HCFCs.
Natural Ventilation
The process of supplying, directing, and removing air from an indoor space by natural means, meaning without the use of a fan or another mechanical system.
Net-Zero Energy Project
A project that uses no more energy from the grid than it can produce on site.
Nonrenewable Energy
Resources such as fossil fuels that are depleted by use.
Passive Design
A design strategy that uses natural climatic conditions to heat, cool, or light a building.
Performance Monitoring
Continuously tracks efficiency metrics of energy, water, and other systems, to achieve increased levels of efficiency.
Photovoltaic (PV) Energy
Electricity from photovoltaic cells that converts the energy in sunlight into electricity.
Refrigerant
One of any number of substances, such as CFCs, HFCs, and HCFCs, used in cooling systems to transfer thermal energy in air conditioning and refrigeration systems.
Renewable Energy Certificate (REC)
A tradable commodity sold by producers of renewable energy on the open market (such as a stock exchange), which supports the production of additional renewable energy. One REC represents one megawatt-hour of renewable energy produced.
Retrocommissioning
A commissioning process that can be performed on existing buildings to identify and recognize system improvements that make the building more suitable for current use.
