Section 5: Energy & Atmosphere Flashcards
A study conducted by the New Buildings Institute revealed that LEED-certified commercial office buildings in the United States and found that they use how much less energy than the national average?
24%
What is ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager?
An interactive, online management tool that supports tracking and assessment of energy and water consumption
In ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, what score would represent an average building performance?
50
The LEED rating systems put the most emphasis on which category?
Energy & Atmosphere (EA)
What are the four components of the Energy & Atmosphere (EA) category?
- Energy Demand
- Energy Efficiency
- Renewable Energy
- Ongoing Performance
The Montreal Protocol banned the production of what?
Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)
The Montreal Protocol is phasing out what?
Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) refrigerants
Name four strategies for reducing energy demand during the design and planning
- Establish design and energy goals
- Size the building appropriately
- Use free energy
- Insulate
Name two strategies for reducing the energy demand in operations and maintenance
- Use free energy
2. Monitor consumption
During operations and maintenance, how can buildings take advantage of free energy?
Use the facility’s orientation and appropriate shades, windows, and vents to take advantage of natural ventilation, solar energy, and daylight
Which rating system includes a point adjustment to compensate for the effect of square footage on resource consumption?
The LEED for Homes
What is energy intensity?
Getting the most work per unit of energy
In an average commercial building, what takes up the most energy consumption?
Space heating
In an average commercial building, what takes up the second most amount of energy consumption?
Lighting
In an average commercial building, what takes up the third most amount of energy consumption?
Cooling
In an average commercial building, what takes up the least energy consumption?
Office equipment
In an average commercial building, space heating takes up what percentage of energy consumption?
36%
In an average commercial building, lighting takes up what percentage of energy consumption?
21%
In an average commercial building, cooling takes up what percentage of energy consumption?
8%
In an average commercial building, office equipment up what percentage of energy consumption?
1%
In order of most energy consumption, list nine areas of building energy use
- Space Heating
- Lighting
- Cooling
- Water Heating
- Ventilation
- Refrigeration
- Cooking
- Computers
- Office Equipment
List six strategies for achieving energy efficiency
- Address the envelope
- Install high-performance mechanical systems and appliances
- Use high-efficiency infrastructure
- Capture efficiencies of scale
- Use energy simulation
- Monitor and verify performance
Burning coal releases which harmful pollutants into the atmosphere?
- Carbon dioxide
- Sulfur dioxide
- Nitrogen oxide
- Mercury
Passive designs capitalise on which four natural thermal processes?
- Radiation
- Conduction
- Absorption
- Convection
What is the Montreal Protocol?
The Montreal Protocol bans chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and requires hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) to be phased out as they have the biggest impact on ozone depletion
How many years do Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (EBOM) projects have to fully phase out CFC-based refrigerants?
Five years from the end of the project’s performance period
List six types of renewable energy
- Solar
- Wind
- Wave
- Biomass
- Geothermal
- Low-impact hydropower
List four types of nonrenewable fuel
- Coal
- Nuclear power
- Oil
- Natural gas
What does ODP stand for?
Ozone-depleting potential
What does GWP stand for?
Global warming potential
Refrigerants should be evaluated based on what?
ODP and GWP
How is electricity measured?
Kilowatts per hour
How is natural gas measured?
Therms
How is liquid fuel measured?
Gallons
What is renewable energy?
Energy that is naturally replenished and generated from natural resources
What does REC stand for?
Renewable energy credits
What is off-site renewable energy?
Off-site renewable energy is typically purchased at a premium price per kilowatt-hour from a utility or a provider of renewable energy certificates (RECs)
What are REC’s?
RECs represent a tradable, nontangible commodity associated with the qualities of renewable electricity generation
What are carbon offsets?
Carbon offsets represent a unit of carbon dioxide equivalent that is reduced, avoided, or sequestered to compensate for emissions occurring elsewhere
Name two strategies for meeting the energy demand with renewable energy
- Generate renewable energy
2. Purchase off-site renewable energy or carbon offsets
What is commissioning?
Commissioning is a systematic investigation by skilled professionals who compare building performance with performance goals, design specifications, and most importantly, the owner’s requirements.
What is retro-commissioning?
The commissioning of existing buildings
Commissioning for existing buildings has a median cost of what per square foot?
$0.27 per square foot
Commissioning for existing buildings has a median cost of what per square foot?
$0.27 per square foot
Commissioning for existing buildings has an average payback period of what?
0.7 years
Commissioning for existing buildings has an average payback period of what?
0.7 years
Commissioning for new buildings has a median cost of what per square foot?
$1 per square foot
Commissioning for new buildings has an average payback period of what?
4.8 years
Name four strategies to incorporate ongoing performance measurement into a project
- Adhere to the owner’s project requirements
- Provide staff training
- Conduct preventive maintenance
- Create incentives for occupants and tenants
What is Demand Response (DR)?
A set of time‐dependent program activities and tariffs that seek to reduce electricity use or shift usage to another time period
ASHRAE 90.1 is used to calculate what?
The baseline building energy performance
What is net-zero energy?
Projects that use no more energy from the electrical grid than can be produced from on-site renewable energy systems
Name four types of biofuel
- Untreated wood waste (e.g., mill residues)
- Agricultural crops or waste
- Animal waste and other organic waste
- Landfill gas
The first step towards saving energy is what?
Reducing the energy demand
It is estimated that what percentage of energy used to heat buildings is lost through air leaks in the envelope?
40%
Name two ways a renovation project address the envelope?
- Add extra roof inculation
- Upgrade windows