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?
HCFC
The Montreal Protocol is phasing out what?
CFC
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 (HCFCs) and requires hydrochlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) 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
What do photosensors do?
Monitor the amount of natural daylight in a space and automatically adjust the lighting fixtures accordingly
In terms of Energy & Atmosphere, after addressing Energy Demand, which should be adduced next?
Energy Efficiency
Which label on refrigerators will indicate that it is energy efficient?
Energy Star
Off-site renewable energy is also often referred to as what?
Green power
What is the US’s leading certification program for green energy?
Green-e Energy
What are green tags?
Another terms for Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs)
Generating excess power on-site and selling it back to the grid is known as what?
Net-metering
During commissioning, who is responsible for the BOD?
Designer
During the commissioning process, who is responsible for the OPR?
Owner
Who would act as the owner’s representative to ensure the OPR are reflective in both design and final construction?
Commissioning authority
In which year did the US join the Montreal Protocol?
1995
Name five kinds of natural refrigerants
- Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
- Water (H2O)
- Ammonia (NH3)
- Hydrocarbons (HC)
- Air
What is Freon?
A brand of CFCs and HCFCs
Which two standards should be followed during commissioning?
- ASHRAE Guideline 0-2005: The Commissioning Process
- ASHRAE Guideline 1.1-2007 HVAC & R Systems
What is a another word for building envelope?
Shell
What is CX mean?
Commissioning
What is halon?
Substance used in fire sprinklers and fire extinguishers that has great ozone depletion potential
Which refrigerant has the highest Global Warming Potential?
HFC
What is the common range of plug-load for a typical office building?
0.5 - 1.0 Watts per square foot
What is plug-load?
The energy consumed by equipment that is plugged into the system
What is another term for Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs)
Green tags
What is Green-e Energy?
The US’s leading certification program for green energy
What is net-metering?
Generating excess power on-site and selling it back to the grid
The Clean Air Act refers to what?
Ozone Depletion
What does IPMVP stand for?
International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol
What does IPMVP look at?
Energy Efficiency
What items are included in the SSc2:Building Exterior & Hardscape Management Plan?
- Outdoor maintenance equipment
- Snow & ice removal
- Cleaning of the building exterior
- Paints & sealants used on the building exterior
- Cleaning of hardscapes
Which refrigerant has the highest Global Warming Potential?
HFC-23
Who sets the guidelines for a measurement & verification plan (M&V) as it pertains to LEED?
IPMVP (The International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol)
What can be used to calculate the baseline energy consumption for LEED purposes?
Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS)
What percent of a building’s floor area may be excluded when developing an Energy Star rating?
10%
Which two US government agencies run the ENERGY STAR program?
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Department of Energy (DOE)
What percentage of the total energy cost for the baseline building is used to calculate the default process energy cost?
25%
The CxA must have documented experience on at least how many building projects?
Two
What is a trade-off of using natural refrigerants?
Less efficient at refrigeration which could lead to increased energy use
What is a BAS?
A building automated system (BAS) is a computer-based monitoring system that coordinates, organises, and optimises building control subsystems
What standard described the structure and measurement verification plan?
IPMVP Volume III: Concepts and Options for Determine Energy Savings in New Construction
Which document defines the delivered conditions required for the successful operations of a building?
Building operation plan
What would be written in the building operation plan?
- Installed energy consuming systems
- How they should operate
- The environmental requirements they should meet
What is ENERGY-10?
ENERY-10 is a software tool for designing low-energy buildings
When does the Montreal Protocol aim to phase out HCFCs?
2030
Which region of the United States is least suited for on-site solar-based energy generation?
North-East
What are the three level of energy audits that ASHRAE uses?
- Walk-through analysis
- Energy survey analysis
- Detailed analysis of capital intensive modification
What is another word for plug load?
Receptacle load
What is an economiser?
An economiser is a device used to make building systems more energy efficient
What measures all energy use throughout a building?
Energy meters
Define site energy
Site energy is the amount of heat and electricity consumed by a building, as reflected by utility bills
In the northern hemisphere which direct side of the building receives the most daylight?
South
Windows, exterior doors, skylights are techniques for what?
Fenestration
What is fenestration?
The design, construction, or presence of windows and doors in a building
Define source energy
Source energy is the total amount of raw fuel required to operate a building; it incorporates all transmission, delivery, and production losses for a complete assessment of building’s energy use
What is the most common, cheapest type of lighting fixture?
Incandescent lighting
What has a similar illumination level but use 1/4 the energy of incandescence. However, they contain mercury and require special disposal
Compact Fluorescents (CFLs)
The length of time required to recoup the initial investment from an operational improvement or capital investment is known as what?
Simple payback period
What performs the following functions?
- Remove impurities from indoor air
- Protect HVAC systems
- Require proper installation and frequent replacement
Air filters
A natural ventilation technique which also uses air pressure outdoors to facilitate air circulation indoors is known as what?
Passive stack ventilation
The ratio of cost savings generated by an improvement or upgrade relative to the amount of money invested to perform this improvement is known as what?
Rate of return, or return on investment
Which bill refers to the U.S. law that responds to the Montreal Protocol and defines EPA’s responsibilities for protecting and improving the nation’s air quality and the stratospheric ozone layer?
The Clean Air Act
What is the International Energy Conservation Code?
It is a model code adopted by many states and municipal governments in the U.S. for the establishment of minimum design and construction requirements pertaining to energy efficiency
Define retrofit
A retrofit is any change to an existing facility, such as the addition or removal of equipment or an adjustment, connection, or disconnection of equipment
Define refrigerants
Refrigerants are substances used to absorb heat at low temperatures and reject heat at higher temperatures
The phenomenon that traps heat in the atmosphere is known as what?
The greenhouse effect
Who is responsible for the following?
- Review construction documents and submittals
- Evaluate instillation and performance of equipment
- Prepare summary report
Commissioning authority (CxA)
What type of commissioning begins from start of project and reviews building operations within 10 months of substantial completion
Enhanced
In terms of EA credits, what do the following electrical systems have in common?
- Burning municipal waste
- Ground source heat pumps or geo-exchange
- Incinerating treated or painted wood
- Nuclear
- Architectural features/daylighting
They are all ineligible as on-site renewable energy systems
What uses walls, floors, and thermal mass to collect, store, and distribute the sun’s heat in the winter and reduce a buildings energy demand for cooling in the summer
Passive solar
According to LEED, what two things would be present would make a geothermal system not be eligible for an on-site renewable energy credit?
- Vapor-Compression cycle
- Heat pump
As it relates to Off-Site Renewable Energy, indirect purchasing is also called what?
Green pricing
What substances used to absorb heat at low temperatures and reject heat at higher temperatures?
Refrigerants
Any change to an existing facility, such as the addition or removal of equipment or an adjustment, connection, or disconnection of equipment is known as what?
Retrofit
In an average commercial building, what takes up the fourth most amount of energy consumption?
Water Heating
In an average commercial building, what takes up the fifth most amount of energy consumption?
Ventilation
In an average commercial building, what takes up the seventh most amount of energy consumption?
Cooking
In an average commercial building, what takes up the eighth (second from the least) most amount of energy consumption?
Computers
Define fundamental commissioning
Fundamental commissioning is a set of essential best practices used to ensure that building performance requirements have been identified early in the project’s development and that the designed systems have been installed in compliance with those requirements
What does IPMVP Volume III describe?
The structure of the measurement and verification plan
In the Montreal Protocol, when were CFC’s phased out?
2010
List three examples of fenestration
- Windows
- Exterior doors
- Skylights
How does the greenhouse effect occur?
The greenhouse effect occurs from CO2 buildup in the troposphere
What is a set of essential best practices used to ensure that building performance requirements have been identified early in the project’s development and that the designed systems have been installed in compliance with those requirements
Fundamental commissioning
What does a building operating plan define and describe?
The building operating plan defines the delivered conditions required for the successful operation of a building. The document describes in installed energy consuming systems, how they should operate, and the environment building requirements they should meet
What identities how much energy a building uses and the purposes for which it is used, as well as efficiency and cost-reduction opportunities?
Energy audits
Routinely schedules equipment, cleaning, and repair conduced to detect and prevent equipment failure and keep material and systems in working order is known as what?
Preventive maintenance
The amount of heat and electricity consumed by a building, as reflected by utilities bills is known as what?
Site energy
The total amount of raw fuel required to operate a building; it incorporates all transmission, delivery, and production losses for a complete assessment of building’s energy use is known as what?
Source energy
