TEQ Flashcards
Describe the key properties of a sustainable building.
- Provide healthy and comfortable indoor environment and minimize the exposure to toxic materials
- Have a low life-cycle environmental footprint
- Provide specified functions and services with high quality and rehability
- Smallest possible environmental impact = Are constructed in a way to both minimize required energy and resources, and use for example renewable energy under the building process.
- Have an aesthetic pleasing external/internal shape and design/layout
- Energy efficient, due to good construction
- High user value = for example meet social needs
- Operate an overall cost considered attractive and acceptable (high real estate values)
Describe the key benefits of a sustainable building.
Lower life-cycle resource consumption (water, energy) and related emissions, and lower impact on local communities
Lower operating and maintenance costs and related overheads – greater profitability
Greater real estate value
Better indoor thermal climate and air quality
Increased occupant comfort, health and satisfaction (residential)
Increased worker productivit
Better image
For what key applications do we need energy in buildings?
Thermal comfort control (heating,
cooling, thermal balance)
Indoor air quality management
(ventilation, filtration, air handling)
Hygienic requirements (domestic
hot water, santitation)
Energy distribution
Building operation and control
Transport systems (elevators,
escalators, etc)
Appliances/Equipment (central
vacuum systems, kitchens,
laundries, pools, etc
How does ASHRAE describe human thermal comfort?
The state of
mind that expresses satisfaction with the surrounding environment
What is the EU Taxonomy and what is its purpose?
The EU taxonomy is a classification system, establishing a list of environmentally sustainable activities.
instrument for the EU to scale up sustainable investment and implement the European green deal.
The EU taxonomy would provide companies, investors and policymakers with appropriate definitions for which economic activities can be considered environmentally sustainable.
Define the term “Carbon Neutrality”.
net-zero carbon footprint. This means that:
Amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions released into the atmosphere = Amount of CO2 removed from the atmosphere or offset through various measures.
What are the requirements for EU-Taxonomy compliance?
For taxonomy compliance one must choose
to contribute significantly to one environmental objective, while also complying with all the defined
“Do No Significant Harm” criteria for the other environmental objectives and the minimum safeguard requirements.
Explain the concept of “Trias Energetica”
TRIANGELN:
- Non-renewable
- Use renewable energy
- Reduce energy demand,
increase energy efficiency
If the energy demand can’t be fully satisfied with the use of renewables, use non-renewables as efficently as possible
When the energy demand is minimized, use as much renewable energy as possible to fill that demand
Good, climate-adapted design, good material choices and heating-/cooling strategies, smart control
Describe key challenges in trying to achieve greater sustainability in buildings and the built
environment.
- (Complex stakeholder relationships) and split interests,
- Lack of adequate economic incentive mechanisms & tools,
- Building professionals typically underestimate the overall effect of
building energy use and overestimate the cost of saving energy, - (EU and national standards mainly focus on new construction), while
the most significant opportunities for energy saving in the EU exist
within the existing building stock - (Widespread lack of know-how and expertise) among professionals in
the building industry, - (Low acceptance and commitment) of sustainability-related priorities in the business
community, - General lack of leadership
For which practical purposes is LCA in buildings typically used?
(Design tool)
> Still fairly rare
> Integration with Building Information Modelling
(Certification)
> LEED, BREEAM, NollCO2, etc.
> Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).
(Green procurement)
(Requirements, incentives)
> Regulations on mandatory declaration of climate impact and limit values
> EU taxonomy and potential changes in EU:s EPBD
Describe the term “Life-cycle Assessment (LCA)”. (Common sense)
CHAT GPT:
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a systematic and comprehensive methodology used to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with a product, process, or system throughout its entire life cycle. The life cycle encompasses all stages, from the extraction of raw materials, through manufacturing and use, to the eventual disposal or recycling at the end of its life. LCA is a valuable tool for assessing the environmental performance of various activities and making informed decisions to minimize negative environmental impacts.
Why do we use LCA in buildings? (Common sense)
CHAT GPT:
LCA is used in buildings to assess and minimize the environmental impact across the entire life cycle, including construction, use, and demolition. It helps identify opportunities for sustainable practices, resource efficiency, and reduced environmental footprint in building design and construction
The objectives of this tool are to increase and use products and materials that can provide ecological, economic and social benefits over time, economic and social benefits over time. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) can be used to set environmental requirements for buildings in the form of functional requirements, for example as maximum emissions in kg CO2eq./m2 living area.
Describe the LCA process and illustrate it with a simple sketch.
Step 1 (Defining the gloal and scope: Often based on client or requirements) <–>
Step 2 (Collect inventory: materials, energy and water use, site operations) <–>
Step 3 (Enviromental impact assessment)
(Step 1) <–> (Step 2) <–> (Step 3)
(Step 1,2,3) <–> Step 4 (Interpretation of results, optioneering and reporting)
Describe at least five important methodological issues in LCA.
- (Life cycle stages and modules included)
- The decision about which life cycle stages to include in the assessment and the extent of modularity (breaking down the life cycle into components) significantly influence the results.
- (Level of detail of building inventory)
- The level of detail in the building inventory, including the granularity of data on materials, energy, and processes, impacts the precision and accuracy of the assessment. A more detailed inventory provides a more accurate representation but may require more data and resources.
- (Accuracy of building inventory (data sources)
- The accuracy and reliability of data sources used in the building inventory, such as environmental impacts of materials and energy consumption during construction, greatly influence the credibility of LCA results.
- (Reference study period)
- The choice of the study period affects the assessment of environmental impacts over time. Deciding on an appropriate reference study period is essential to capture the relevant stages of a building’s life cycle and the dynamic nature of environmental impacts.
- (Choice of environmental data)
- Selecting reliable environmental data for processes, materials, and energy consumption is crucial for accurate LCA results.
How is “Monitoring” of building performance defined. Provide key examples of requirements
for building performance monitoring.
DEFINITION:
Measurement, assessment and analysis of a building’s or its subsystems’ compliance with predicted, contracted, legislated, standardized or otherwise required aspects and levels of building performance.
KEY EXAMPLES:
- Energy Consumption Monitoring:
Requirement:
Implementing a system to monitor and record energy consumption in the building
.
Example: Installing smart meters or energy management systems to track electricity, heating, cooling, and other energy-related metrics.
- Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Monitoring:
Requirement:
Assessing indoor air quality, thermal comfort, and lighting conditions
.
Example: Using sensors to measure CO2 levels, temperature, humidity, and lighting levels to ensure occupant comfort and well-being.
Define the term “Performance Gap” as relevant to buildings.
Buildings do not perform as expected or contracted, not meeting latest building performance standards
What problems can the building performance gap result in?
- Unsatisfactory indoor environmental quality –> Disappointing end-user experience
- Component and system faults
- Difficulties in achieving targeted building
certification levels - Mismatch with business case
- Facility not meeting regulatory requirements
What is the “Data Gap” as relevant to buildings. What are the key causes for the building
data gap?
In most buildings, we lack quality assured data on key aspects of building
Causes:
- We typically do not plan measuring
and controlling building performance over the building’s lifetime, - There is no standardized approach to collecting data on building performance,
- There is no standardized approach to comparing or benchmarking key
aspects of building performance, - No long-term performance data available
- Performance data incomplete or of low quality
- Data-access restricted by owners/operators out of image or liability concerns
