Energy and Building
Energy and Building
Energy and Building
designing. With the cost of energy rising and availability decreasing, the need to
provide energy efficient building designs become more important. Escalating
energy cost is forcing us to change our design habits. It is no longer possible to
design buildings without specific reference to the projected energy consumption.
This module discusses aspects like the pattern and magnitude of energy
consumed by buildings, also the various heads under which the building design
and construction process consume energy. It is most important to save energy,
primarily to reduce pollution and finally to save the environment, thus to save
our dear planet. Factors influencing energy consumption in buildings has been
identified and major methods of energy conservations have been discussed here.
The total energy consumption in a building is the result of many variables and
their interaction. These variables may be termed as energy factors :
2. During Construction: To build the building i.e. the energy required for
construction.
Many of the factors, which are primarily related to the building design and which
impact energy consumption largely, must be considered in the initial designing
process only, like -
· Building materials
· Building Technology
The other major factors for consumption of energy in general in buildings are as
follows:
· Function of building
· Type of control
· Energy distribution
· Hours of operation
TYPE OF CONTROL --- The type of control in a heating ventilating and cooling
operation can greatly influence the energy use of a building.
(i) Direct control: A simple thermostat control which senses the need
for additional heat or cooling and turns on furnace or air conditioner at an
appropriate time.
(ii) Indirect control: Indirect control include cases where energy
systems are designed peak energy uses, usually during extreme weather
conditions.
HOURS OF OPERATION - This is the issue related to the timing of the building
when it functions. If we consider a school bldg, which only function during
daytime, so the energy consumption will be only those 8/10 hours duration out
of total 24hours a day. But when we consider a residential building, it functions
both day and night i.e 24 hours. So for different duration of operational hours of
a building we have to consider energy consumption accordingly.
Energy modeling tools, such as eQUEST (a front end to DOE-2), EnergyPlus, IES
Virtual Environment, Trane TRACE, and Carrier HAP provide three distinct
functions: a design tool throughout all phases of design, an accounting tool for
the end of design, and a financial justification tool after occupancy and
calibration.
Building energy simulation will never replace good design judgment but it will
always calibrate and inspire it.
The energy audit may range from a simple walk-through survey at one extreme
to one that may span several phases, followed by monitoring of energy use in
the building services, and then model analysis using computer simulation of
building operation. The complexity of the audit is therefore directly related to the
stages or degree of sophistication of the energy management programme and
the cost of the audit exercise.
The first stage is to reduce energy use in areas where energy is wasted. It
begins with a detailed, step-by-step analysis of the building's energy use factors
and costs, such as insulation values, occupancy schedules, chiller efficiencies,
lighting levels, and records of utility and fuel expenditures. It includes the
identification of specific ECOs, along with the cost-effective benefits of each one.
The completed study would provide the building owner with a thorough and
detailed basis for deciding which ECOs to implement, the magnitude of savings
to be expected, and the energy conservation goals to be established and
achieved in the energy management programme. However, the ECOs may yield
modest gains.
• Building envelope,
• Lighting systems,
• Miscellaneous services.
The first two stages can be can be implemented without remodeling buildings
and existing facilities.
The third stage would require changes to the underlying functions of buildings by
remodeling, rebuilding, or introducing further control upgrades to the building.
This requires some investment.
The last stage is to carry out large-scale energy reducing measures when
existing facilities have past their useful life, or require extensive repairs or
replacement because of obsolescence. In this case higher energy savings may
be achieved. For these last two stages, the audit may be more extensive in
order to identify more ECOs for evaluation, but at an increased need for heavier
capital expenditure to realize these opportunities.
Energy conservation is the primary goal of the Energy Policy of the Government
in all the countries. Although, as a developing country, the per capita energy
consumption in India is at present low but it is rising fast in view of increase in
the life standard and the continuing industrialization of the country.
There exist two general areas of energy saving in the building sector,
namely
Most of the buildings, which will be in use during the next two or three
decades, already exist. It should be immediate task to improve the performance
through better management retrofit. Immediate efforts to conserve energy in
residential and office buildings may begin with attempts to reduce heat flow
through the structural envelope and to increase thermal efficiency in the interior
of the buildings. These may be done by following three strategies:
(i) Reducing infiltration or the ex-change between inside and outside air,
A green building depletes the natural resources to the minimum during its
construction and operation.The aim of a green building design is to minimize the
demand on non-renewable resources, maximize the utilization efficiency of these
resources, when in use, and maximize the reuse, recycling, and utilization of
renewable resources. It maximizes the use of efficient building materials and
construction practices; optimizes the use of on-site sources and sinks by bio-
climatic architectural practices; uses minimum energy to power itself; uses
efficient equipment to meet its lighting, air-conditioning, and other needs;
maximizes the use of renewable sources of energy; uses efficient waste and
water management practices; and provides comfortable and hygienic indoor
working conditions. It is evolved through a design process that requires all
concerned –the architect and landscape designer and the air conditioning,
electrical, plumbing, and energy consultants – to work as a team to address all
aspects of building and system planning, design, construction, and operation.
They critically evaluate the impacts of each design decision on the environment
and arrive at viable design solutions to minimize the negative impacts and
enhance the positive impacts on the environment.