How To Manage Alternative Energy on Buildings
Alternative Energy on Buildings
On an annual basis, buildings in the United States consume 39% of America’s energy and 68% of its electricity. Furthermore, buildings emit 38% of the carbon dioxide (the primary greenhouse gas associated with climate change), 49% of the sulfur dioxide, and 25% of the nitrogen oxides found in the air. Currently, the vast majority of this energy is produced from nonrenewable, fossil fuel resources. With America’s supply of fossil fuel dwindling, concerns for energy supply security increasing (both for general supply and specific needs of facilities), and the impact of greenhouse gases on world climate rising, it is essential to find ways to reduce load, increase efficiency, and utilize renewable fuel resources in facilities of all types.
During the facility design and development process, building projects must have a comprehensive, integrated perspective that seeks to:
- Reduce heating, cooling, and lighting loads through climate-responsive design and conservation practices;
- Employ renewable energy sources such as daylighting, passive solar heating, photovoltaics, geothermal, and groundwater cooling;
- Specify efficient HVAC and lighting systems that consider part-load conditions and utility interface requirements;
- Optimize building performance by employing energy modeling programs and optimize system control strategies by using occupancy sensors CO2 sensors and other air quality alarms; and
- Monitor project performance through a policy of commissioning, metering, annual reporting, and periodic recommissioning.
Recommendations
Reduce Heating, Cooling, and Lighting Loads through Climate-Responsive Design and Conservation Practices
- Use passive solar design; orient, size, and specify windows; and locate landscape elements with solar geometry and building load requirements in mind.
- Use high-performance building envelopes; select walls, roofs, and other assemblies based on long-term insulation, and durability requirements.
Employ Renewable or High-Efficiency Energy Sources
- Renewable energy sources include solar water heating, photovoltaic (PV), wind, biomass, and geothermal. Use of renewable energy can increase energy security and reduce dependence on imported fuels, while reducing or eliminating greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy use. Consider solar thermal for domestic hot water and heating purposes.
- Evaluate the use of building scale to take advantage of on-site renewable energy technologies such as daylighting, solar water heating, and geothermal heat pumps.
- Consider the use of larger scale, on-site renewable energy technologies such as photovoltaics, solar thermal, and wind turbines.
- Evaluate purchasing electricity generated from renewable sources or low polluting sources such as natural gas.
Specify Efficient HVAC and Lighting Systems
- Use energy efficient HVAC equipment and systems that meet or exceed 10 CFR 434. For Department of Defense facilities, refer to the standards within UFC 3-400-01, Design for Energy Conservation.
- Use lighting systems that consume less than 1 watt/square foot for ambient lighting.
- Use Energy Star® approved and/or FEMP-designated energy efficient products or products that meet or exceed Department of Energy standards.
- Evaluate energy recovery systems that pre-heat or pre-cool, in-coming ventilation air in commercial and institutional buildings.
- Investigate the use of integrated generation and delivery systems, such as co-generation, fuel cells, and off-peak thermal storage. See also WBDG Distributed Energy Resources (DER) and Microturbines.
Optimize Building Performance and System Control Strategies
- Employ energy modeling programs early in the design process.
- Use sensors to control loads based on occupancy, schedule and/or the availability of natural resources such as daylight or natural ventilation.
- Evaluate the use of modular components such as boilers or chillers to optimize part-load efficiency and maintenance requirements.
- Evaluate the use of Smart Controls that merge building automation systems with information technology (IT) infrastructures.
- Employ an interactive energy management tool that allows you to track and assess energy and water consumption like the Energy Star® Portfolio Manager.
Monitor Project Performance
- Use a comprehensive, building commissioning plan throughout the life of the project.
- Use metering to confirm building energy and environmental performance through the life of the project.
- See also WBDG Facility Performance Evaluation.
Sustainability and Energy Security
Energy independence and security are important components of national security and energy strategies. Today, power is mostly generated by massive centralized plants, and electricity moves along transmission lines. “Getting off of foreign oil” means minimizing energy consumption through energy conservation and efficiency, and generating energy from local, renewable sources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, etc. (see WBDG Distributed Energy Resources, Fuel Cell Technology, Microturbines, Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), Daylighting, Passive Solar Heating) Additionally, using distributed energy systems adds to building resiliency as the threats of natural disaster damage become more frequent.
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