DOCSLIB.ORG

Ecolibrium NUMBER PP352532/00001

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Ecolibrium NUMBER PP352532/00001 THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF AIRAH NOVEMBER 2019 · VOLUME 18.10 RRP $14.95 PRINT POST APPROVAL Ecolibrium NUMBER PP352532/00001 AIRAH HVAC&R SALARY SURVEYSPECIAL Analyse this The brave new world of big data and analytics. FEATURE Warm reception The Reliable Controls Headquarters Annex in Canada’s Victoria (British Columbia) boasts a raft of impressive sustainability elements. Indeed, the building is rated LEED Platinum, the equivalent of 6 star Green Star. A world leader, in other words. Main image: Franc D’Ambrosio. Inset images: Jesse Moore. FEATURE FEATURE The Annex has achieved 56 LEED sustainability credits. Image: Franc D’Ambrosio. In late 2012 Reliable Controls opened its BACnet integration of the HVAC, Ecolibrium: Where did the Headquarters Annex in Victoria, a city lighting, and security systems inspiration come from for a boasting a population of about 350,000 allows occupied comfort settings LEED Platinum headquarters? to be enabled, which is designed and located in the Pacific Northwest. Tom Zaban: We needed to expand to maximise energy savings. our facilities, and the architect we “The Reliable Controls Headquarters Individual control of temperature, had worked with on previous projects Annex is a demonstration of our collective light, sunshades, and occupancy is recommended we shoot for LEED commitment to sustainability and provided via LAN or wireless access. resilience,” says the firm’s Tom Zaban. Platinum. At first this seemed like “It effectively demonstrates leadership Ecolibrium chatted with Zaban about an overly ambitious idea, but after in our own field, showing we can work the building and its performance. learning more about the commitments together to implement a reality that involved, we felt we could overcome minimises pollution, waste, and provides the challenges and meet the goal. a lasting benefit to our community.” Eco: Could you provide an overview Home to the firm’s R&D, sales and of the building’s sustainability marketing, and administration features, and why these departments, the facility includes design particular ones were chosen? elements such as rain gardens and TZ: planters, bioswales, green roofs, cisterns, In LEED New Construction 1.1 and trees. The building consumes (the scorecard we were registered 60 per cent less potable water than under) there were 70 LEED credits a baseline equivalent. possible, and this facility was awarded 56 (Platinum required a minimum of Naturally vented, the Annex design 52). All the credits and details of how relies on 57 trickle vents and hydronic we achieved 56 points are explained heating and cooling to keep the in our Green Facility website at occupants thermally comfortable and www.reliablecontrols.com/corporate/ the overall energy consumption low. facility/leed.php 26 NOVEMBER 2019 • ECOLIBRIUM FEATURE The trickle-vents, wind tower, the materials, by cost. Tough credit Here’s a sample of the 56 heat-recovery ventilator, and radiant to obtain, but sure makes for a warm sustainability credits achieved. cooling/heating hydronic system allowed and comfortable environment to work in. us to earn eight of the 10 points for Sustainable Sites Credit 4 – Indoor Environmental Control this important credit. We modelled Credit 6 – Controllability of Systems Alternative Transportation the design thermodynamically to For our staff and our local municipality it make sure the comfort levels could be This was an interesting credit to obtain is very important to minimise the need for maintained in an unusually hot or cold because it demanded a high percentage parking spaces, especially for combustion- ambient condition. The final design of individual occupant control for engine automobiles. So maximising resulted in a very comfortable space temperature, lighting, and airflow. the incentives for staff to come to work that performed 50 per cent better in I would guess we have one of the highest without the need to use a parking space energy than ASHRAE Standard 90.1. density of hardpoint monitoring and for a combustion-engine vehicle was control in any commercial building. important in our design. Our proximity to Energy & Atmosphere Credit 5 – Measurement & Verification But we achieved the credit, even though mass transit, plentiful bicycle storage and some of the LEED requirements shower facilities, and financial incentives Being a manufacturer of building automation systems, this credit was a for interior ventilation control were to take mass transit, carpool, walk, arguably impractical for a passively or bike has been very popular for staff. no-brainer for us. However, we did not sit on our laurels. We set ourselves up for ventilated building. Forty per cent of staff use alternative some real challenges by specifying a new One of the great things that came out transportation to come to work each day. controller which we had not even finished of this credit was the use of occupant Water Efficiency Credit 1 – designing, a new wireless lighting smart phones to control the temperature, Water Efficient Landscaping technology supplied by a third party, and lighting, occupancy, and exterior We live in Victoria, British Columbia, a new exterior sunshade product which sunshades of spaces, all with a single app. a beautify garden city, so we like plants we had never integrated, and more. Occupants can even see the daily and here. But we want to be conservative on Overall, we integrated eight different year-to-date energy usage and targets wasting potable water for irrigation. So we BACnet vendors, two different Modbus for the building from their phone. decided to capture rainwater and store vendors, and one EnOcean vendor Indoor Environmental Control it in a large underground cistern, and together into a single seamless system. Credit 7 – Thermal Comfort use the cistern exclusively for landscape We automatically generate detailed The intent of this credit really speaks to irrigation. For eight or nine months of measurement and verification reports the heart of why we build commercial the year, we can irrigate with captured and post the results weekly to our buildings – so the occupants have a rainwater, and in the months of June, July, Green Facility public domain website. thermally comfortable environment and August, we supplement the rainwater After working out the bumps and that is safe and productive to work in. irrigation with potable water. kinks for the first couple of years, the Water Efficiency Credit 2 – performance of the building proved I like the ASHRAE Standard 55 because it promotes actually surveying the Innovative Wastewater Technologies outstanding, with an Energy Use building occupants on a regular basis to With wastewater we implemented a Intensity well below our aggressive goal of 58.8 kWh/m2 per annum. “verify” and trend comfort. We survey two-pronged approach, in an effort to our staff twice a year using a hybrid minimise our impact on municipal Materials & Resources Credit 2 – method of ASHRAE 55 and others in infrastructure. Similar to our Construction Waste Management the industry. The employee comfort irrigation cistern, we built a second This was an area that really surprised survey shows the staff give the facility underground cistern to store captured many people, and really exemplified the an 84 per cent satisfaction rating. rainwater for flushing toilets in the need to have a good general contractor We are pretty happy with that. Headquarters Annex. with excellent experience with LEED Innovation & Design Process new construction. It’s not unusual to In conjunction with this effort, Credit 1 – Innovation in Design we installed waterless urinals in the have 50 per cent or 75 per cent (by weight) or more of the construction waste The facility earned exemplary men’s washrooms. We were a little bit performance credits in two separate apprehensive about these ideas, but generated from the site to be recycled to avoid landfills and incinerators. areas: Sustainable Sites for committing to after working out the kinks with the relocating all the surface vehicle parking system it worked out surprising well. For this project over 98 per cent of to 100 per cent underground parking; Approximately 70 per cent of the water the construction waste was diverted. and Water Efficiency for exceeding the used to flush toilets comes from rainwater. This benefit alone speaks volumes next three logical increments above the Energy & Atmosphere Credit 1 – for justifying LEED. WEc3.2 credit, demonstrating the facility Optimise Energy Performance Materials & Resources Credit 7 – uses more than 60 per cent less potable water than a typical efficient building. As a LEED Platinum facility we Certified Wood needed the building design to perform This was a very challenging credit to The facility received further credit exceptionally well from an energy obtain. When you look at the amount of by committing to Green Building perspective. We were very fortunate to certified wood used in the construction Education, which is demonstrated by be located in a temperate climate on the of this building most people think it our Green Facility website, updated Pacific Northwest of North America, and comprises the large majority of the performance reporting, and public this allowed us to implement a passively structural materials. In fact it only tours. We also committed to Green ventilated design. amounted to just over 56 per cent of House Keeping practices. NOVEMBER 2019 • ECOLIBRIUM 27 FEATURE There are many benefits to full integration, but the one with the most value is that when an employee presents their access card to enter the building in the morning, the individual light(s) in their office turns on and modulates to their preferred setpoint, the exterior blinds rotate to the last position from the previous day, and their trickle vent opens and controls to their preferred setpoint. In addition to BACnet, we have Modbus integrations to a weather station and power meters. Eco: “What isn’t measured isn’t managed.” How does this apply to the Annex and to buildings in general? TZ: Good question.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Humidity-Sensitive, Demand-Controlled Ventilation Applied to Multiunit Residential Building—Performance and Energy Consumption in Dfb Continental Climate
    energies Article Humidity-Sensitive, Demand-Controlled Ventilation Applied to Multiunit Residential Building—Performance and Energy Consumption in Dfb Continental Climate Jerzy Sowa * and Maciej Mijakowski Faculty of Building Services, Hydro and Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Nowowiejska 20, 00-653 Warsaw, Poland; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +48-22-234-7428 Received: 16 November 2020; Accepted: 8 December 2020; Published: 17 December 2020 Abstract: Humidity-sensitive, demand-controlled ventilation systems have been in use for many years in regions with oceanic climates. Some attempts have been made to apply this technology in Poland, which has a continental climate. This article evaluates the performance and energy consumption of such a system when applied in an eight-floor, multiunit, residential building, i.e., the virtual reference building described by the National Energy Conservation Agency (NAPE), Poland. Simulations using the computer program CONTAM were performed for the whole heating season based upon the climate in Warsaw. Besides passive stack ventilation, that served as a reference, two ventilation systems were studied: one standard and one “hybrid” system with additional roof fans. This study confirmed that the application of humidity-sensitive, demand-controlled ventilation in multiunit residential buildings in a continental climate (Dfb) led to significant energy savings (up to 11.64 kWh/m2 of primary energy). However, the operation of the system on higher floors was found to be ineffective. Ensuring consistent operation of the system on all floors required supplementary fans. The introduction of a hybrid mode reduced carbon dioxide concentrations by approximately 32% in the units located in the upper part of the building.
    [Show full text]
  • The Effect of Refurbishment and Trickle Vents on Airtightness: the Case of a 1930S Semi-Detached House
    The effect of refurbishment and trickle vents on airtightness: the case of a 1930s semi-detached house. Ben Roberts*1, David Allinson1, Kevin Lomas1, and Stephen Porritt1 1 School of Civil and Building Engineering Loughborough University Loughborough, UK Presenting author *Corresponding author: [email protected] ABSTRACT As UK homes are insulated and draught proofed in an attempt to reduce wintertime heating demand they become more airtight. Any reduction in infiltration could have a detrimental effect on indoor air quality. Controllable background ventilation provided by trickle vents is one method of maintaining indoor air quality. A 1930s semi-detached 3-bedroom house was refurbished with double-glazed windows, trickle vents, doors and loft insulation. 167 blower door tests were carried out pre- and post-refurbishment between January and March 2017 to understand the repeatability of the test and quantify how trickle vents affect airtightness. The refurbishment reduced air leakage by 29% from 20.8 to 14.7m3/h/m2 at 50Pa (with all windows and trickle vents closed), but still in excess of the current UK regulations for new builds (10m3/h/m2 at 50Pa). Opening trickle vents provided limited additional ventilation, only increasing air change rate by 1.8m3/h/m2 with all vents open. The test was found to be repeatable with a standard error of 0.07m3/h/m2 at 50Pa with no relationship between the test result and wind speed or direction. The results lead to two important conclusions. Firstly, after refurbishing older homes of this type, infiltration rates are still well above recommendations for adequate indoor air quality.
    [Show full text]
  • 03 Indoor Climate
    03 Indoor Climate Introduction It is the atmosphere of a living space. It captures and displays the essence of a home. It fills the outer form with life. It creates harmony (or disharmony), which affects the entire human condition – mind, soul, and body. Figure: The hearth as the center of warmth. Healthy indoor climate due to a radiant heating system and natural building materials such as wood and clay. Photo: Dirk Dittmar, Building Biology Consulting Office IBN The selection of building materials and the type of construction influence the quality of the indoor climate, which very much defines both the quality of living in a given building as well as its biological effect. We should always keep this in mind with almost any building project, be it small or big. The following discussion not only applies to residential buildings but also to schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and especially to the large number of office spaces and workshops. Today there is so much talk about a positive work "climate" and a people-friendly work environment that the health and human factor aspects of indoor climate are often overlooked. Even in places where performance is a priority such as educational institutions and workplaces, a healthy indoor climate is just as important as organization, efficiency, and optimum indoor furnishings and technologies. In addition to the quantitative performance, an appropriate indoor climate promotes human health (low sick leave rates, reaching old age), contentment, well-being, and generally a positive work or 1 learning environment. And as has been repeatedly demonstrated, it also has a positive impact on work performance.
    [Show full text]
  • Window Ventilator Range
    D A T A S H E E T W R 1 GREENWOOD REQUIREMENTS WINDOW VENTILATOR RANGE UNDER PART F: MEANS OF VENTILATION FOR WINDOW Greenwood offers a range of window ventilators for varying application requirements including through frame, glazed in and overframe. All products have been tested in MANUFACTURERS conjunction with BS EN 13141-1 Clause 4 Ventilation for Buildings at third party accredited test houses. All information is available on request. AND INSTALLERS SUppLYING NEW Equivalent Dimensions (mm) Slot Length Central Gap Length Product Code Configuration Area (mm2) (length x height x deep) Height (mm) Slot Sizes (mm) BUILD WINDOWS A Vent 3000A.12 Inner Unit & Outer Canopy 1813 Inner: 280 x 18 x 6.5 Outer: 280 x 26 x 24 12 250 4000A.12 Inner Unit & Outer Canopy 2623 Inner: 375 x 18 x 6.5 Outer: 375 x 26 x 24 12 334 6000A.12 Inner Unit & Outer Canopy 3935 Inner: 555 x 18 x 6.5 Outer: 555 x 26 x 24 12 250 15 250 8000A.12 Inner Unit & Outer Canopy 5013 Inner: 725 x 18 x 6.5 Outer: 725 x 26 x 24 12 334 15 334 NEW BUILD 3000A.16 Inner Unit & Outer Canopy 1644 Inner: 230 x 18 x 6.5 Outer: 230 x 26 x 24 16 188 4000A.16 Inner Unit & Outer Canopy 2393 Inner: 290 x 18 x 6.5 Outer: 290 x 26 x 24 16 250 6000A.16 Inner Unit & Outer Canopy 3397 Inner: 415 x 18 x 6.5 Outer: 415 x 26 x 24 16 375 8000A.16 Inner Unit & Outer Canopy 3935 Inner: 555 x 18 x 6.5 Outer: 555 x 26 x 24 16 250 15 250 D Vent WINDOWS 2000DF Inner Unit & External Grille 1396 Inner: 219 x 26.5 x 11 13 165 4000DF Inner Unit & External Grille 2770 Inner: 414 x 26.5 x 11 13 165 30 165 INDOOR
    [Show full text]
  • Evaluating Ventilation Systems for Existing Homes
    Evaluating Ventilation Systems for Existing Homes Robb Aldrich and Lois Arena Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings February 2013 NOTICE This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States government. Neither the United States government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, subcontractors, or affiliated partners makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States government or any agency thereof. Available electronically at http://www.osti.gov/bridge Available for a processing fee to U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors, in paper, from: U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information P.O. Box 62 Oak Ridge, TN 37831-0062 phone: 865.576.8401 fax: 865.576.5728 email: mailto:[email protected] Available for sale to the public, in paper, from: U.S. Department of Commerce National Technical Information Service 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 22161 phone: 800.553.6847 fax: 703.605.6900 email: [email protected] online ordering: http://www.ntis.gov/ordering.htm Printed on paper containing at least 50% wastepaper, including 20% postconsumer waste ii Evaluating Ventilation Systems for Existing Homes Prepared for: The National Renewable Energy Laboratory On behalf of the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Heating and Cooling with Focus on Increased Energy Efficiency and Improved Comfort Low Exergy Systems for Heating and Cooling of Buildings
    Heating and Cooling with Focus on Increased Energy Efficiency and Improved Comfort Low Exergy Systems for Heating and Cooling of Buildings Abstract: Environment problems such as global warming, which have been linked to the extended use of energy, and the negative environmental effects of energy production which they are mainly due to the use of fossil fuels. Heating, cooling and lighting appliances in buildings cause more than one third of the world’s primary energy demand. Then using renewable energy sources for heating and cooling buildings is very important for safe future energy demand .Increasing energy efficiency and improving thermal comfort can realize by using low exergy systems for heating and cooling of buildings. ‘Low exergy systems’ means systems that provide heating or cooling energy at a temperature close to room temperature. Low temperature heating systems or high temperature cooling systems can use a variety of fuels and renewable energy sources, having many benefits such as: improved thermal comfort, improved indoor air quality, reduced energy consumption and reduced draughts and dust. Active and passive systems: Passive systems defined as building envelope systems use various environment potentials as sun, wind. Active systems are consisting of various mechanical and electric components as fans, heat pumps… Energy, Exergy, and Entropy: In the theory of thermodynamics, Exergy is the maximum work that can be obtains from an energy flow or a change of a system. Exergy analysis provides us with additional information on where and when the losses occur. It helps us to see in which part of the energy chain the biggest savings can be achieve.
    [Show full text]
  • Multifamily Ventilation – Best Practice?
    Multifamily Ventilation – Best Practice? Dianne Griffiths April 29, 2013 Presentation Outline • Basic Objectives • Exhaust Systems • Make-up Air Systems Two Primary Ventilation Objectives 1) Providing Fresh Air - Whole-House 2) Removing Pollutants - Local Exhaust Our goal is to find the simplest solution that satisfies both objectives while minimizing cost and energy impacts. Common Solution: Align local exhaust with fresh air requirements (Ex: 25 Bath + 25 Kitchen) Exhaust-Driven Fresh Air Design • Exhaust slightly depressurizes the units • Outside air enters through leaks, cracks, or planned inlets • Widely used in the North Multifamily Ventilation Best Practice • Step 1: Understand ventilation requirements • Step 2: Select the simplest design that can achieve both air quality and energy objectives • Step 3: Build a tight building • Step 4: Pay attention to installation quality • Step 5: Check to make sure ventilation works • Step 6: Educate users Exhaust: Central and Unitized Central Exhaust Unitized Exhaust Standard Central Exhaust Practice Roof or mushroom fans Vertical shaft with horizontal take-offs Sidewall or ceiling grilles at each floor Continuous operation Mechanical Designers’ Intent • Balancing damper transferring responsibility to balancing contractor • Many grilles, many floors, relatively low flow targets, plus wind and weather on balancing day = balancing is difficult Automatic Balancing Dampers 30 CFM60 CFM 30 CFM40 CFM 30 CFM20 CFM Balance in two ways: 30 CFM30 CFM • Provide restriction in size of opening (increase static pressure) 30 CFM20 CFM • Dynamically self-adjust to changes in the system (automatic balancing) 30 CFM10 CFM Duct Leakage Roof curb? Takeoffs? Transverse (sectional) joints? Register Longitudinal (lengthwise) connections joints? can be the largest set of leaks Best Practice • Include performance specifications for duct tightness in construction documents • Call out specific details to be sealed: all joints, takeoffs, connections, registers, etc., etc.
    [Show full text]
  • Humidity-Sensitive Demand-Controlled Ventilation Applied to Multi-Unit Residential Building – Performance and Energy Consumption in Dfb Continental Climate
    Preprints (www.preprints.org) | NOT PEER-REVIEWED | Posted: 16 November 2020 doi:10.20944/preprints202011.0406.v1 Article Humidity-sensitive demand-controlled ventilation applied to multi-unit residential building – performance and energy consumption in Dfb continental climate Jerzy Sowa 1, *, Maciej Mijakowski 2 1 Faculty of Building Services, Hydro an Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Nowowiejska 20, Warsaw, Poland; [email protected] 2 Faculty of Building Services, Hydro an Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Nowowiejska 20, Warsaw, Poland; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +48-22-234-7428 Abstract: A humidity-sensitive demand-controlled ventilation system is known for many years. It has been developed and commonly applied in regions with an oceanic climate. Some attempts were made to introduce this solution in Poland in a much severe continental climate. The article evaluates this system's performance and energy consumption applied in an 8-floor multi-unit residential building, virtual reference building described by the National Energy Conservation Agency NAPE, Poland. The simulations using the computer program CONTAM were performed for the whole hating season for Warsaw's climate. Besides passive stack ventilation that worked as a reference, two versions of humidity-sensitive demand-controlled ventilation were checked. The difference between them lies in applying the additional roof fans that convert the system to hybrid. The study confirmed that the application of demand-controlled ventilation in multi-unit residential buildings in a continental climate with warm summer (Dfb) leads to significant energy savings. However, the efforts to ensure acceptable indoor air quality require hybrid ventilation, which reduces the energy benefits.
    [Show full text]
  • Ventilation Considerations
    Ventilation Considerations Modern Living In a world of increasing environmental concerns and rising energy prices the modern home has become much more energy efficient. This is generally a good thing but there can be some associated drawbacks with this new way of living. Up until the late 1960’s there was natural ventilation in many homes largely due to the absence of double glazing. This took the form of poorly fitting windows, doors and open fire places. Modern practices, designed to prevent drafts, save heat and keep energy bills low have inadvertently eliminated all natural ventilation. • Double glazing • Draught excluders • Fitted carpets (which prevent air movement up through suspended wooden floorboards) • Central heating (and the removal or blocking up of open fire places) Buildings have become, in effect, sealed from any natural flow of air. This provides better conditions for condensation build up; airborne contaminants from flooring materials, furnishings and cleaning products. The air exhaled by the occupants and any tobacco smoke can build up and can affect health adversely. Damp can arise from the many sources of water vapour in the modern house. Current building regulations require ventilation be fitted to new homes to maintain a flow of healthy fresh air through the house and prevent internal air contamination and damp. However ventilation accessories are often omitted from replacement windows because their function is not fully understood and because of the increased costs. And yet indoor air quality and effective ventilation is more important now than ever, not only for the buildings but for its occupants. The Repercussions of Air Tight Homes “Fresh Air is healthy, stale air is not.
    [Show full text]
  • Lessons in Air Tightness and Air Quality from the Japanese 'Sick House'
    Lessons in air tightness and air quality from the Japanese ‘sick house’ experience Andy Russell, Proctor Group Australia Towards Higher Performing Homes: The Role of Ventilation and Airtightness Wellington, New Zealand 20th March 2018 § Background to the sick house issues in Japan § Revision to the Japanese Building Standard Law in 2003 (materials & ventilation provisions) § Trickle vents – only one side of the equation § Trickle vents and 24hr mechanical ventilation in Japan § Drawing parallels with where we are today Traditional design for climate Headline news Why did sick house syndrome become such an issue? § House price bubble § 1970s and 80s saw a big increase in supply § Manufactured wood products (Plywood, MDF etc.) structural, furnishings, vinyl wall paper, carpets, flooring, mineral fibre insulation § High emissions of VOCs § Air tightness - low air change rates under 0.2 ach § Lifestyle changes § Spread of air conditioning § High renewal cycle (30 years) Japanese Ventilation Requirements § Building Standards Law previously required the supply of outdoor air to habitable rooms. § Mechanical Ventilation § Natural Ventilation § Min ratio of openings to floor area of 1:20 (5%) § Local exhaust of bathrooms and kitchens § Further new regulation introduced in 2003 to address the sick house problem § Also for buildings over 3,000m² & 8,000m² there is a performance requirement and mandatory IAQ testing every 2 months. Drivers for air tightness § Energy efficiency – effectiveness of insulation § Thermal comfort – reduce infiltration
    [Show full text]
  • Passive House Informed: the Next Level of Energy Efficiency in Affordable Housing
    Passive House informed: the next level of energy efficiency in affordable housing Amanda Donofrio, Mike Magee, Julie Romig Bergsund DeLaney Architecture & Planning, Eugene, Oregon ABSTRACT: In 2012, Bergsund DeLaney Architecture and Planning (BDA) designed an affordable housing community for St. Vincent DePaul Society of Lane County (SVdP) that included two six-unit buildings with identical floor plans and orientation, each constructed to a different sustainability standard: Passive House and Earth Advantage. Research groups from the University of Oregon School of Architecture (UO) conducted two studies, one that analyzed life cycle decisions made in the early design process and another that monitored and analyzed energy use post-occupancy. All of the research conducted by the UO was made available to the project team for review and use. The research has proved valuable not only to validate and support the decisions made during the design and construction of the Passive House, but also to inform future building design. This paper presents a framework to review the strategies used in the two case study buildings and determine recommendations for Passive House informed construction. KEYWORDS: passive house, affordable housing, energy efficient design, research collaboration INTRODUCTION Affordable housing programs exist to subsidize tenant rent and assist low-income individuals and families from becoming house poor, but tenants are typically responsible for the cost of their utilities. As energy costs continue to increase, energy efficient design in affordable housing has become a high priority for owners looking to pass utility saving onto tenants. Over the past decade, funding for affordable housing has required participation in green building certification programs as a way to confirm a commitment to energy efficient design.
    [Show full text]
  • Ventilation in Energy Efficient UK Homes: a User Experience of Innovative Technologies
    Ventilation in energy efficient UK homes: A user experience of innovative technologies Carrie Behar UCL Energy institute, Central House 14 Upper Woburn place London WC1H 0nn United Kingdom [email protected] Dr Lai Fong Chiu UCL Energy institute, Central House 14 Upper Woburn place London WC1H 0nn United Kingdom [email protected] Keywords ventilation, domestication, diffusion, behaviour, technological From this perspective we investigate to what extent the four innovation system, socio-technical, energy efficient technolo- stage model of domestication (appropriation, objectification, gies, housing energy consumption, adaptation incorporation and conversion) proposed by Silverstone et al. (1992) can be used to interpret the findings of a case study ex- Abstract ploring residents’ experience living in low energy homes which contain one of three ventilation systems: passive stack ventila- A widely adopted mechanism for reducing the amount of tion, mechanical extract ventilation and mechanical ventilation energy consumed in dwellings is to increase airtightness and with heat recovery. Fieldwork is being conducted at three re- reduce ventilative heat losses through the building envelope. cently completed social housing developments in the UK, us- As building regulations get more stringent, we are having to ing in-depth interviews, photography and a walk-through of change the way we ventilate our homes, to address the chal- the dwelling with the resident, supported by analysis of design lenge of providing adequate ventilation while maximising and construction documentation. The paper argues that seen energy efficiency. The construction industry has responded through the theoretical lens of domestication theory, the phe- through the use of whole-house ventilation systems.
    [Show full text]