#2 - MEET LOADS EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY

Efficient Equipment:
Once the building and its program have been designed to reduce their need for heating, cooling and lighting, it is necessary to ensure that whatever mechanical, electrical and plumbing fixtures or systems are chosen are of the highest efficiency so to require the least amount of power/electricity. Again in order to be able to supply all of the required energy via renewables, the amount required needs to be trimmed down. More efficient equipment can assist in reducing the energy that needs to be supplied to power the equipment.

Sensor Systems:
Even efficient equipment wastes energy if it is not turned off when it is not needed. Sensor systems can assist in eliminating loads for many types of equipment when their use is no longer required. This would include switching systems for lighting that recognizes both the amount of helpful daylight as well as the presence of occupants; switching systems for heating and air conditioning that either power OFF or power DOWN the systems when the space is not occupied.

Use of the Building/Specialized Equipment Energy Draws:
Recently many high profile green buildings have come under fire as they have not been able to perform as well as they had been predicted. In many instances it was not the actual building that failed, but the use of the building that contributed to its poor energy ratings. Often the plug loads (computers, electric white boards and other electronic equipment) have been blamed for the bad performance levels. This has been a highly political issue in the construction of many new High Performance Schools in the UK. The buildings themselves are operating efficiently, but the switch from classic blackboards to electronic whiteboards has added significantly to mounting power issues. Old fashioned schools had few power requirements beyond heating and electric lighting. When designing carbon neutral, and relying principally on site generated renewables, a full disclosure by the client of anticipated plug loads will be essential to the success of the project. Occupant load and duration of work or occupation hours must also be accurate. If a building is essentially disconnected from the grid, the flexibility will not be there to accommodate erratic increases in either occupancy or plug loads.

Phantom or Ghost Loads:
Progress has been made in the design of sensors that are capable of shutting off entire rooms or areas when they become unoccupied. This answers the issue of “ghost” or “phantom” loads. Phantom loads happen when electric devices such as computers are turned off, but in fact draw a small amount of power to keep them in a standby mode. These loads become significant when attempting to balance the energy in a building and so the use of “all off” systems can assist in eliminating these loads from the equation. Sensors and monitoring systems do not replace the education of the occupants.

Occupant education and involvement will be critical in ensuring that many of the passive systems function optimally, but misuse or unintentional overuse of electrical equipment could easily throw off the entire energy balance.

HELPFUL LINKS IN THE AIA 50to50 WIKI:

Building Monitoring

Conserving Systems and Equipment

Efficient Artificial and Site Lighting

Energy Saving Appliances and Equipment

High Efficiency Equipment

Smart Controls

Space Zoning

Systems Tune-Up

Waste Heat Recovery

Water Conservation