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Below we have listed the current industry practices that are used to lower HVAC cost, increase energy efficiency, lower water usage and improve building thermal efficiency. It is these practices that we recommend using in the development of the HVAC, Electrical and Plumbing system of the building although our design reflects some of these techniques and products we were unable to take full advantage of these practices since the tools we used to develop our systems do not take into account the energy saving systems. |
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Heating & Cooling |
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Gas-fired Chiller/Heaters |
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| Definition A natural-gas powered mechanical appliance that supplies chilled water for air-conditioning or for process cooling, as well as hot water for space heating.
Description While conventional chillers contain a compressor and utilize vapors such as CFCs or HCFCs as refrigerants, absorption-based chillers comprise an absorber, a generator, a pump and a recuperative heat exchanger, and do not use ozone-depleting chemicals. Instead, the absorption process uses two working fluids and a heat source to provide cooling. The most common working fluids used are water (the refrigerant) and lithium bromide (the absorbent); one model of absorption chiller-heater uses ammonia as the refrigerant and water as the absorbent. Lithium bromide and water are environmentally-benign substances that can be disposed of easily. Gas-fired, double-effect (two-stage) absorption chillers have greater efficiency and reliability than conventional chillers. Gas-fired absorption chiller-heaters units are credited with a median service life of 23 years by ASHRAE. Information Sources Canadian Gas Association |
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Application Absorption units are heavier, have a different size configuration, and have reject more heat to cooling towers than vapor-compression chillers; these characteristics may negatively impact retrofit applications. Experience Example Manufacturers Trane York International |
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Radiant Heating & Cooling |
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| Definition A system to heat and cool buildings that relies primarily on radiation heat transfer. Typically, heated or chilled water is circulated though floor or ceiling panels to condition the space.
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Application Experience |
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Ventilation & Air Quality |
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Displacement Ventilation |
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| Definition An air distribution system in which incoming air originates at floor level and rises to exhaust outlets at the ceiling.
Description Displacement ventilation is applied in several different ways, depending on the method used to deliver incoming air. In typical Scandinavian designs, air is released from wall ducts that run under windows. Air is exhausted through ceiling plenums. If the office is more than five meters wide, one air supply may be insufficient. Additional air supply would be required from interior partitions. In another application of displacement ventilation, air is supplied through floor plenums with in-floor fans, or from above-floor fans associated with workstation air outlets. A third method uses ceiling jets to send a vertical column of conditioned
air to the floor. This method is often used as a means of
personal temperature control. |
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Application The temperature of incoming air must not be much lower than room temperature in order to avoid chilling the occupants. This factor has implications for building energy use. In some conditions, additional air volume must be circulated in order to capture internal sensible heat gains and in order to cool air for dehumidification purposes. Experience Cost Example Manufacturers |
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Desiccant Cooling/Dehumidification |
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| Definition The use of chemical (or physical) absorption of water vapor to dehumidify air and reduce the latent cooling load in a building HVAC system.
Description Desiccant dehumidification removes humidity from ventilation air. Thus,
air conditioning requirements are reduced to meet the demands of sensible
cooling and smaller air-conditioning plants are required. Smaller
air-handling systems are also made possible. There are two types of desiccant systems: liquid (sorbent) and dry. Liquid desiccant systems remove more moisture from ventilation air than do dry desiccant systems; the air produced by dry desiccant systems, however, is warmer than the air produced by dry desiccant systems. Liquid desiccant systems commonly use two chambers with air/liquid contact surfaces such as sprayed coils. In the conditioning chamber, ventilation air is dehumidified as the concentrated desiccant absorbs moisture from the air. In the regeneration chamber, building exhaust air is humidified as moisture is transferred from the dilute desiccant to the exhaust air. The exhaust air and/or desiccant is usually heated to promote desiccant regeneration. A desiccant pump, level controls and heat exchanger are typically included in the system. Dry desiccant systems operate in a manner similar to liquid desiccant
systems, but use a desiccant coating on a rotary
enthalpy heat exchanger. Dry desiccant systems do not require energy for
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Application Desiccant cooling may be practical for office buildings in southern and coastal Canada with central air handling systems; in these buildings, dehumidification can offset the cost of other system components. These systems may also be advantageous when increased ventilation requirements will exceed the capacity of the existing chiller. Desiccant cooling is not suitable for small unitary systems, except where heat recovery is already going to be provided and the upgrade cost to a desiccant-coated heat wheel is small. The use of desiccant cooling is not practical when latent cooling loads are low, for example, in the Prairies and northern Canada. Experience Cost Example Manufacturers |
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Lighting, Day lighting & Energy Use |
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Day lighting Controls |
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| Definition Controls that dim or turn off electric lights in response to levels of natural daylight.
Description There are two types of day lighting control systems: dimming and switching. Dimming control varies the light output over a wide range to provide the desired light level. Switching controls turn individual lamps off or on as required. In a conventional two-lamp fixture, there are three settings: both lamps off, one lamp on, both lamps on. The same strategy can be used with three- and four-lamp fixtures. Dimming systems require electronic dimmable ballasts and are more expensive than switching systems, however, they achieve the largest savings and do not have the abrupt changes in light level characteristic of switching systems. In addition to energy savings, electric light dimming systems offer two other advantages over conventional lighting systems. First, conventional lighting systems are typically designed to over-illuminate rooms to account for the 30% drop in lighting output over time. Electric light dimming systems automatically compensate for this reduced output to give a constant light level over time. Second, day lighting controls can be adjusted to give the desired light level for any space. Thus, when floor plans are changed, it is easy to adjust the light levels to meet the lighting needs of each area (provided the system is zoned properly and has sufficient lighting capacity). A lighting system, windows and HVAC system need to be designed to take
maximum advantage of day lighting. The window visible transmission should be
high to admit daylight; heavily-tinted windows should be avoided. The
building cooling system can be reduced in size when solar gains are at their
highest, because the lights will be dimmed to the minimum. Day lighting
works best with
indirect lighting because with indirect lighting, occupants are less
likely to notice changes in electric light output. Conversely, day lighting
control does not work well with spot lighting. Maximum energy savings (up to
75%) are achieved when the lighting system is controlled by both day
lighting and occupancy sensors. Download Day lighting Guide for Canadian Commercial Buildings. |
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High-efficiency Fluorescent Fixtures |
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| Definition The Illuminating Engineering Society's definition of luminaries (or fixture) efficiency is "the ratio of lumens emitted by a luminaries to that emitted by the lamps therein."
Description
Manufacturers of fluorescent luminaries continuously strive to design and
produce more efficient fixtures. As lamp manufacturers develop new products,
these are often quickly adopted by the luminaries manufacturers into smaller
and more efficient fixtures. Two recent examples include the use of standard
T5 and high output T5 (HOT5) lamps and triple tube compact fluorescent
lamps.
Distribution category can often be considered as narrow, medium or wide.
This can apply to recessed down lights, troffers or indirect luminaries.
Depending upon the environment, a fixture of one distribution category may
be less efficient, but still better suited than a fixture of another
distribution category. For example, the objective may be to light a
horizontal desktop upon which paper tasks and a computer keyboard will be
placed, and to keep light off the vertical plane so that the computer screen
is most visible. In this case a fixture with a high efficiency number that
distributes light at high angles (hitting the vertical plane) as opposed to
straight down would be less appropriate for the job. |
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Experience Cost Example Manufacturers
Contributing Expert |
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Electronic Dimmable Ballasts |
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| Definition A solid-state ballast that can provide variable light output in response to a signal (from a photosenso, for example).
Description Electronic ballasts are also available as dimming ballasts. These ballasts allow the light level to be controlled between 1% and 100%. Magnetic ballasts are also available with dimming capability, but they cannot be dimmed below 20% and use more electricity than do electronic ballasts. Dimmable electronic ballasts can be controlled by photosensors,
occupancy sensors and/or a time clock. It is estimated that the
combination of photosensor control and dimmable electronic ballasts can
reduce annual electricity use by 50% over non-dimming systems. The
combination of all three control methods can save approximately 75% of
electricity use. |
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Application Example Manufacturers |
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Occupancy Sensors |
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| Definition Electrical sensors that detect occupancy and turn lights off or on according to pre-set levels.
Description Occupancy sensors have a limited sensing range. Sensors can detect slight hand motion up to 3 m and full body motion up to 10 m. Ultrasonic sensors offer better detection than PIR sensors. In rooms where it is critical that lights do not go off incorrectly, dual technology (PIR and ultrasonic) sensors can be used. Occupancy sensors can reduce lighting energy use by 30 to 60%, depending
on the frequency of room usage. Savings can rise to 75% if the lights are
controlled by a combination of occupancy and
daylighting controls. |
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Application Experience Example Manufacturers |
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HID Electronic Ballasts & Lamps |
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| Definition High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamps produce light by striking an electrical arc across tungsten electrodes housed inside a specially designed inner glass tube.
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Application Cost |
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Energy Efficient Office Equipment |
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| Definition Computers, printers, photocopiers and fax machines equipped with power management settings; printers and photocopiers capable of double-sided printing.
Description It is important to note that this powering-down capability does not refer
to screen savers. Screen savers are used to prevent an image from being
permanently burnt into the screen, and are actually heavy users of computer
power. |
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Experience Photocopiers Example Manufacturers |
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Water Usage |
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Ultra-low-flush Toilets |
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| Definition Low-flush toilets are designed to use six litres of water per flush, significantly less water than conventional toilets use.
Description Although a 6-L toilet looks like a conventional toilet, it has several unique features. Most 6-L toilets use gravity to speed the course of water through the bowl and trap. The rim wash comes through an open slot rather than small holes. The bowl may have steep sides and a narrow trap opening. Six-litre flush toilets generally have a smaller pool or "water spot" than that in conventional toilets. Six-litre toilets should contain the CSA or Warnock Hersey label. This ensures that the toilet has passed primary performance and maintenance tests. Six-litre toilets are available in both residential and special needs styles. Information Sources Water Wiser: The Water Efficiency Clearinghouse Contributing Expert |
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Application Experience Six-litre toilet replacement programs are an important component of long-term water conservation strategies in numerous cities and municipalities across North America. Major initiatives have begun in the following locations: The Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Kitchener, Ontario; Barrie, Ontario; The Regional Municipality of Durham, Whitby, Ontario; Windsor, Ontario; Tampa, Florida; Los Angeles, California; El Paso, Texas; San Diego, California Some commercial and industrial users also have replacement programs. Among these are major hotel chains in Canada and the USA, universities, and retirement/nursing homes and other commercial operations. Cost Example Manufacturers Crane Plumbing Kohler Ltd. |
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Thermal Conductivity |
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Mineral-wool Based EIFS |
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| Definition An exterior cladding system comprised of mineral-wool insulation and a sprayed coating.
Description EIFS systems have several advantages over other cladding systems. First, the system covers the entire building wall (except windows and doors). Thus, EIFS provides an insulation layer over potential thermal bridges such as wall studs and columns and floor-wall junctions. Second, because the entire exterior wall is covered, building airtightness is improved. Third, because insulation is placed on the building exterior, the building structure is kept warm; this minimizes thermal expansion and contraction. Finally, if properly installed, the system avoids a build-up of moisture in the building cladding. (In brick veneer systems, moisture build-up can cause spawling and cracking of the brick.) Fire code regulations restrict the use of polystyrene insulation to
lowrise buildings. One EIFS system utilizes mineral wool as the insulation
layer to overcome this limitation; a mineral-wool based EIFS can be used for
buildings of any height. A further advantage of mineral wool insulation is
that wall system pressure differences can be even out because the air can
travel along the insulation layer. |
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Application Mineral-wool based EIFS is particularly well suited to highrise residential and commercial buildings because this type of cladding provides greater fire resistance and superior thermal performance is not found in many other cladding systems. Experience Cost Example Manufacturers |
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Inert Gas Window Fills |
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| Definition The use of a low-conductivity inert gas instead of air in window glazing cavities in order to reduce heat transmission through the window.
Description Air, of course, is the most common cavity fill gas, but the use of an inert gas (typically argon or krypton) can significantly reduce window heat transfer. Krypton and argon are colourless, odourless and non-toxic. Argon is the most commonly-used fill gas because it offers good thermal performance at low cost. Krypton is more effective at reducing heat loss, but is roughly 200 times more expensive than argon per unit volume. Because krypton works best at smaller pane spacings (8 mm), it is often used in triple and quadruple-glazed windows to minimize the overall thickness of the unit. Other types of gases are used (for example, sulphur hexafluoride, carbon dioxide) to reduce sound transmission, but these gases do not offer the improved thermal performance of the inert gases. Several different techniques are used to fill glazing cavities, but all
techniques result in a mixture of the fill gas and air. A recently approved
Canadian General Standards Board standard requires units to achieve a 90%
fill gas concentration. This concentration will gradually diffuse over time;
this diffusion is estimated at 0.5 to 1% per year. Thus, after 20 years the
fill gas concentration may have dropped to 70 to 80%; this still gives 70 to
80% of the energy benefits of inert gas fills over conventional windows. |
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Application Cost Example Manufacturers |
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Warm-edge Windows |
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| Definition A low-conductivity material used to separate the lites of glass in a sealed glazing unit.
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Spectrally-selective Glazings |
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| Definition A tinted or coated glazing that has solar/optical properties which vary across the solar spectrum. Typically these glazings have high transmission of visible light but low transmission of solar gains.
Description Spectrally-selective glazing is usually used as the outboard lite of a sealed glass unit in order that any absorbed solar gains are lost to the outdoors. Depending on the size and design of the glazing unit, the spectrally-selective glazing may have to be tempered. The tints used to create the spectrally-selective effect do not affect the heat loss or U-value of the window. A low-emissivity coating can be added to either the spectrally- selective glazing or the inboard glazing to improve thermal performance. A common measure of the performance of spectrally-selective glazing units is the light-to-solar ratio (LSR). This is the ratio of visible light transmission divided by the solar heat gain coefficient for the glazing system. The highest possible ratio is approximately 2.0. Clear glazing units have a value close to 1.0, while a good spectrally-selective glazing system would have a value greater than 1.7. Contributing Expert |
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Application Experience Download Daylighting Guide for Canadian Commercial Buildings. |
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Low-conductivity Window Frames |
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| Definition A window or curtain-wall framing system constructed from materials with low thermal conductivity in order to reduce heat loss.
Description The thermal performance of window systems is defined for Canada in
Canadian Standards Association Standard A440.2. An energy-efficient window
system would have a total window heat loss coefficient of under 2.0 W/m2K. |
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Application Example Manufacturers |
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http://www.advancedbuildings.org/_frames/fr_cs_gog.htm Location of information on this site.
