What needs to be Commissioned in Zero Energy Buildings?

1. What needs to be Commissioned in Zero Energy Buildings? Jorge Torres Coto WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 1

2. What is a Zero Energy Building? • A building that creates as much energy as it uses in a year: • At the site • At the source WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 2

3. What can we find in ZEB? • Ancestral design methods • Integrated design process • Passive systems • Slow reaction time • Flat interior loads (int. offices, libraries, etc.) • Active systems (usual suspects) • Fast reaction time • Varying interior loads (meeting rooms, etc.) WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 3

4. Ancestral design methods • Learn from the way we designed before “technology” or remind designers • Let the building itself do the work. • Nature can help with the building needs. • Building simulation can assist the design team. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 4

5. Integrated design process • The whole building as an engineered system. • System interactions are more important than individual systems. • How will they work together? • When will they work together? • Will they fight each other? WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 5

6. Passive Systems • Slow reaction time • Flat daily range • Constant interior loads • As CxP we need to understand and evaluate the building (the system) throughout the whole Cx process. • Pre-design, design, construction, occupancy & operations WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 6

7. Passive Systems • Solar heating • Thermal mass • Trombe walls • Passive cooling • Thermal mass • Natural ventilation • Daylighting • Etc. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 7

8. Passive Systems & Tools • Start at the Envelope • NIBS Guideline 3 • Evaluate: • Energy models • CFD • Solar Exposures • Sun path diagrams • Wind roses • Siting, etc. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 8

9. Passive Systems & Tools • Solar heating systems • Orientation • Siting • Obstacles (shading, buildings, topography, landscape, etc.) • Building materials (mass, glazing, etc) WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 9

10. Passive Systems & Tools • Solar heating tools • Sun paths • CFD • Thermal imagery • Training WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 10

11. Passive Systems & Tools • Passive cooling • Stop the heat at the source (int. or ext.) • Orientation • Siting • Obstacles (shading, buildings, topography, landscape, etc.) • Building materials (mass, glazing, etc) WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 11

12. Passive Systems & Tools • Natural ventilation • Opening sizing • Opening orientation • Opening type • Interior obstacles WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 12

13. Passive Systems & Tools • Passive cooling tools • Sun paths • Wind rose • CFD • Training (adaptive lifestyles) WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 13

14. Passive Systems & Tools • Insulation & glazing • Proper selection for climate and design strategies. • Proper construction details. • Construction matches drawings, specs, energy calculations, etc. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 14

15. Passive Systems & Tools • Thermal mass • Proper selection of materials (response time) • Proper construction details (avoid thermal bridging) • Adequate location of mass. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 15

16. Passive Systems & Tools • Insulation, glazing, & thermal mass tools • NIBS Guideline 3 • Thermal Imaging WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 16

17. Passive Systems & Tools • Daylighting • Glazing selection • Glazing orientation • Glazing size and location • Light shelves • Siting • Interior color scheme WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 17

18. Passive Systems & Tools • Daylighting tools • Sun paths • Software simulation WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 18

19. Cx Process for ZEB in brief • Energy should be controlled at the source: • Lighting • Exterior environmental extremes • Massing of people (proper zoning) • The basis for this is in the OPR • Design team should do building program, basis of design to meet or exceed OPR • The CxP should assist the design team (we are considered the experts), through design phase commissioning. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 19

20. Key Cx tasks to insure a ZEB • Envelope • Siting • Orientation • Landscape • Controls and interactions between passive and active systems • Training WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 20

21. Add to the CxP’s Toolbelt • Computer simulation • CFD • Energy Models • Etc. • Sun paths • Thermal Imaging WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 21

22. Good references • http://www.wbdg.org/ccb/NIBS/nibs_gl3.pdf • http://www.wbdg.org/ccb/DOD/UFC/ufc_3_440_06n.pdf • http://btech.lbl.gov/pub/designguide/dlg.pdf • http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1091&context=cedr/cbe • http://www.wbdg.org/ccb/AF/AFH/pshbk_v1.pdf • http://www.wbdg.org/ccb/DOD/UFC/ufc_3_440_03n.pdf • http://www.nibs.org/JBED/ WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 22

23. Thank You WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 23