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ContinuingEducation
Usethefollowinglearningobjectivestofocus
yourstudywhilereadingthismonthsContinuing
Educationarticle.
LearningObjectivesAfterreadingthisarticle,
youwillbeableto:
1. Discusshowengineersandarchitects
arecollaboratingonprojectdesign.
2. Discusshowcomputersoftwareisused
forestimatingenergyconsumption.
3. Discussthevalueandlimitationsof
energymodelingsoftware.
EnergyModelingForSustainability
Evolvingsoftwareformodelingenergydynamicsmakesiteasierforarchitectsandengineerstodesign
greenbuildings
April2008
FromGreenSource
B.J.Novitski
Chiefamongfactorsdeterminingthesustainableperformanceofa
buildingaretheamountofenergyitconsumesandhowmuchofthat
energyisfromrenewablesources.Architectshavelongreliedon
engineerstoperformthecomplexenergyconsumptionestimationsand
selectmechanicalsystems.Thisrelianceisnowtransforminginto
collaborationasengineersarebeinginvitedintoearlydesignphasesto
helptheteamwithdecisionsaboutorientationandmassing.Threecase
studiesshowhowtheengineers'workwithenergysimulationsoftware
informsthosedecisions.Formanyyears,theU.S.DepartmentofEnergy
(DOE)fundedthedevelopmentofthesoftwarenowknownasDOE2.It
analyzesthereactionofabuilding'sskinandgeometryinresponseto
internalloadsandexternalclimateconditionsforeachofthe8,760hours
inayear.Theseloadsincludesolarheatgainsheatgainsfrom
occupants,electriclights,andequipmentandheatgainedorlostthrough
infiltrationorbyconductionthroughthewalls,roof,andglazing.DOE2
alsomodelsmechanicalsystemperformanceandthelocalutilityrate
structure.TheDepartmentofEnergyisnowpromotingthenext
generationEnergyPlus.LikeitspredecessorDOE2,EnergyPlusdepends
onthirdpartysoftwaretoprovideauserfriendlygraphicalinterface.
Simulationsoftwaresuppliesanuancedviewofabuilding'sdynamicthermalperformancethatenablesengineerstoselect
andsizeequipmentthatissmarter,smaller,andoftenlessexpensivethanthenorm.Forinstance,coldbutclearwinterdays
mayenjoyabundantsolarradiation.Peakcoolingloadsmayoccuratatimeofmaximumdaylight,whichcanreplacesomeor
alloftheelectriclighting.Economizerscanuserelativelycooloutdoorairinlieuofsomemechanicalcooling.Lookingatall
thesefactorsandtheircomplexinteractionsisknownas"wholebuildingsimulation."Optimizingbuildingperformancecan
oftenresultinsignificantconstructioncostsavingsduetosmallersystemsandmechanicalrooms.

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PhotocourtesyRumseyEngineers
Becauseacompletesimulationrequiresspecifyingthermalzonesandmechanicalsystems,thevenerableDOE2hasproved
dauntingforarchitectstouse,particularlyearlyindesign,whencrucialdecisionsaboutformandorientationaremade.To
makethesesimulationsmoreaccessible,softwaredevelopershavebeencreating"friendlier"userinterfaces.Systemssuch
aseQUEST(doe2.com/equest),alsoinitiatedbyDOE,andEnergyPro,offeredbytheprivatesector,enablearchitectsand
engineerstotakeadvantageofDOE2'sanalyticpowerduringschematicdesign.Theydosobyofferingintelligentdefaultsfor
asyetundecideddesignfeatures.Astheprojectdevelops,thesedefaultscanbereplacedbyrealdesignproposals,andthe
analysisbecomesincrementallymoreprecise.Thereisapricetopay,though,forsimplicity.eQUEST,forinstance,islimited
inthecomplexityofgeometryitcanmodel.DOE2andEnergyPlusarenotaloneintheirthoroughnessandreliability.Trane
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Trace700andtheBritishIESarecomparableincalculatingloadsandsizingmechanicalsystems.IESgoesfurtherstillto
calculatecarbonemissionsandprovideacomputationalfluiddynamic(CFD)analysisofairflowbetweenthermalzones.Most
energymodelingsoftwaresupportsenergyconsumptioncomparisonsamongdifferentscenariostoassistindesignchoices.
However,nosinglesoftwaresystemdoesitall,andit'scommonfordesignfirmstodrawonseveraltoaccomplishacomplete
simulation.Thisisparticularlyimportantforfirmsinterestedinstilloutofmainstreamtechnologieslikephotovoltaiccells,
groundsourceheatpumps,ornaturalventilationincommercialbuildings.

InthedesignofStopwaste.org,RumseyEngineersusedeQUESTenergymodelingto
simulateenvelopeinsulation,glazing,electriclighting,andmechanicalsystems.
PhotocourtesyRumseyEngineers

It'simportanttonotethatnosimulationisaperfectrepresentationofreality,andanypredictionreliesonmanyassumptions
aboutconditionsthatwillaffecttheoperationsofthebuilding,suchasweather,occupancyrates,andfacilitymanagement
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practices.Resultsfromtheseprogramsareusefulforevaluatingdesignoptions,buttheirabilitytopredictactualenergyuseis
limitedandshouldbetemperedbygoodsense,professionalexperience,andactualperformancedata.
TowardBetterModelers
Anotherreasonanalyticalsystemshavebeentraditionallydifficulttouseisthattheirinterfacesfordescribingarchitectural
formarerudimentaryandmustbesupplementedbynumericaldatadescribingthethermalcharacteristicsofeachelement.
Thisinputcantakedaysorweeksdependingonthesizeofthebuilding,itscomplexity,andthenumberofoptionstobe
tested.CADsystems,especiallythosecapableofbuildinginformationmodeling(BIM),havebeenfacilitatingthistaskby
linkingthearchitects'3Dmodeltothesimulationprograms.

SECTIONA,STOPWASTE.ORG
FIRSTFLOOR,
STOPWASTE.ORG:
1Training
2Display
3Bath
4Openoffices
5Privateoffice
6Library
7Entry
8Conference
9Support

Accordingtotheengineerscitedhere,thatsoftwaredevelopmentisadvancingrapidly,especiallyforpreliminarystudies,but
nosystemhasachievedfullCADsimulationintegrationyet.RevitisdevelopingintegrationwithIES,andArchiCADlinksto
EnergyPlus,Ecotect,andothers.TheBentleySystemsBuildingsuiteofmultidisciplinaryapplicationstiesintoEnergyPlus,
TraneTrace700,IES,and,mostrecently,HevacompSeveralCADsystemshavethecapabilityofexportingdatainthe
gbXMLformat,whichcanthenbesubjectedtoanalysisattheGreenBuildingStudioWebsite.There,theavailabletoolsare
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DOE2,eQUEST,EnergyPlus,andTraneTrace700.ExportingdatafromCADtoanalysisisonlyhalfthestory,though.
Ideally,theresultsofananalysiswouldtiedirectlybacktothedesign.Acompletelyintegrated,allinonedesign/analysis
modelerisstillathingofthefuture.AutodeskhasrecentlyannouncedplanstoacquireGreenBuildingStudioandCarmel
Software,whichperformsHVACcalculations.AcquisitionslikethesepromiseimprovementsintheCAD/analysisinterface.
SierraCollegeinTruckee,California,iscooledwithoutrefrigerantsthankstoenergy
modelingbyBeaudinGanzeConsultingEngineers.
ImagescourtesyLionakisBeaumontDesignGroup

Energymodelingdiffersfromarchitecturalmodelinginthatbuildingperformance,notappearance,isofcriticalconcern.An
architectmightsketchawindowtoportrayacertainvisualcharacterandaccesstoviews,butwhetherthatwindowopensand
howitisshadedaremoreimportanttotheanalysisthantheshapeoftheaperture.Theenergyanalysisneedslittle
informationaboutstructuralmaterialsexcepttotheextentthattheymayaffectthethermalmassofthebuilding.So,for
instance,anarchitecturalchoicebetweenwoodandconcreteshouldbemadeearlyindesign.Oftenmoreimportantthan
wall,floor,androofmaterialsistheamountofinsulation.Energymodelingmuchconcernedwithcolorexceptinsofarasthat
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interiorfinishesaffectinternalreflectancesandthusdaylightperformance,whileexteriorfinishescanaffectsolargain.Onthe
otherhand,someinteriorfinishesshouldbeconsideredearlyonaconcretefloorintendedtocontributetothermal
performanceshouldn'tbecoveredupduetolatestagedecisionsaboutcarpeting.Becausethereissomuchdifference
betweenanarchitecturalmodelandanenergymodel,theengineerscitedheretypicallybuildtheirownmodelsfromscratch.
Thispracticewillsurelyevolveovertime.

FIRSTFLOOR
SIERRA
COLLEGE:
1Lobbies
2Dining
3Classrooms
4Offices
5Support
6Labs
7Labsupport
8Baths

Nevertheless,accordingtoCADspecialistCalvinClark,ofOakland,CaliforniabasedRumseyEngineers,currentpractices
arealreadyhelpingachievethegoalofsustainability.HesaysGreenBuildingStudiooffersarchitectsanaccessiblemethod
for"tweakingvariablesandrunningalternatives"earlyindesign."Forpreliminaryconcepts,"henotes,"theycansee,rightoff
thebat,whetherthey'llsaveenergy,andtheycanpreoptimize.'Thissoftwareishelpfulingettingarchitectstodothese
thingsbeforetheyevencometous."
RemodelingtoLEEDPlatinum
RumseyEngineersrecentlyworkedonamajorrenovationofavintage1926twostory,14,000sfbuildingindowntown
Oakland.ThenewheadquartersforStopwaste.org,anorganizationthatcoordinatessourcereductionandrecyclingprograms
inthecounty,earnedLEEDPlatinumcertification.KomorousToweyArchitectsofOaklandimplementedanumberofdesign
strategies.Theyreworkedtheeastfacingmainfacadeandbrokeopentheformerlysolidnorthwalltomorethandoublethe
amountofglazing.RumseyenergymodelerKajalChatterjeeusedeQUESTtosimulateenvelopeinsulation,glazing,electric
lighting,andmechanicalsystems.Shebeganbymodelingtheexistingbuildingasabaselineagainstwhichtogaugevarious
designimprovements.

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BowieGridleyArchitectsadded115,000sftothehistoricHayesManorfortheHoward
HughesMedicalInstituteinChevyChase,Maryland.
ImagescourtesyBowieGridleyArchitects

Theoriginalbuildingwaspoorlyinsulated,sothedesignersconsideredhowmuchinsulationtoaddtotheroofandwalls.By
incrementallytestingvariousamountsofinsulation,Chatterjeewasabletodemonstrateanoptimumlevel.Thesoftware
indicatedaclearpointofdiminishingreturns,wheretheenergybenefitcurveceasedtoclimbsteeply.Theamountofrigid
insulationvariedduetoroofslopebutaveraged14inches.
Becauseofefficientfixtures,photosensorsthatturnoffunneededlights,andincreaseddaylighting,Chatterjeewasableto
documentadropinthelightingpowerdensity(LPD,orwattspersquarefoot)from1.11,onparwithaminimallycode
compliantbuilding,downto0.86.Whiletheelectricityconsumedwentdown,thequalityoflightwentup.
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ACFDanalysisenabledSyskaHennessyGrouptorecommendaslottedlightshelfthat
wouldimprovedistributionofbothairanddaylight.
ImagescourtesySyskaHennessyGroup

ChatterjeeusedLawrenceBerkeleyNationalLaboratory'sprogramWindowtoobtaindatafortheoverallglazingsystem.
"ManufacturersusuallyjustprovideaUvalueandsolarheatgaincoefficient(SHGC)forglass,"Chatterjeeexplains."Werun
thattogetherwiththeframetypetogettheoverallUvalue.OutputfromWindowwentintoeQUEST."
Then,basedonsolarradiationandcloudcoverinformationfromhistoricalweatherdataforOakland,eQUESTcalculatedthe
amountofdaylightthebuildingwouldreceiveandloweredthepredictedlightingenergyuseaccordingly.Chatterjeenotes
"There'salotofinteractionbetweendaylightingandelectricallighting,anditaffectstheloadsandthemechanicalsystem.It's
allconnected."
Thechoiceofmechanicalsystemwasinfluencedbythesuperinsulatedshell.Theychoseapackagedrooftopvariableair
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volume(VAV)unitwithagasfurnaceandnoreheat."NoreheatisunusualinCalifornia,"Chatterjeepointsout."Weputmore
insulationinthewalls,sotheperimeterareaswouldn'tneedthereheat.That'swherewethinktheenergyconservationlies."
Themechanicalsystemwasalsolessexpensivethanaconventionalonewouldhavebeen,anditsupportsnaturalventilation
whenconditionspermit.CalculationspredictthebuildingwilloutperformTitle242005,California'salreadystringentenergy
code,by40percent.
CleanMountainAir
AsecondcasestudyinvolvesaclassroombuildingforSierraCollegeinTruckee,California,elevation5,800feet,
characterizedbysnowybutsunnywintersandcool,lowhumiditysummers.SacramentoarchitectsLionakisBeaumont
DesignGroupworkedwithVail,ColoradobasedBeaudinGanzeConsultingEngineers(BGCE)totakefulladvantageof
climatefactorstoreducefossilfuelconsumption.Theyorientedthebuildingtothesouthtomaximizesolaraccessforheat,
light,andsnowmelt.Inkeepingwithaskilodgevernacular,theyusedstone,wood,andexposedstructurebutstoppedshort
ofroofoverhangsbecauseofthestructuralloadandhazardssnowwouldcause.Nowinconstruction,thebuildingis
expectedtoachieveLEEDSilver.
BGCEseniorassociateWesleyPloof,PE,reportsonthefirm'senergymodelingeffort.HeexplainstheychoseEnergyProas
theirprimarysoftwarebecauseitsoutputdirectlydocumentsTitle24compliance."FormostofourworkoutsideCalifornia,we
prefertouseTraneTrace.It'sveryeffectiveallaroundsoftwareitdocumentsLEEDcomplianceintermsofcomparisonstoa
minimallyASHRAEcompliantbuilding."
Ploof'scolleaguesmodeledavarietyofwallinsulationlevelsandglazingtypesbeforeestablishinganoptimumcombination
thatfitthebudget.Whentheyrealizedtheywouldn'tbeabletorelyonoverhangsforsolarshading,theygaveextraemphasis
tohighquality,spectrallyselectiveglasstokeepunwantedsolarheatgaindown.Theyrecommendedsmartcontrolsto
regulatetemperatureandlighting,roombyroom,hourbyhour,accordingtodaylightavailabilityandnumberofoccupants.
Becausethemodelinglookedathourlyinteractionsofexternalandinternalthermalconditions,BGCEwasableto
recommendamechanicalsystemwithoutrefrigerants.Thesysteminsteadreliesonevaporativecooling,economizercycles,
andnaturalventilation.Asaresultofallthismovingair,theenergyrequiredforfansisactuallyhigherherethanina
comparableconventionalbuilding,whiletheoverallmechanicalsystemisfarlessenergyconsumptive.
Thesereducedoperatingcostswillpayfortheextradesigneffortovertimebecause,unlikemanycommercialbuilding
owners,theinstitutionalownerisalsothetenantandwilldirectlybenefitfromfuturesavings.
SculptingAirandLight
Athirdcasestudydemonstratestheinterrelatednessofarchitecturalfactorsthataffectenergyconsumption.Washington,D.C.
basedBowieGridleyArchitectswereaskedbytheHowardHughesMedicalInstitutetoadd115,000sftothehistoricHayes
Manor,inChevyChaseMaryland,tocreateaheadquartersfortheinstitution.Fromthebeginning,theycommittedto
collaboratingwithengineersfromtheSyskaHennessyGrouptoensuretheadditionwouldbebuiltsustainably.Theprojectis
nowinconstructionandexpectedtoearnLEEDGold.
Theengineersbeganbyconductinganintenseenergyauditoftheexistingbuilding,installingmetersandstudyingoccupant
behavior.Theysimulatedtheenvelopeoftheproposedadditionandranaseriesofstudiesoflighting,daylighting,andthe
interconnectionofnewandexistingchillerplantstotakeadvantageofthelatestutilityratestructures.
TheyusedEcotectforpreliminaryclimateanalysisandbasicmassingstudies,thencontinuedthesimulationwitheQUEST.
Fromsiteandweatherdata,theydetermineddaylightavailabilityandusedRadiancetovisualizethedistributionoflightina
typicalperimeteroffice.Syska'sShreshthNagpal,basedinNewYork,exploreswaystominimizediscomfortglarewithout
interruptingviewsandoverallilluminationfromdaylight.Hesimulatedseveraldaylightingandglarecontroloptions,while
optimizinginternalsurfacereflectancevaluestoachievethedesiredvisualcomfortconditions.Withtheoptionselected,
daylightentersthroughtheupperglazing,reflectsfromthetopsurfaceofalightshelf,andisdistributedthroughouttheroom,
whileviewsaremaintainedthroughthelowerglazing.Anexternalsunshadeblocksmuchofthedirectsunlightcoming
throughtheviewwindow,butinsomecasestheexternalshadeisineffective,suchasinthelateafternooninawestoriented
office."Butevenifyoupulltheblindsagainstglare,thedaylightlevelsfromabovearestilleffective,"Nagpalsays.

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EngineersworkingonanadditiontoafacilityattheHowardHughesMedicalInstitute(top)
beganwithaminimallyASHRAEcompliantbuilding(piechart,middle)andexaminedvarious
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energyconservationoptions(graph,bottom).
ImagescourtesySyskaHennessyGroup

ThesimulationgrewmoreinterestingwhenNagpaltestedthelightshelfandroomgeometryinacomputationalfluiddynamics
(CFD)analysisinIES.Forvariousreasons,thepreferredoptionofunderfloorairdistributionwasnotfeasible,andtherewas
concernthatthelightshelfwouldimpedeairflowfromtheceilingdiffusers.Indeed,thefirstCFDvisualizationshowedapocket
ofcoldairoverthelightshelfandexcessiveheatbuildupinareassubjecttointernalgains:Theviewwindow,occupant,and
desktopcomputer."Ourconcernwastoeffectivelyimproveairdistributionwhilenotcompromisingonthelightshelfordaylight
quality,"heexplains."Withthesolaranglesinmind,wesizedaslotalongtheperimeterforasixinchgapbetweenthe
windowandthelightshelf."Theychosespecialjetairdiffuserstocreatealaminarairflowalongtheinternalsurfaces.Airflow
throughtheslotreducesthecoldairpocketabovetheshelf,improvingdistribution.Itwouldhavebeenmorechallenging,if
notimpossible,tocometothisseeminglysimpleresultwithoutthefeedbackprovidedbythelightandairflowsimulations.
Isallthisextradesigneffortworthit?DavidCallan,PE,Syska'snationaldirectorofsustainabledesignandhighperformance
buildingtechnology,concludesonanencouragingnote:"Itdoesn'tnecessarilycostmore,"heasserts."Sometimesitcostsa
lotless.Ifyoutakethelongviewonbuildingperformance,youseethatmostofthemoneyyouspendoverthelifespanofa
buildingisn'tinupfrontcosts.About85percentofyourcostsareinpeople.Soifyoucanmakeadesignchoicethatallows
thepeopleinsideyourbuildingtobedelightedandenergizedbytheirenvironment,morecomfortableandthereforemore
productive,you'regoingtoseeabigpayoff."

OriginallypublishedintheApril2008issueofGreenSource