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The Carbon Neutral Design Project:
Carbon Neutral Teaching: Curriculum Materials Development
Hazem Rashed-Ali
University of Texas, San Antonio

Graduate and Undergraduate Seminar Course
Intermediate and Senior Students

Whole Building Energy Use

Whole Building Energy Use

Design Performance Objective

Whole Building Energy Analysis

The image shows the EQUEST model developed for the student project as well as the resulting monthly whole building electricity and natural gas energy use by endues. The resulting total usage is used to generate the building’s Energy Use Index, EUI, in kWh/ft2, which is then compared with average US statistics to verify the building’s performance.

Student: Andrew Harwwod
Software / Tools:

eQuest

EPA Target Finder

 

Spring 2008 “Applications in Sustainable Design” Graduate/ Undergraduate Seminar

Whole Building Energy Use

Investigate methods/tools of simulating whole building energy use, and use the results of the tools to optimize the project’s design through comparing it with local and national benchmarks.

course and project outline

Investigative Strategy

1. To build a model of the project in eQUEST, using the design development wizard.

2. To simulate the whole year energy usage of the project, and to extract the “Monthly energy consumption by end use” and “annual energy consumption by end use” summary reports.

3. To calculate the Energy Use Intensity (EUI) for the project in kWh/ft2 or in Btu/ft2.

4. To discuss the different end uses of energy in the project and identify possible strategies of reducing them.

5.Using the EPA “target finder” tool, to identify the site & source energy use intensity for the project as well as its projected CO2 emissions.

6. To discuss the energy use intensity of the project and how it compares with conventional buildings of similar type and location as well as with high performance buildings (top 10%) as defined in the target finder tool.

7.To identify possible design modifications (if needed) to improve the performance of the building relative to the benchmark.

Evaluation Process

Students were required to submit a report describing the analysis process and conclusions supported by images from the ECOTECT analysis and RADIANCE rendering. Conclusions for each project were evaluated by the instructor and exhibited/discussed in class.

Evaluative Criteria

The assignment was evaluated based on the percentage of improvement in the building’s EUI compared to average energy usage for buildings of similar location, type, and size as identified by the Target Finder database.

Cautions - Possible Confusions

eQUEST is a Graphic User Interface running a DOE 2.2 engine, which is a very complex software with the capability of controlling all aspects of the building’s energy performance. Taking advantage of all of eQUEST’s capabilities, however, requires extensive energy modeling experience.

On the other hand, eQUEST includes two wizards (for schematic design and design development), which allow for the control of most of its major commands, including building form and envelop characteristics, and also include reasonably accurate and location and building type specific defaults for schedules, loads, and HVAC system performance, thus making it possible for student or use the tool.

Range of Applicability in terms of CLIMATE
ALL
Range of Applicability in terms of TYPE
ALL
Reference Material
Hirsch, J., 2003. eQUEST, quick energy simulation tool: introductory tutorial. James J. Hirsch and Associates. Available at: http://www.doe2.com/download/equest/eQUESTv3-40_Tutorial.exe.
Duration of Exercise
Two weeks.
Degree of Difficulty / Previous Knowledge Required
Easy. No previous knowledge required.


   

 

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