Brain Food: Whole Building Energy Performance

Whole Building Energy Performance: Driving Towards Net-Zero and Energy Security

Energy codes and standards are changing how our buildings are designed, constructed, and operated.  As a result, project teams must have increasing familiarity with the drivers for high-performance design and the tools to achieve that performance.  Owner’s goals for ever-more efficient buildings will continue to be a driver of the design and construction of facilities until net-zero energy buildings are the norm.  This presentation describes the theory and case studies for a dynamic and comprehensive approach to high-performance buildings, using codes and standards as the backdrop to drive toward net-zero design.  This approach includes early phase analysis of the local climate and utilization of energy modeling throughout the design process to optimize the building enclosure as well as mechanical and electrical systems.  The latest industry definitions and research will be reviewed to show the elements of net-zero buildings and their feasibility.  Finally, building owners can only manage to the level that their facilities are monitored, so the last section of the presentation discusses the evolution of building performance monitoring including measurement and verification (M&V) and automatic fault detection and diagnostics (AFDD).

Learning Objectives

1. Identify the drivers for high-performance and net-zero energy buildings
2. Describe the tools and approaches needed to achieve low-energy or zero-energy buildings
3. Define net-zero energy buildings and describe their feasibility 
4. Identify how to keep a building operating at peak efficiency for the long-term

Approved for 1.5 AIA Learning Unit