Green Building and LEED Core Concepts Guide First Edition

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Analogous to the commissioning of a new ship, building com missioning ensures that a new building functions as designed. This detailed process begins early in the design phase, with the specification of requirements. Consideration for these requirements is carried through the entire building design and construction process, and the requirements are used as the basis for evaluating performance. Continual commissioning, an ongoing part of building operations, ensures that a building always meets its fundamental operational requirements. Rctrocommissioning is the same process applied to existing buildings; it is intended to return the building to its Original operational goals-and sometimes exceed them. Monitoring and verification provide the basis for tracking energy performance with the goal of identifying and resolving any problems that may arise over time. Monitoring often Involves comparing building performance measurements with predictions from a calibrated energy simulation or Industry benchmarking tool. The EPA's ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager is one of the most widely used benchmarking systems. Portfolio Manager users enter data on electricity and natural gas consumption, along with other supporting information, into a Web-based tool. The system then evaluates the performance of the building against that of others with similar characteristics. This is an exceptionally useful, free tool for gauging the relative performance of buildings. Strategies for maintaining energy efficiency include t he fol lowing, • Adhere to owner's project requirements. Prepare detailed owner's project requirements at the beginning of the design process and conduct commissioning throughout the life cycle of the project to ensure that the building functions as designed . • Provide staff training. Knowledge and training empower facility managers to improve the performance of buildings over time. • Conduct preventive maintenance. Develop a robust preventive maintenance program to keep the building in optimal condition. • Create incentives for occupants and tenants. Involve bUilding occupants in energy efficiency strategies. Promote the use of energy-effiCient computers and equipment, bill tenants from submeter readings to encourage energy conservation, educate occupants about shutting down computers and turning out lights before they leave, and give them regular feedback on energy performance. 50 Green BUlldmg and l EED Core Concepts GU ide
Primary Resources: Cost-Effectiveness of Commissioning Buildings are complex systems. Performance promised duri ng planning and design can often by undermined by design flaws, construction defects, equipment malfunctions, and deferred maintenance. Building commissioning has emerged as an important quality-control strategy to detect and correct these deficiencies. Commissioning is a systematic investigation of building performance with respect to performance goals, design specifications, and, most importantly, owner's requirements. Skilled engineers conduct a detailed study of build ing construction and performance. The cost of commissioning is often repaid with recovered energy performance. A recent Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory study found that commissioning for existing buildings has a median cost of $0.27 per square foot and yie lds whole-building energy savings of 15%, with an average simple payback period of 0.7 years. For new construction, the median cost was determined to be $1 per square foot, with a median payback time of 4.8 years based on energy savings alone. Overa ll, the Lawrence Berkeley study concluded that commissioning is one of the most cost-effective means of improving energy efficiency in commercial buildings. • "Best Practices in Commissioning Existing Buildings" (Bu ilding Commissioning Associat ion, 200B), http://www bcxa,org/dowoloadslbca-ebcx best practices,pdf. • "Commissioning for Great Buildings" (Building Commissioning Association, 2005), httD:llwww.bcxa.Qrg/downloadstbca-white-paper-cx,pdf. • "Cost-Effectiveness of Commercial-Building Commissioning: Meta-Analysis of Energy and Non-Energy Impacts in Existing Buildings and New Construction," by Evan Mills (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2004), htlp:lleetd.lbl.gov/Emills/PUBS!Cx COstS-Be nefits. him I. • "The Value of the Commissioning Process: Costs and Benef its," by Chad Dorgan, Robert Cox, and Charles Dorgan (USGBC, 2002), http://www,usgbc.org!expoZ002J scheduleJdocumentslDS506 Dorgan P152.pdf. THINK ABOUT IT Bridging the gap between design and operations. Engineers and architects often compare building performance with code requ irements for new construction and speak of some percentage " better than code." Facility managers and bu ilding owners see invoices with dollars, kilowatts, therms, and gallons. This creates a gap between the metrics used to gauge build ing performance during design and operation . What are the consequences of this gap What are the opportunities for closing it Energy and At mosphere 51
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Page 19 and 20: LEADERSHIP IN ENERGY AND ENVIRONMEN
Page 21 and 22: The LEED rating systems address the
Page 23 and 24: The credit weightings are based on
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Page 29 and 30: Assessments and Measurements To eva
Page 31 and 32: The drivers of transportation impac
Page 33 and 34: THINK ABOUT IT Electric cars and ne
Page 35 and 36: THINK ABOUT IT Regenerative design.
Page 37 and 38: Primary Resources: Low-I mpact Deve
Page 39 and 40: Americans' use of the limited publi
Page 41 and 42: Strategies for reducing indoor wate
Page 43 and 44: THINK ABOUT IT Green lawns and gree
Page 45 and 46: AND AlMOS Energy has emerged as a c
Page 47 and 48: Strategies for redu cing energy dem
Page 49 and 50: • Use thermal energy storage. Gen
Page 51: To achieve LEED certification, new
Page 55 and 56: Assessments and Measurements • Ra
Page 57 and 58: LIFE-CYCLE IMPACTS LEED increasingl
Page 59 and 60: ENVIRONMENTAL According to the EPA,
Page 61 and 62: INDOOR AIR QUALITY Protecting indoo
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