Sustainable Building Technical Manual - Etn-presco.net

Properly designed and constructed passive solar buildings offer many benefits to buildingowners and occupants, including: 4■ Energy Performance: Lower energy bills year-round.■ Investment: High economic return on the incremental investment on a life-cycle costbasis and greater financial independence from future rises in energy costs. These canlead to higher tenant retention and satisfaction, which can correlate to higher buildingvalue and lower risk (see Chapter 1, “The Economics of Green Buildings”).■ C o m f o r t : Greater thermal comfort, less reliance on noisy mechanical systems, solidconstruction (more thermal mass), sunny interiors, and open floor plans.■ P r o d u c t i v i t y : Increased daylighting, higher quality lighting systems, and reducedglare can increase worker productivity and reduce absenteeism (see Chapter 1, “TheEconomics of Green Buildings”).■ Low Maintenance: Reduced building maintenance costs resulting from less relianceon mechanical systems.■ Environmental: Reduced energy usage and reliance on fossil fuels.Successfully integrating passive solar design strategies requires a systematic approach thatbegins in the pre-design phase and carries throughout the entire design process. It is criticalthat the building owners and the design team agree to integrate passive solar designconsiderations during the appropriate project phases. The following passive solar designstrategies should be included during the building-design process. 5■ Site Selection: Evaluate building site options/positions for solar access and use of landscapingelements.■ P r o g r a m m i n g : Establish energy-use patterns and set priorities for energy strategies(e.g., daylighting versus efficient lighting); determine base-case conditions and conductlife-cycle cost analysis; establish an energy budget.■ Schematic Design: Maximize site potential by considering orientation, buildingshape, and landscaping options; conduct a preliminary analysis of representativebuilding spaces as they relate to insulation, thermal mass, and window type and location;determine the available daylighting; decide on the need for passive heating orcooling load avoidance, lighting, and HVAC systems. Determine the preliminary costeffectivenessof options and compare the budgets.■ Design Development: Finalize the analysis of all individual building zones, includinganalysis of design element options and life-cycle costs.■ Construction Documents: Simulate total building projections and develop specificationsthat meet the intent of energy-efficient design.■ Bidding: Use life-cycle cost analysis to evaluate alternates or “equals.”■ Construction: Communicate to the contractor the importance of adhering to designelements and ensure compliance.■ O c c u p a n c y : Educate occupants on the intent of the energy design and provide anoperations manual for maintenance staff.■ P o s t - O c c u p a n c y : Evaluate performance and occupancy behavior for comparisonwith goals.The optimal combination of passive solar design features is not always intuitively obvious.In order to analyze the choices, a base case is established—a building that correspondsto the overall architectural program but does not use passive solar strategies.Energy and economic comparisons are made between the base case and various combinationsof passive and energy-efficient design strategies. The final design is checked toconfirm that energy performance goals established earlier have been met.