Quantification of the energy use due to occupant behaviour collected in surveys: a case study of a green and non-green building

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 777-803
Author(s):  
Laura M. M. C. E. Almeida ◽  
Vivian W. Y. Tam ◽  
Khoa N. Le
Keyword(s):  
Energy Use ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Occupant Behaviour

Simulated and Actual Energy Use of a Green Building: A Case Study on the Magic School of Green Technology

2013 ◽  
Vol 368-370 ◽  
pp. 1174-1178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tzu Ching Su ◽  
Yu Chung Wang ◽  
Hsien Te Lin
Keyword(s):  
Energy Use ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Green Technology ◽  
Zero Carbon

This is a case study on the Magic school of Green Technology (MSGT), the first zero-carbon building in Taiwan. This study simulated the energy performance of the MSGT by using eQUEST, a tool for simulating building energy, before the construction was complete. This study compared the simulated energy use with the actual energy use of the MSGT in 2011, and determined that the actual energy use was lower than the simulated energy use. Based on this comparison, the study proved that the MSGT consumed 65% less energy than do similarly sized buildings with the same functions.

Effects of occupant behaviour on energy performance in buildings: a green and non-green building comparison

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
pp. 1939-1962 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Almeida ◽  
Vivian W.Y. Tam ◽  
Khoa N. Le ◽  
Yujuan She
Keyword(s):  
Energy Use ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Occupant Behaviour ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Building Simulations ◽  
University Buildings ◽  
Input Variables ◽  
The Impact

PurposeOccupants are one of the most impacting factors in the overall energy performance of buildings, according to literature. Occupants’ behaviours and actions may impact the overall use of energy in more than 50%. In order to quantify the impact that occupant behaviour has in the use of energy, this study simulated interactions between occupants and the systems present in two actual buildings. The main aim was to compare the deviations due to occupant behaviour with the actual conditions and energy use of the two buildings.Design/methodology/approachThe buildings used as a case study in this research were green buildings, rated according to the Australian Green Star certification system as a 6-star and a non-rated building. The two buildings are university buildings with similar characteristics, from Western Sydney University, in Sydney, Australia. A comparison was performed by means of building simulations among the use of energy in both buildings, aiming to understand if the green rating had any impact on the energy related to occupant behaviour. Therefore, to represent the actual buildings' conditions, the actual data related with climate, geometry, systems, internal loads, etc. were used as input variables in the simulation models of the green and the non-rated buildings. Both models were calibrated and validated, having as target the actual monitored use of electricity.FindingsOccupants were categorized according to their levels of energy use as follows: saving, real and intensive energy users. Building simulations were performed to each building, with varying parameters related with lighting, plug loads, windows/doors opening, shading and air conditioning set points. Results show that occupant behaviour may impact the buildings' energy performance in a range of 72% between the two extremes. There is no significant relationship between the green rating and the way occupants behave in terms of the energy use.Originality/valueThis study intends to show the impact of different categories of occupant behaviour in the overall energy performance of two university buildings, a non-rated and a green-rated building, having as reference an actual representation of the buildings. Additionally, the study aims to understand the main differences between a green-rated and a non-rated building when accounting with the previous categories.

scholarly journals Optimizing Energy Use, Cost and Carbon Emission through Building Information Modelling and a Sustainability Approach: A Case-Study of a Hospital Building

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3675
Author(s):  
Shabir Hussain Khahro ◽  
Danish Kumar ◽  
Fida Hussain Siddiqui ◽  
Tauha Hussain Ali ◽  
Muhammad Saleem Raza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Green Buildings ◽  
Building Information Modelling ◽  
Information Modelling ◽  
Building Information ◽  
Hospital Building

The construction industry (CI) has a significant impact on the environment and on climate change due to the emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. Globally accepted Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), specifically SDG 7 (Access to Affordable, Reliable, Sustainable and Modern Energy for All), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) stress the responsible utilization of energy in various industries, including construction. The CI uses almost half of the world’s produced energy. Therefore, this research presents insights into the efficient use of energy in the building sector and shows how energy efficiency can be achieved by altering different parameters and components like orientation, materials, glazing, and HVAC systems through a case study of a hospital building in Green Building Studio (GBS). This paper also aims to use the Building Information Modelling (BIM) approach to make environmentally sustainable decisions to reduce energy waste in projects. Initially, beneficial factors of BIM on green buildings were identified in the literature and later ranked, based on expert opinions collected using a set of questionnaires. Average Index was used for data analysis. The identified benefits were validated by conducting energy analyses on a hospital model through 3D BIM. It was concluded that a substantial share of energy cost, carbon dioxide (CO2), and electricity can be saved using this approach. It was determined that a quick and sustainable design process, improved energy efficiency, enhanced building performance, and provision of better design alternatives are the key benefits of the adoption of BIM by such projects. A Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.822 was obtained, which further validates the results. The proposed approach may lead future structures to be sustainable and enriches the culture of energy-efficient green buildings.

Side effects of cultured bacteria addition in wastewater collection system on plant operations – a case study

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanjin Liu ◽  
Giraldo Eugenio
Keyword(s):  
Energy Use ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Collection System ◽  
Oil And Grease ◽  
Odor Control ◽  
Plant Operations ◽  
Cultured Bacteria ◽  
Wastewater Collection

Cultured bacteria addition is one of the technologies used for odor control and FOG (fat, oil, and grease) removal in wastewater collection systems. This study investigated the efficiency of bacterial addition on wastewater odor control by conducting a set of full scale trials in a 60,000 cubic meter per day system for a period of two years. The objectives of this study were: (i) to identify factors that could impact wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) operations due to the effect of bacterial addition in the collection system, (ii) to estimate/understand the level of those impacts, and (iii) to present some interesting findings from the completed case study. The plant operation data before and during the bacterial addition were reviewed. The application of the cultured bacteria presented in the study was found to have significant impacts on the operation of the WWTP in terms of influent biological oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids (TSS) loading, primary settling, sludge production, energy use, dissolved sulfides concentration, and methane production.

scholarly journals A Comprehensive Framework for Standardising System Boundary Definition in Life Cycle Energy Assessments

Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 230
Author(s):  
Hossein Omrany ◽  
Veronica Soebarto ◽  
Jian Zuo ◽  
Ruidong Chang
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Building Energy Efficiency ◽  
System Boundary ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Energy Assessment ◽  
Boundary Definition ◽  
Comprehensive Framework

This paper aims to propose a comprehensive framework for a clear description of system boundary conditions in life cycle energy assessment (LCEA) analysis in order to promote the incorporation of embodied energy impacts into building energy-efficiency regulations (BEERs). The proposed framework was developed based on an extensive review of 66 studies representing 243 case studies in over 15 countries. The framework consists of six distinctive dimensions, i.e., temporal, physical, methodological, hypothetical, spatial, and functional. These dimensions encapsulate 15 components collectively. The proposed framework possesses two key characteristics; first, its application facilitates defining the conditions of a system boundary within a transparent context. This consequently leads to increasing reliability of obtained LCEA results for decision-making purposes since any particular conditions (e.g., truncation or assumption) considered in establishing the boundaries of a system under study can be revealed. Second, the use of a framework can also provide a meaningful basis for cross comparing cases within a global context. This characteristic can further result in identifying best practices for the design of buildings with low life cycle energy use performance. Furthermore, this paper applies the proposed framework to analyse the LCEA performance of a case study in Adelaide, Australia. Thereafter, the framework is utilised to cross compare the achieved LCEA results with a case study retrieved from literature in order to demonstrate the framework’s capacity for cross comparison. The results indicate the capability of the framework for maintaining transparency in establishing a system boundary in an LCEA analysis, as well as a standardised basis for cross comparing cases. This study also offers recommendations for policy makers in the building sector to incorporate embodied energy into BEERs.

scholarly journals A Framework for Assessing Commitment Indicators in Sustainable Development Decisions

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5234
Author(s):  
Mustafa S. Al-Tekreeti ◽  
Salwa M. Beheiry ◽  
Vian Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Capital Projects ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Corporate Leaders ◽  
Corporate Decisions ◽  
Waste Energy ◽  
Infrastructure Project

Numerous decision support systems have been developed to address the decision-making process in organizations. However, there are no developed mechanisms to track commitment down the line to the decisions made by corporate leaders. This paper is a portion of a study that establishes a framework for a comprehensive metric system to assess commitment to Sustainable Development (SD) decisions down the line in capital projects, and sets the groundwork for further development of performance indicators for SD outcomes. This ultimately leads to investigating the relationship between commitment to corporate decisions and better project performance in SD parameters. Hence, this study explores the literature to extract relevant parameters that reflect the degree of the project participants’ commitment to SD decisions and to develop commitment indicators. The study created then validated an index to track this commitment along the project stages: the Sustainable Development Commitment Tracking Tool (SDCTT). The SDCTT was tested on an infrastructure project case study. In this paper, techniques relevant to the first stage of projects (planning and definition) are presented. The SDCTT is the groundwork for the future development of performance indicators for SD outcomes, and within the postulated model should ultimately contribute towards reducing project waste, energy use, and carbon emissions.

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