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This paper combines two research publications working toward the development of an integrated framework for commercial sustainable building design. Current methodologies utilize a traditional architectural top-down approach to sustainable building design practices that consumes financial and temporal resources early in the design process. By identifying the array mechanical subsystems required to meet modern building standards such as net-zero energy and water, and recognizing the importance of these interactions, designers can mitigate this resource consumption. The first paper presents an anthropological case study of the schematic design process of the Oregon Sustainability Center, a net-zero building slated for construction in Portland, Oregon. This research outlines the complexity of mechanical subsystems required to achieve net-zero standards and how project stakeholders affect the design process. The second paper further explores this concept by analyzing building subsystems in the context of a traditional complex system (airplane, automobile, etc.), and uses optimization techniques to understand significant system interactions. A computer model is created that optimizes lighting availability for a commercial workspace incorporating cost, building standards, and user environment. By considering post construction building usage, each subsystem can be designed for maximum user productivity, reducing costs associated with sustainable design practices. / Graduation date: 2012

The thesis project explores the use of an optimization methodology for selecting the lowest monetary cost combinations of technologies to meet a set operational energy efficiency targets for buildings. The optimization approach, which is operated on a normative energy model, is compared with existing prescriptive methodologies for selecting technology combinations and a metric is developed for ranking their effectiveness; the E/C Ratio. The energy savings/ cost ratio is also the objective function that the optimization algorithm is set to maximize. The optimization routine is coded in to a custom MATLAB script and is used in two case studies to optimize a proto-typical Korean apartment and office building. The optimization methodology finds technology combinations that are much more cost effective than the prescriptive methodology at meeting an energy savings target and can generically be applied to other buildings given a palette of technology alternatives and the corresponding cost data.

A large Canadian financial services institution (FSI) is planning to develop a web-based application aimed at helping homeowners calculate the financial and environmental impacts of potential energy conserving upgrades to their dwellings. The algorithm for this calculator, the questions to be posed to the homeowners, and how the homeowners can access some of the scientifically-inclined energy-related information is presented. The potential upgrades considered were: furnace efficiency, heat-pump efficiency, programmable thermostats, window-efficiency, building insulation, lighting efficiency, and refrigerator efficiency. The algorithm developed was used to demonstrate that changing just one of the input variables can, in certain cases, have a drastic effect on the resulting output: upgrades with positive net present values (NPV) can drop to negative NPV, and in certain cases CO2 emissions can increase as a result of the upgrade considered. The effect of future changes in fuel prices, and the price levied on CO2 emissions is also demonstrated.

A large Canadian financial services institution (FSI) is planning to develop a web-based application aimed at helping homeowners calculate the financial and environmental impacts of potential energy conserving upgrades to their dwellings. The algorithm for this calculator, the questions to be posed to the homeowners, and how the homeowners can access some of the scientifically-inclined energy-related information is presented. The potential upgrades considered were: furnace efficiency, heat-pump efficiency, programmable thermostats, window-efficiency, building insulation, lighting efficiency, and refrigerator efficiency. The algorithm developed was used to demonstrate that changing just one of the input variables can, in certain cases, have a drastic effect on the resulting output: upgrades with positive net present values (NPV) can drop to negative NPV, and in certain cases CO2 emissions can increase as a result of the upgrade considered. The effect of future changes in fuel prices, and the price levied on CO2 emissions is also demonstrated.

This research carries out all tests in diesel engine takes neat diesel and hydrogen+oxygen (H2/O2) which is used as an additive (H2/O2 mixture: 10 to 70 L/min, interval 10 L/min) in a stable state condition (engine was operated at one load steady-state condition of 1600 rpm with torque and power outputs of 145 Nm and 24.5 kW, respectively). Characteristics of carbonyls emissions from H2/O2 as an additive were investigated in a HDDE (heavy-duty diesel engine) and compared with those from neat diesel, contains the concentration, emission factor and elimination efficiency, whole of change tendency in order to help the understanding of diesel engine pollutant emissions, and appraises energy conservation of benefit which add to H2/O2. The regulated pollutants emission, using H2/O2 mixture (10 to 70 L/min), THC, CO, CO2 and PM emission all increased while H2/O2 showed signs of decrease; on the contrary, NOx emission increased while H2/O2 increased. Regarding Carbonyls emissions, the total carbonyls concentration of diesel engine take neat diesel was 3218.02 £gg/m3 and the emission factors for diesel engine take neat diesel were 180.882 mg/bhp-hr and 788.061 mg/L-fuel, respectively. When H2/O2 mixture was added, total carbonyls concentration of 3068.28, 3006.42, 2823.10, 2707.06, 2500.54, 2216.87 and 2178.27 mg/m3 were 10 L/min, 20 L/min, 30 L/min, 40 L/min, 50 L/min, 60 L/min and 70 L/min, respectively. The emission factor may be divided into mg/bhp-hr and mg/L-fuel; the emission factor of total carbonyls were 231.36¡B226.18¡B211.41¡B203.14¡B186.98¡B167.17 and 164.23 mg/bhp-hr, respectively; the emission factor of total carbonyls were 764.95¡B755.15¡B719.97¡B707.36¡B704.40¡B694.27 and 690.47 mg/L-fuel, respectively. Increases in H2/O2 can reduce total carbonyls emissions with an eliminating efficiency rate of 4.7, 6.6, 12.3, 15.9, 22.3, 31.1 and 32.3%, respectively. Energy conservation of appraisal increase H2/O2, diesel equivalent sun of fuel consumption of diesel engine and electricity consumption of H2/O2 generator, namely can distinguish that its energy consumption, whole consumes were 2.51, 2.58, 2.59, 2.57, 2.60, 2.43, 2.26 and 2.25, respectively. When compared with neat diesel, result showed in H2/O2 from 10 L/min to 40 L/min, diesel equivalent increased while H2/O2 showed increase; but in H2/O2 from 50 L/min to 70 L/min reflected in a gradual decrease in diesel equivalent, indicating that increases in H2/O2 can effectively achieve energy conservation. The result showed that energy conservation was 3.4%, 10.0% and 10.6% for 50 L/min, 60 L/min and 70 L/min, respectively. The result indicated H2/O2 was 60 L/min when energy conservation benefit was most remarkable, therefore this had the best energy conservation.

A methodology to develop an easy-to-use toolkit for the preliminary design of high performance schools in hot and humid climates was presented. The toolkit proposed in this research will allow decision makers without simulation knowledge easily to evaluate accurately energy efficient measures for K-5 schools, which would contribute to the accelerated dissemination of energy efficient design. For the development of the toolkit, first, a survey was performed to identify high performance measures available today being implemented in new K-5 school buildings. Then an existing case-study school building in a hot and humid climate was selected and analyzed to understand the energy use pattern in a school building and to be used in developing a calibrated simulation. Based on the information from the previous step, an as-built and calibrated simulation was then developed. To accomplish this, five calibration steps were performed to match the simulation results with the measured energy use. The five steps include: 1) Using an actual 2006 weather file with measured solar radiation, 2) Modifying lighting & equipment schedule using ASHRAE's RP-1093 methods, 3) Using actual equipment performance curves (i.e., scroll chiller), 4) Using the Winkelmann's method for the underground floor heat transfer, and 5) Modifying the HVAC and room setpoint temperature based on the measured field data. Next, the calibrated simulation of the case-study K-5 school was compared to an ASHRAE Standard 90.1-1999 code-compliant school. In the next step, the energy savings potentials from the application of several high performance measures to an equivalent ASHRAE Standard 90.1-1999 codecompliant school. The high performance measures applied included the recommendations from the ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guides (AEDG) for K- 12 and other high performance measures from the literature review as well as a daylighting strategy and solar PV and thermal systems. The results show that the net energy consumption of the final high performance school with the solar thermal and a solar PV system would be 1,162.1 MMBtu, which corresponds to the 14.9 kBtu/sqft-yr of EUI. The calculated final energy and cost savings over the code compliant school are 68.2% and 69.9%, respectively. As a final step of the research, specifications for a simplified easy-to-use toolkit were then developed, and a prototype screenshot of the toolkit was developed. The toolkit is expected to be used by non-technical decision-maker to select and evaluate high performance measures for a new school building in terms of energy and cost savings in a quick and easy way.

Thermal energy storage(TES) air-conditioning system is a electrical load management technology with great potential to shift load from peak to off-peak utility periods. TES is now in widespread use for electric rate structures and energy policies and becomes a great contribution to energy conservation. However, TES is more complicated than conventional air-conditioning system in design and control strategies. According to practical field operation, the control of dynamic characters is especially difficult, and so are storage capacity design , discharging rate and charging capacity selection. This study set an example how to improve the energy performance of a retrofitted thermal energy storage air-conditioning system of a marine museum. Through full-scale experiment, historical air-conditioning operation data and computer simulation, the solution is provided on condition of unchanging major water pipe and equipment. This example can be a good demonstration for upping performance of TES. After testing and recording data for one year, this case indicates the investigation is effective and valuable to electric power management and green technology.

Due to lacking of natural resources, the major energy utilized in Taiwan are mostly imported, including oil (50.9%), Coal (32.3%), and natural gas (8.1%), nuclear (7.3%) and hydraulic power (1.4%). Therefore, energy saving strategies have become a global trend and needs immediate action so that CO2 emission can be reduced. To coup with the Kyoto protocol, building energy conservation has been deemed as a policy of no regret and aiming at 20% savings in the whole nation. In this research, building energy conservation strategies, especially on HVAC systems which have been widely adapted in Taiwan will be analyzed and validated with full-scale experimental results. Efforts will be especially focused on commercial and residential buildings, so that their energy savings effect can be analyzed quantitatively.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xiii, 148 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 90-95).