possible questions for EA 1:
1. What are the four options listed under the requirements for this credit?
2. How does the AHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2004 Building Performance Rating Method work?
3. What is the major difference between the proposed design model and the baseline model when using the Performance Rating Method?
4. When using the Performance Rating Method, what do you do if you do not intend to install mechanical heating and/or cooling?
5. When on-site renewable energy is being employed, what methods may be used to calculate the Proposed Building Performance?
6. What documentation is necessary when using the Exceptional Calculation Method?
7. What are the most common mistakes when using the Performance Rating Method?
8. What are the 4 fundamental strategies for improving energy performance?
9. How does the point system work for Option 1 under the Performance Rating Method?
10. How do you calculate the Percentage Improvement?
11. What default percentage must the process energy cost be?
12. What’s the difference between what is considered process energy and regulated energy?
13. What are the restrictions for choosing Option 2 as a compliance path?
14. What changes could you make to a building’s fenestration in order to result in summer cooling energy performance improvement for a cooling dominated office building?
15. If a project team choses Option 2, what must be known about the project first?
answers:
1. This is a bit confusing to remember because they like to use the same combination of words for several different guides. Try to remember them by their small differences in names.
❶ Whole building energy simulation or model using the AHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2004 Building Performance Rating Method (1-10 points available),
❷ Prescriptive compliance path with ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Office Buildings 2004 (4 points available),
❸ Prescriptive compliance path with Advanced Buildings Core Performance Guide by the New Buildings Institute (2-5 points available), or
❹ Prescriptive compliance path with Advanced Buildings Benchmark Version 1.1, which is no longer available as an option as of June 26, 2007 (1 point available).
It also helps to remember them in order of how many possible points you could earn. That would be: Benchmark, Small Offices, Performance, Simulation/Model… or ‘Benches in Offices Perform like Models’ and I use Frank Gehry’s Tokyo Bench as an image to help me remember it.
Benches in Offices Perform like Models
2. By calculating a percentage improvement of the annual energy cost for the proposed design (’Proposed Building Performance’) versus the annual energy cost of a baseline case (’Baseline Building Performance’). 5 energy simulation runs are required in order to demonstrate compliance – one model of the proposed design and four of the baseline case at four different orientations.
3. The windows. In the baseline they shall be evenly distributed and the Solar Heat Gain Coefficients (SHGCs) must be adjusted depending on orientation.
4. You can achieve credit by modeling fan systems as “cycling” in the proposed design versus “continuously operated” fans in the baseline case.
5. ❶ model the systems directly into the energy model for the proposed design ❷ use the Exceptional Calculation Method to model the systems and subtract the site-recovered energy from the total energy cost.
6. a list of assumptions for both cases, theoretical or empirical information supporting these assumptions, and the specific energy cost savings achieved
7. look in your reference manual for explanations of each mistake -pp 189-190
mistakes made on calculations in general – ‘CERFECT’ (similar to perfect, but not quite perfect as someone made a mistake): Chillers, ECB method, Ratings, Fenestration, ECM method, Consumption, Tradability.
mistakes made to baseline design model- ‘WHAD?’ (similar to what?, but not quite perfect again): Window areas, HVAC system types, Air volume, Distribution of fenestration
mistakes made to proposed design model- task lighting only
8. In order to reduce energy load, you have to be a ‘DO-ER’ : ❶ reduce Demand ❷ harvest On-site energy ❸ increase Efficiency ❹ Recover waste energy
9. For new buildings, starting at a 10.5% improvement of the Proposed case over the Baseline case, for every 3.5% gained you get 1 point (up to 42% gain, which earns you 10 points). For existing buildings, starting at a 3.5% improvement of the Proposed case over the Baseline case, for every 3.5% gained you get 1 point (up to 35% gain, which earns you 10 points). The important numbers to remember are the starting points and the increment of improvement. 3.5, 10.5, 3.5.
10. Percentage Improvement = 100% – [1- (Proposed Building Performance ÷ Baseline Building Performance)]
11. 25% unless you provide supporting documentation to show why it is lower.
12. process energy – office equipment, computers, elevators and escalators, kitchen cooking and refrigeration, laundry washing and drying, lighting exempt from lighting power allowance
regulated energy – ‘LAW’ (like regulation) Lighting, HVAC, and service Water heating.
13. Must be an OFFICE under 20,000 sq.ft. and team must comply with appropriate climate zone as listed in the ASHREA Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Office Buildings.
14. ❶ Reduce the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient. SHGC is expressed as a number between 0 and 1. The lower a window’s solar heat gain coefficient, the less solar heat it transmits. ❷ Reduce the U-Factor. The rate of heat loss is indicated in terms of the U-factor (U-value) of a window assembly. The lower the U-value, the greater a window’s resistance to heat flow and the better its insulating value.
15. climate zone
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