1. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 1 What needs to be Commissioned in Zero Energy Buildings? Jorge Torres Coto

2. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 2 What is a Zero Energy Building? A building that creates as much energy as it uses in a year: –At the site –At the source

3. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 3 What can we find in ZEB? Ancestral design methods Integrated design process Passive systems –Slow reaction time –Flat interior loads (int. offices, libraries, etc.) Active systems (usual suspects) –Fast reaction time –Varying interior loads (meeting rooms, etc.)

4. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 4 Ancestral design methods Learn from the way we designed before “technology” or remind designers Let the building itself do the work. Nature can help with the building needs. Building simulation can assist the design team.

5. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 5 Integrated design process The whole building as an engineered system. System interactions are more important than individual systems. –How will they work together? –When will they work together? –Will they fight each other?

6. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 6 Passive Systems Slow reaction time Flat daily range Constant interior loads As CxP we need to understand and evaluate the building (the system) throughout the whole Cx process. –Pre-design, design, construction, occupancy & operations

7. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 7 Passive Systems Solar heating –Thermal mass –Trombe walls Passive cooling –Thermal mass –Natural ventilation Daylighting Etc.

8. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 8 Passive Systems & Tools Start at the Envelope –NIBS Guideline 3 Evaluate: –Energy models –CFD –Solar Exposures –Sun path diagrams –Wind roses –Siting, etc.

9. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 9 Passive Systems & Tools Solar heating systems –Orientation –Siting –Obstacles (shading, buildings, topography, landscape, etc.) –Building materials (mass, glazing, etc)

10. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 10 Passive Systems & Tools Solar heating tools –Sun paths –CFD –Thermal imagery –Training

11. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 11 Passive Systems & Tools Passive cooling –Stop the heat at the source (int. or ext.) –Orientation –Siting –Obstacles (shading, buildings, topography, landscape, etc.) –Building materials (mass, glazing, etc)

12. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 12 Passive Systems & Tools Natural ventilation –Opening sizing –Opening orientation –Opening type –Interior obstacles

13. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 13 Passive Systems & Tools Passive cooling tools –Sun paths –Wind rose –CFD –Training (adaptive lifestyles)

14. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 14 Passive Systems & Tools Insulation & glazing –Proper selection for climate and design strategies. –Proper construction details. –Construction matches drawings, specs, energy calculations, etc.

15. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 15 Passive Systems & Tools Thermal mass –Proper selection of materials (response time) –Proper construction details (avoid thermal bridging) –Adequate location of mass.

16. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 16 Passive Systems & Tools Insulation, glazing, & thermal mass tools –NIBS Guideline 3 –Thermal Imaging

17. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 17 Passive Systems & Tools Daylighting –Glazing selection –Glazing orientation –Glazing size and location –Light shelves –Siting –Interior color scheme

18. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 18 Passive Systems & Tools Daylighting tools –Sun paths –Software simulation

19. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 19 Cx Process for ZEB in brief Energy should be controlled at the source: –Lighting –Exterior environmental extremes –Massing of people (proper zoning) –The basis for this is in the OPR –Design team should do building program, basis of design to meet or exceed OPR –The CxP should assist the design team (we are considered the experts), through design phase commissioning.

20. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 20 Key Cx tasks to insure a ZEB Envelope Siting Orientation Landscape Controls and interactions between passive and active systems Training

21. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 21 Add to the CxP’s Toolbelt Computer simulation –CFD –Energy Models –Etc. Sun paths Thermal Imaging

22. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 22 Good references http://www.wbdg.org/ccb/NIBS/nibs_gl3.pdf http://www.wbdg.org/ccb/DOD/UFC/ufc_3_440_06n.pdf http://btech.lbl.gov/pub/designguide/dlg.pdf http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1091&context=ced r/cbe http://www.wbdg.org/ccb/AF/AFH/pshbk_v1.pdf http://www.wbdg.org/ccb/DOD/UFC/ufc_3_440_03n.pdf http://www.nibs.org/JBED/

23. WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMMISSIONED IN ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS 23 Thank You