An investigation of the required skills for the delivery of low and zero carbon buildings within a region

The United Kingdom is committed to a raft of requirements to create a low-carbon economy. Buildings consume approximately 40% of UK energy demand. Any improvement on the energy performance of buildings therefore can significantly contribute to the delivery of a low-carbon economy. The challenge for the construction sector and its clients is how to meet the policy requirements to deliver low and zero carbon (LZC) buildings, which spans broader than the individual building level, to requirements at the local and regional levels, and wider sustainability pressures. Further, the construction sector is reporting skills shortages coupled with the need for ���new skills��� for the delivery of LZC buildings. The aim of this paper is to identify, and better understand, the skills required by the construction sector and its clients for the delivery of LZC buildings within a region. The theoretical framing for this research is regional innovation system (RIS) using a socio-technical network analysis (STNA) methodology. A case study of a local authority region is presented. Data is drawn from a review of relevant local authority documentation, observations and semi-structured interviews from one (project 1) of five school retrofit projects within the region. The initial findings highlight the complexity surrounding the form and operation of the LZC network for project 1. The skills required by the construction sector and its clients are connected to different actor roles surrounding the delivery of the project. The key actors involved and their required skills are: project management and energy management skills required by local authority; project management skills (in particular project planning), communication and research skills required by school end-users; and a ���technical skill��� relating to knowledge of a particular energy efficient measure (EEM) and use of equipment to implement the EEM is required by the EEM contractors.

Energy efficiency evaluation of zero energy houses

Given the global energy and environmental situation, the European Union has been issuing directives with increasingly demanding requirements in term of the energy efficiency in buildings. The international competition of sustainable houses, Solar Decathlon Europe (SDE), is aligned with these European objectives. SDE houses are low energy solar buildings that must reach the near to zero energy houses��� goal. In the 2012 edition, in order to emphasize its significance, the Energy Efficiency Contest was added. SDE houses��� interior comfort, functioning and energy performance is monitored. The monitoring data can give an idea about the efficiency of the houses. However, a jury comprised by international experts is responsible for carrying out the houses energy efficiency evaluation. Passive strategies and houses services are analyzed. Additionally, the jury's assessment has been compared with the behavior of the houses during the monitoring period. Comparative studies make emphasis on the energy aspects, houses functioning and their interior comfort. Conclusions include thoughts related with the evaluation process, the results of the comparative studies and suggestions for the next competitions.

Anatomy of a Sub-tropical Positive Energy Home (PEH)

Zero energy buildings (ZEB) and zero energy homes (ZEH) are a current hot topic globally for policy makers (what are the benefits and costs), designers (how do we design them), the construction industry (can we build them), marketing (will consumers buy them) and researchers (do they work and what are the implications). This paper presents initial findings from actual measured data from a 9 star (as built), off-ground detached family home constructed in south-east Queensland in 2008. The integrated systems approach to the design of the house is analysed in each of its three main goals: maximising the thermal performance of the building envelope, minimising energy demand whilst maintaining energy service levels, and implementing a multi-pronged low carbon approach to energy supply. The performance outcomes of each of these stages are evaluated against definitions of Net Zero Carbon / Net Zero Emissions (Site and Source) and Net Zero Energy (onsite generation vs primary energy imports). The paper will conclude with a summary of the multiple benefits of combining very high efficiency building envelopes with diverse energy management strategies: a robustness, resilience, affordability and autonomy not generally seen in housing.

Converg��ncia para NZEB de um edif��cio classificado

Disserta����o para obten����o do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Civil na ��rea de Edifica����es

NZEB: um desafio para a engenharia civil

Trabalho Final de Mestrado para obten����o do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Civil

Asymptotically Zero Energy Computing Using Split-Level Charge Recovery Logic

The dynamic power requirement of CMOS circuits is rapidly becoming a major concern in the design of personal information systems and large computers. In this work we present a number of new CMOS logic families, Charge Recovery Logic (CRL) as well as the much improved Split-Level Charge Recovery Logic (SCRL), within which the transfer of charge between the nodes occurs quasistatically. Operating quasistatically, these logic families have an energy dissipation that drops linearly with operating frequency, i.e., their power consumption drops quadratically with operating frequency as opposed to the linear drop of conventional CMOS. The circuit techniques in these new families rely on constructing an explicitly reversible pipelined logic gate, where the information necessary to recover the energy used to compute a value is provided by computing its logical inverse. Information necessary to uncompute the inverse is available from the subsequent inverse logic stage. We demonstrate the low energy operation of SCRL by presenting the results from the testing of the first fully quasistatic 8 x 8 multiplier chip (SCRL-1) employing SCRL circuit techniques.

High performance low-energy buildings

The era of legislation and creditable methods towards producing sustainable buildings is upon us. Yet, a major barrier to achieving environmental responsive design is in the lack of available information at the programming or pre-design phases of a project. The review and evaluation of climate as well as energy-efficient strategies could be difficult to consider at these preliminary stages. Until recently, introducing energy simulation tools at the design stage has been difficult and perhaps next to impossible at a pre-design or programming stage. However, analysis of this sort is essential to &lsquo;green building rating&rsquo; or performance assessment schemes such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environment Assessment Method). This paper discusses the implementation of a particular tool, ENERGY-10, where &lsquo;basecase&rsquo; building defaults are compared to a low-energy case which has applied multiple energy-efficient strategies automatically. An annual hour-by-hour simulation provides a daylighting calculation with a subsequent thermal evaluation. Calculation results provide energy consumption, peak load equipment sizing, a RANK feature of the energy-efficient strategies, reporting of CO2, SO2 and NOx reduction, optimum glazing type as well as excellent graphic output. Consideration is given as to the approach of how such information can be introduced into the building project brief enforcing a low-energy<br />performance target.<br />

Supersymmetric Isospectral Formalism for the Calculation of Near-Zero Energy States: Application to the Very Weakly Bound He-4 Trimer Excited State

We propose a novel mathematical approach for the calculation of near-zero energy states by solving potentials which are isospectral with the original one. For any potential, families of strictly isospectral potentials (with very different shape) having desirable and adjustable features are generated by supersymmetric isospectral formalism. The near-zero energy Efimov state in the original potential is effectively trapped in the deep well of the isospectral family and facilitates more accurate calculation of the Efimov state. Application to the first excited state in He-4 trimer is presented.

Passive design strategies and performance of Net Energy Plus Houses

The first step in order to comply with the European Union goals of Near to Zero Energy Buildings is to reduce the energy consumption in buildings. Most of the building consumption is related to the use of active systems to maintain the interior comfort. Passive design strategies contribute to improve the interior comfort conditions, increasing the energy efficiency in buildings and reducing their energy consumption. In this work, an analysis of the passive strategies used in Net Energy Plus Houses has been made. The participating houses of the Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 competition were used as case studies. The passive design strategies of these houses were compared with the annual simulations, and the competition monitored data, especially during the Passive Monitored Period. The analysis included the thermal properties of the building envelope, geometric parameters, ratios and others passive solutions such as Thermal Energy Storage systems, evaporative cooling, night ventilation, solar gains and night sky radiation cooling. The results reflect the impact of passive design strategies on the houses' comfort and efficiency, as well as their influence in helping to achieve the Zero Energy Buildings category.

La implementaci��n arquitect��nica de los acristalamientos activos con agua circulante, y su contribuci��n en edificios de consumo de energ��a casi nulo

La presente Tesis Doctoral eval��a la contribuci��n de una fachada activa, constituida por acristalamientos con circulaci��n de agua, en el rendimiento energ��tico del edificio. Con especial ��nfasis en la baja afecci��n sobre su imagen, su integraci��n ha de favorecer la calificaci��n del edificio con el futuro est��ndar de Edificio de consumo de Energ��a Casi Nulo (EECN). El prop��sito consiste en cuantificar su aportaci��n a limitar la demanda de climatizaci��n, como soluci��n de fachada transparente acorde a las normas de la energ��a del 2020. En el primer cap��tulo se introduce el planteamiento del problema. En el segundo cap��tulo se desarrollan la hip��tesis y el objetivo fundamental de la investigaci��n. Para tal fin, en el tercer cap��tulo, se revisa el estado del arte de la tecnolog��a y de la investigaci��n cient��fica, mediante el an��lisis de la literatura de referencia. Se comparan patentes, prototipos, sistemas comerciales asimilables, investigaciones en curso en Universidades, y proyectos de investigaci��n y desarrollo, sobre envolventes que incorporan acristalamientos con circulaci��n de agua. El m��todo experimental, expuesto en el cuarto cap��tulo, acomete el dise��o, la fabricaci��n y la monitorizaci��n de un prototipo expuesto, durante ciclos de ensayos, a las condiciones clim��ticas de Madrid. Esta fase ha permitido adquirir informaci��n precisa sobre el rendimiento del acristalamiento en cada orientaci��n de incidencia solar, en las distintas estaciones del a��o. En paralelo, se aborda el desarrollo de modelos te��ricos que, mediante su asimilaci��n a soluciones multicapa caracterizadas en las herramientas de simulaci��n EnergyPlus y IDA-ICE (IDA Indoor Climate and Energy), reproducen el efecto experimental. En el quinto cap��tulo se discuten los resultados experimentales y te��ricos, y se analiza la respuesta del acristalamiento asociado a un determinado volumen y temperatura del agua. Se calcula la eficiencia en la captaci��n de la radiaci��n y, mediante la comparativa con un acristalamiento convencional, se determina la reducci��n de las ganancias solares y las p��rdidas de energ��a. Se comparan el rendimiento del acristalamiento, obtenido experimentalmente, con el ofrecido por paneles solares fotot��rmicos disponibles en el mercado. Mediante la traslaci��n de los resultados experimentales a casos de c��lulas de tama��o habitable, se cuantifica la afecci��n del acristalamiento sobre el consumo en refrigeraci��n y calefacci��n. Diferenciando cada caso por su composici��n constructiva y orientaci��n, se extraen conclusiones sobre la reducci��n del gasto en climatizaci��n, en condiciones de bienestar. Posteriormente, se eval��a el ahorro de su incorporaci��n en un recinto existente, de construcci��n ligera, localizado en la Escuela de Arquitectura de la Universidad Polit��cnica de Madrid (UPM). Mediante el planteamiento de escenarios de rehabilitaci��n energ��tica, se estima su compatibilidad con un sistema de climatizaci��n mediante bomba de calor y extracci��n geot��rmica. Se describe el funcionamiento del sistema, desde la perspectiva de la operaci��n conjunta de los acristalamientos activos e intercambio geot��rmico, en nuestro clima. Mediante la parametrizaci��n de sus funciones, se estima el beneficio adicional de su integraci��n, a partir de la mejora del rendimiento de la bomba de calor COP (Coefficient of Performance) en calefacci��n, y de la eficiencia EER (Energy Efficiency Ratio) en refrigeraci��n. En el recinto de la ETSAM, se ha analizado la contribuci��n de la fachada activa en su calificaci��n como Edificio de Energ��a Casi Nula, y estudiado la rentabilidad econ��mica del sistema. En el sexto cap��tulo se exponen las conclusiones de la investigaci��n. A la fecha, el sistema supone alta inversi��n inicial, no obstante, genera elevada eficiencia con bajo impacto arquitect��nico, reduci��ndose los costes operativos, y el dimensionado de los sistemas de producci��n, de mayor afecci��n sobre el edificio. Mediante la envolvente activa con suministro geot��rmico no se condena la superficie de cubierta, no se ocupa volumen ��til por la presencia de equipos emisores, y no se reduce la superficie o altura ��til a base de reforzar los aislamientos. Tras su discusi��n, se considera una alternativa de valor en procesos de dise��o y construcci��n de Edificios de Energ��a Casi Nulo. Se proponen l��neas de futuras investigaci��n cuyo prop��sito sea el conocimiento de la tecnolog��a de los acristalamientos activos. En el ��ltimo cap��tulo se presentan las actividades de difusi��n de la investigaci��n. Adicionalmente se ha proporcionado una mejora tecnol��gica a las fachadas activas existentes, que ha derivado en la solicitud de una patente, actualmente en tramitaci��n. ABSTRACT This Thesis evaluates the contribution of an active water flow glazing fa��ade on the energy performance of buildings. Special emphasis is made on the low visual impact on its image, and the active glazing implementation has to encourage the qualification of the building with the future standard of Nearly Zero Energy Building (nZEB). The purpose is to quantify the fa��ade system contribution to limit air conditioning demand, resulting in a transparent fa��ade solution according to the 2020 energy legislation. An initial approach to the problem is presented in first chapter. The second chapter develops the hypothesis and the main objective of the research. To achieve this purpose, the third chapter reviews the state of the art of the technology and scientific research, through the analysis of reference literature. Patents, prototypes, assimilable commercial systems, ongoing research in other universities, and finally research and development projects incorporating active fluid flow glazing are compared. The experimental method, presented in fourth chapter, undertakes the design, manufacture and monitoring of a water flow glazing prototype exposed during test cycles to weather conditions in Madrid. This phase allowed the acquisition of accurate information on the performance of water flow glazing on each orientation of solar incidence, during different seasons. In parallel, the development of theoretical models is addressed which, through the assimilation to multilayer solutions characterized in the simulation tools EnergyPlus and IDA-Indoor Climate and Energy, reproduce the experimental effect. Fifth chapter discusses experimental and theoretical results focused to the analysis of the active glazing behavior, associated with a specific volume and water flow temperature. The efficiency on harvesting incident solar radiation is calculated, and, by comparison with a conventional glazing, the reduction of solar gains and energy losses are determined. The experimental performance of fluid flow glazing against the one offered by photothermal solar panels available on the market are compared. By translating the experimental and theoretical results to cases of full-size cells, the reduction in cooling and heating consumption achieved by active fluid glazing is quantified. The reduction of energy costs to achieve comfort conditions is calculated, differentiating each case by its whole construction composition and orientation. Subsequently, the saving of the implementation of the system on an existing lightweight construction enclosure, located in the School of Architecture at the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM), is then calculated. The compatibility between the active fluid flow glazing and a heat pump with geothermal heat supply system is estimated through the approach of different energy renovation scenarios. The overall system operation is described, from the perspective of active glazing and geothermal heat exchange combined operation, in our climate. By parameterization of its functions, the added benefit of its integration it is discussed, particularly from the improvement of the heat pump performance COP (Coefficient of Performance) in heating and efficiency EER (Energy Efficiency Ratio) in cooling. In the case study of the enclosure in the School of Architecture, the contribution of the active glazing fa��ade in qualifying the enclosure as nearly Zero Energy Building has been analyzed, and the feasibility and profitability of the system are studied. The sixth chapter sets the conclusions of the investigation. To date, the system may require high initial investment; however, high efficiency with low architectural impact is generated. Operational costs are highly reduced as well as the size and complexity of the energy production systems, which normally have huge visual impact on buildings. By the active fa��ade with geothermal supply, the deck area it is not condemned. Useful volume is not consumed by the presence of air-conditioning equipment. Useful surface and room height are not reduced by insulation reinforcement. After discussion, water flow glazing is considered a potential value alternative in nZEB design and construction processes. Finally, this chapter proposes future research lines aiming to increase the knowledge of active water flow glazing technology. The last chapter presents research dissemination activities. Additionally, a technological improvement to existing active facades has been developed, which has resulted in a patent application, currently in handling process.

Performance assessment of earth pipe cooling system for low energy buildings in a subtropical climate

Energy consumption in heating and cooling around the world has been a major contributor to global warming. Hence, many studies have been aimed at finding new techniques to save and control energy through energy efficient measures. Most of this energy is used in residential, agricultural and commercial buildings. It is therefore important to adopt energy efficiency measures in these buildings through new technologies and novel building designs. These new building designs can be developed by employing various passive cooling systems. Earth pipe cooling is one of these which can assist to save energy without using any customary mechanical units. This paper investigates the earth pipe cooling performance in a hot humid subtropical climate of Rockhampton, Australia. A thermal model is developed using ANSYS Fluent for measuring its performance. Impacts of air velocity, air temperature, relative humidity and soil temperature on room cooling performance are also assessed. A temperature reduction of around 2 &deg;C was found for the system. This temperature reduction contributed to an energy saving of a maximum of 866.54 kW (8.82%) per year for a 27.23 m3 room.