"In 2018, on average, modeled projects have an approximately 25% higher pEUI reduction than non modeled projects. Yet, the percentage of projects being modeled has not significantly changed since 2017, hovering around 50% for both the number of projects and the percentage of total GSF. This represents a significant missed opportunity." (2019 Report, pg. 28)My impression is, in addition to the pressures of project deadlines, people just don't know where to start. The barrier to entry can appear especially limiting to those without any formal training around sustainable design, environmental science or energy modeling in particular.
Regardless of the preconceived obstacles,Thus, today's motivational post will highlight several resources and ideas you can use to develop your professional skills, raise the bar at your firm, and make the world a better place:)
sustainable design begins with you!
Keep reading to learn more...
Below are seven pointers to get you started... but keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive list. In fact, I wrote most of this in one sitting, so if you have some thoughts to share, please do so in the comments below!
ASHRAE Standard 209-2018
Read it...This 22 page document outlines the various implementation strategies one can use, at different phases of a project, to reduce the energy consumption of a building. The PDF can be purchased for less than $100 USD. This document does not have to be used in any official way, rather it can be a guide on where and how to get started with energy modeling.
Here is a snippet from the Forward for this standard:
"ASHRAE Standard 209 describes a methodology to apply building energy modeling to the design process. The Standard Project Committee recognizes the important role building energy modeling plays in informing the design and operation of low-energy buildings. The standard was created to define reliable and consistent procedures that advance the use of timely energy modeling to quantify the impact of design decisions at the point in time at which they are being made. The committee believes such an approach will improve modeling effectiveness, realize greater savings, and support achieving increasingly aggressive energy savings targets." ASHRAE Standard 209-2018, Forward, Pg. 2The standard provides a list of minimum data to be documented for the local climate. To help with this step, I created a place for this information in the Revit Starting View within the firm's template (see image below). Everyone see this, on every project, every day...
Check out this related article I wrote:
Revit + Insight
Learn it...This is a great place to start because it's essential free if you already have Revit. Autodesk literally pays for the DOE 2.2 and/or EnergyPlus runs being done on Amazon's AWS servers. There are no cloud credits required and AWS is not free.
The great thing about this workflow is all you need is geometry (mass or detailed elements) and location on Earth and Insight does the rest. It calculates a wide range of inputs and then allows you to adjust each input; for example, the upper and lower range of the roof insulation R-value. I like to refer to this as dynamic energy optimization, as opposed to guessing at all the inputs and hoping you get the result you are after.
Speaking of inputs, consider documenting the typical inputs as you look up code requirements and/or work with your MEP engineers, and track notes on what the values should be for project type, location, etc. Here is an example of the document I created for LHB staff to reference.
As you dynamically adjust the inputs, the pEUI or Cost is updated in real-time and the background color changes as shown in the image below.
If you want to learn more about this workflow, I have written a lot of posts on this blog (search: ASHRAE, Insight, gbXML). I have also developed an ArchSmarter course that is only $99/person, click here for more on that. The image below highlights a few pages from the provided document.
There are other tools which can assist in energy modeling, such as Sefaira, Cove.Tool, IES-VE and more. Just use something! :)
Here is a helpful article I wrote to get you started:
AIA COTE Top Ten Toolkit and Super Spreadsheet
Document it...
The AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) has developed a resource to guide designers through several curated "measures" to "help inspire sustainable, resilient, and inclusive design". This goes beyond just energy and delves into many other important whole-building-design areas such as, designing for:
The AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) has developed a resource to guide designers through several curated "measures" to "help inspire sustainable, resilient, and inclusive design". This goes beyond just energy and delves into many other important whole-building-design areas such as, designing for:
- Integration
- Equitable Communities
- Ecology
- Water
- Economy
- Energy
- Wellness
- Resources
- Change
- Discovery
Fun fact: Along with LHB's Architect and Researcher Becky Alexander, I had the opportunity to provide some comments on the original document outline and then, later, the super spreadsheet during its beta period.
This resource is composed of two parts:
- Framework for Design Excellence (web page)
- COTE Super Spreadsheet (Excel file)
Below are three images from the super spreadsheet. One of the most thoughtful aspects of this resource is the Reference Information tab that provides benchmark guidance on energy, carbon and water averages... this offers a common-sense self-check to quickly spot a major error which might have resulted from an invalid input. Click to enlarge the images...
AIA 2030 Commitment DDx Reporting
Compare and eventually report it...
Singing the AIA 2030 Commitment requires energy modeling to be done and reported for a firm's annual portfolio of projects; although, as mentioned above, more than half are not doing so. Firm's who have access to the Document Data Exchange (DDx) can see all reported projects and narrow the results by several metrics such as climate zone, project phase, use type, etc. Interestingly, if the filters result in showing one or two firm's projects, the results are hidden as a privacy mechanism. In any case, this reporting feature of DDx can be very helpful in comparing and validating your results.
Related post: The 2017 summary of the AIA 2030 Commitment
Singing the AIA 2030 Commitment requires energy modeling to be done and reported for a firm's annual portfolio of projects; although, as mentioned above, more than half are not doing so. Firm's who have access to the Document Data Exchange (DDx) can see all reported projects and narrow the results by several metrics such as climate zone, project phase, use type, etc. Interestingly, if the filters result in showing one or two firm's projects, the results are hidden as a privacy mechanism. In any case, this reporting feature of DDx can be very helpful in comparing and validating your results.
Related post: The 2017 summary of the AIA 2030 Commitment
Minnesota B3
More comparing it...Minnesota has an aggressive energy standard given our cold climate (I live in climate zone 7). Thus, they developed a standard required on all State funded projects called Minnesota B3, which stands for Buildings, Benchmarks and Beyond.
The "Beyond" part is what I wanted to offer for reference in this post. This standard requires the actual energy consumption be reported. This results in a convenient existing building asset comparison for various building types in cold climates.
You can read a little more about the Minnesota B3 initiative in this blog post I wrote: Tally - Life Cycle Assessment - By KieranTimberlake. Of course, Tally is another great resource that can be used in a firm's high performance design process.
Fun fact: While at the B3 website, if you click on the Project Team tab, you will see LHB listed. We helped develop and continue to maintain this State standard.
Energy Star Existing Building Data
Reference it...Here is another general reference one might use in comparing a developing pEUI with existing building stock. What is energy use intensity (EUI)?
Building Science podcast
Listen to it...If you want to improve your knowledge about something you should read a book and/or listen to some podcasts on that topic. A few months ago I learned about the Building Science podcast and have been binge-listening, especially when I have to drive to our Minneapolis office 2.5 hours away; I typically ride my bike to work (click here for more on that), otherwise. Lots of "crunchy" in-depth goodness in here...
Conclusion
Love it...One firm, or one person, cannot do everything... but they can do something. And, as I have mentioned in my presentations on early energy modeling I have given at the Minnesota AIA Convention and the BILT conference in the USA and Europe, I recommend doing something new on each project... even if it means running an energy analysis on your own time just to learn how.
If you have additional thoughts or resources to share, please add them to the comments below!
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