Lynn:
Hope it's not too late to comment on your recent request for input... I've
been thinking about it for a few weeks and here are my thoughts - boiled
down.
Although these topics are not 'technical' modeling topics that you may have
been looking for, when it comes to growing the market for energy simulation
in the existing building environment I feel that these are fundamental
building blocks that we, as practicioners, need a solid foundation to build
upon and grow a customer base from. For me, it all comes down to using
appropriate modeling tools to make a financial case that investing in energy
efficiency is a (safe, wise, profitable) investment compared to alternative
investments within an understood tolerance of savings uncertainty. Some of
this amounts to 'financial' engineering, which is another layer of analysis
that I believe needs to be integrated into energy analysis procedures.
Content:
1) An Educational Session of Understanding Savings Uncertainty as it relates
to Calibrated Energy Simulation
* A primer on how ASHRAE Guideline 14 defines calibration metrics and
"savings uncertainty" for the Whole Building Calibrated Simulation path.
* Guidance on how to explain to clients how the 'quality' of actual
baseline energy data (motthly bills, large CV-RMSE, vs day-typed interval
meters with small CV-RMSE) largely determines achievable uncertainty limits,
and how additonal investment for submetering is required if resulting
uncertainty is unacceptable
2) An Educational Session on speaking the language of investment - to those
that invest.
* An understanding of how different capital improvements (and associated
energy cost reductions) effect an organization's income statement differenty
- such as EBIT and EBITDA.
* An understanding of how the financial positioning of a firm (strong in
cash, highly leveraged, etc.) make certain investments more attractive
regardless of model energy savings predictions.
3) An Educational Session on Financial Risk Management as it applies to
Energy Modeling.
* An understanding of how analysis tools such as parametrics, monte
carlo techniques, etc. can be used to generate multi-dimensional ways of
viewing potential investments in energy efficiency from an investment risk
management perspective, which quantify the potential for up-side as well as
downside risk in a stochiometric manner.
Location:
* Chicago (central location, both east and west coast folks likely able
to travel in one day)
* CYBERSPACE - I also like ASHRAE's digital delivery method that was
pioneered at the Orlando meeting for seminars, etc. My thoughts are to make
events like this as accessible as possible to the largest possible audience,
by providing options for delivering the content cost effectively and letting
people choose.
All the Best,
Chris Balbach, PE, CEM, CMVP
Lynn,
I would suggest sessions on dynamic thermal simulation of challenging spaces and system types.
I suggest these because they are potentially valuable strategies for low-energy and net-zero-energy designs, yet they are often shied away from, not because they aren't good strategies, but because many engineers have a difficult time either understanding them well enough to confidently implement them and/or model them well enough to quantify their potential benefits in a particular building, climate, etc. While CFD can provide very helpful information regarding thermal performance, this is just for one particular slice in time and also depends upon getting the boundary conditions correct. The latter may require a model that is dynamic with respect to changing loads, interaction with space conditioning systems, etc. Additionally, the dynamic model is needed to determine how well thermal comfort will be maintained as conditions vary and how much energy will be consumed in doing so.
Topics should include the following:
? Thermally stratified spaces such as atria for which solar gain, stratification, radiation from warm/hot surfaces, and thermal plumes will be significant contributors to thermal comfort and energy consumption for space conditioning.
? Spaces served by underfloor air distribution (UFAD), including both core zones and perimeter zones and the transition from cooling to heating mode, particularly with respect to a shift in the extent of thermal stratification vs. mixing in perimeter zones.
? Double-skin facades, accounting for convection, re-radiation, and subsequent transmission of heat from operable interstitial blinds suspended within the fa?ade cavity.
? Solar chimneys and earth tubes or labyrinths accounting for both the heat transfer to/from air flowing through these passages and the stack effects they may contribute to in ventilating or conditioning spaces in a building.
? Hydronic radiant slab cooling systems, accounting for the affects of thermal mass, hydronic tube placement (spacing and depth in the slab), water flow rate and temperature, pump energy, system controls, and the influences that each of these have on cooling capacity and energy consumption. This should include modeling of outside-air ventilation systems and surface temperature sensing and controls to avoid condensation on chilled surfaces.
? Mixed-mode operation involving coordination of BAS-controlled natural ventilation openings, user-controlled openings, CO2-based demand-controlled mechanical ventilation, and thermally driven capability for overriding natural ventilation with mechanical means when it is insufficient.
? HVAC systems including desiccant wheel dried by waste heat from the condenser coil on a DX unit that provides dehumidification and cooling of outside air in series with the desiccant (units such as this are becoming more common).
? HVAC systems incorporating indirect evaporative cooling and a desiccant wheel dried by either solar heat or waste heat from a combined heat & power system.
? Variable-refrigerant-volume (VRV) systems that include a common refrigerant loop, and thus capability for moving heat from zones that need cooling to zones that require heat.
Regards,
Timothy Moore
Colleagues,
The topics that are being proposed for an energy modeling conference
are all excellent and relevant; the more information dissemination the
better. In case some are unaware, I would add that the IBPSA
(International Building Performance and Simulation Association:
http://www.ibpsa.org) focuses specifically on all these issues and puts
on a world conference on odd years (2007 in Beijing, 2009 in Glasgow,
2011 in Wellington, New Zealand). On even years, both the US and
Canadian chapters hold conferences which are routinely well attended and
present a great deal of very relevant work on all of the topics that
have been suggested. This summer's Canadian meeting is May 19/20 in
Winnipeg. This summer's US meeting is in New York Aug 11-13.
Best,
David BRADLEY
Hi Lynn,
I just came across someone's reference to your email request about a
Proposed Energy Modeling Conference . As an independent consultant offering
whole building sim services to design clients, I would like to share my
input with you. I have also copied this to the eQuest-onebuilding.org users
list because I don't believe your initial email came through that
sim-communication avenue.
I am soo happy to hear that there is an initiative happening for this type
of venture. It is much needed and I anticipate that after word gets out--it
will be well attended by the consultants who are really interested in
investing time & learning in the simulation services niche of the industry.
I especially would like to encourage the emphasis for discussion of service
fees & a baseline for acceptable services. Let's face it--in this industry
niche, you truely do get what you pay for... This is something that really
needs to be suggested to the many firms and independent consultants who are
trying to offer these services and really don't have the full picture of
what all is involved in what we do...
As an independent consultant I vote that the attendance fees for this
conference be kept as low as possible. I do not carry a current membership
with ASHRAE only because I do not work for a firm that will pay for those
types of ancillary expenses--and honestly I'm too cheap to pay for my annual
membership out of my personal project income. However, I will definitely
start planning & saving money so that I can attend this conference.
I am looking forward to taking the new BEMP exam and am very happy that
there is an initiative from some organization to help normalize a base
criteria for quality energy simulators and quality whole building simulation
service providers. This should be a significant topic of education &
discussion at the conference in order to give the industry some baselines to
establish thier own services & fees.
As an ASHRAE committee there should be some discussion about the development
of simulation programs or the history of development. Obviously the first
choice for software in the North American markets currently is
eQuest/DOE2.2--I am only in business for myself because of this software
being freeware. (Again my 'cheap-ness' displays itself.) But then again
this type of design tool should be freeware--for everyone to have access
to. This is the only true way to fix our built environments and
subsequently our planetary environment. Continued support & development
initiatives for freeware software for these purposes are imperative for our
industry to move forward at the pace that designers are developing new &
more complex strategies to fix our energy use issues.
Furthermore, I would hope that a conference of this nature would work to
nurture a community environment for us simulators. So many of us know each
other via the email-threads & recognize names from others who have had
similar experiences or who have helped us directly. This industry is a
lonely one, especially if you are the only energy simulator in your
office--without being able to have the support of other energy simulators we
can feel very alone in this new design frontier that is still in it's
infancy. I love working on my own but my business would have a short chance
at success without the virtual community from the other simulators and I
(and so many others) turn to for support, clarification, mentorship and
training.
I have been doing whole building energy simulations since 1999 and have been
using eQuest (program of choice for me) since 2004. My start on this career
path was on a team at a M&E design firm who focused on sustainable design
and using whole building simulation for all design aspects from SD-CD phases
& post occupancy evals. I am in full support of ASHRAE's or anyones
initiative to offer a simulation-focused conference for the everyday users &
service providers. Yes I am aware of IBPSA and such, but my experience with
these conferences are that more of the discussions are based on the
development of these programs and capabilities of these programs to reflect
the design/construction reality of the building designs. So to have a
simulation conference for the everyday professionals that are just using the
programs in the capacity that they are available to offer the design
community answers they are being told they need to find (i.e. LEED &
Incentive program compliance purposes.) I have much respect for the
developers of these programs because they are pressured to develop the
program capabilities as quickly as designers are developing new HVAC system
approaches--I am in full support of a development fund that would contribute
to the continued development of these types of programs at a pace that can
support the design community's needs for complex HVAC system configurations
& equipment (i.e. chilled slabs, etc.)
I have attached my professional CV for your reference of my experience and
interest with whole building simulation. I welcome your contact if there is
anyway that I can assist with the planning of the conference or simply
promoting the effort for it. Bottomline though, please plan it in a
location that is easily accessible & cost effective so that I can be sure to
attend (from a financial perspective.)
I look forward to hearing more about your plans for this conference and will
keep my eyes/ears posted to these user lists.
Regards,
Pasha Korber
PK Consulting
Ph: 308-763-1593
Lynn's email read:
ASHRAE is in the early planning stages of an Energy Modeling Conference for
the spring of 2011 that is targeted for consulting engineering
practitioners. We are looking for input on the appropriate topics and/or
session types you would like to see at such a conference. Some topic
thoughts are: energy simulation, BIM, CFD and daylight modeling.
What conference content would prompt you to travel and attend such a
conference? Please be as specific as possible in describing what you would
like covered at the conference. What do you want to learn? What location(s)
in the US would draw the largest attendance, in your opinion?
Personal regards,
Lynn G. Bellenger, PE, FASHRAE