Clean Edison Blog

The importance of Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE)

Do buildings designed for high performance function as intended?  Do energy savings, improved occupants’ productivity and comfort materialize as promised?  Green buildings offer a lot of benefits, but building owners and tenants increasingly want proof that these benefits are actually achieved.

This is where post-occupancy evaluation (POE) comes in.  The objective of POE is to learn whether the building is performing as designed and whether it meets the occupants’ needs as intended.

POE originated in the 1960s, as a part of a movement to apply scientific approach to architecture and to explore the new-found connection between behavioral sciences and design.  Designers saw POE as a tool to test their hypotheses as they tried to use design to change people’s behavior and relationship with the built environment.  It was used to evaluate building systems as well as occupants’ responses to those systems.  After the peak of popularity in the 1970s and early ’80s, the use of POE declined, until the sustainability movement reclaimed it.  Today, building owners rather than building designers are driving POE.  For a building owner it is one thing to read in a study that green buildings on average perform 25-30% better, or that they command higher rents and occupancy rates, but it is another to be able to verify that their own building does so.

At the same time, growing popularity of building ratings, as well as the increase in local and state disclosure ordinances requiring building owners to publicly disclose actual energy consumption, makes POE almost a necessity.

This means that there will be pressure on building designers to incorporate features that will allow building owners to operate the building to design specifications.  Buildings will need to have feedback systems to help facility managers and occupants understand how their choices affect the building’s performance.  In this task, “smart” buildings have an enormous potential, as they can use the data they are constantly generating to engage users’ by providing real-time, visually appealing and easy to understand performance feedback via dashboards.
Read the rest of this entry »

Today, one significant aspect of “green construction” involves choosing asbestos-free building materials. Although asbestos building products are still legally produced, most construction companies understand the hazards they pose to human health and avoid them. With so many health-conscious alternatives on the market, this isn’t a major sacrifice.

In some cases, however, building owners purchase or manage facilities built before the 1980s. With these buildings, there is a good probability that asbestos products such as drywall, insulation and tiles are present. Owners then face special challenges when having construction work done on their buildings.

Before hiring renovation crews for potentially asbestos-disturbing tasks, these building managers are required to perform asbestos inspections. Federal regulations mandate these surveys for all public schools and most government buildings, as well as for all older buildings that are set for demolition or renovation. By identifying and acting on any potential hazards, owners can avoid Clean Air Act violations and major risks to their workers’ health.

Non-Construction Related Asbestos Management Surveys

Property owners not planning construction in the near future can conduct these surveys on their own schedule – or not at all. However, even when asbestos management surveys are optional, owners should still consider regular testing. This simple process is a major step in protecting the general health and well-being of the building’s occupants.

Read the rest of this entry »

“In the day”, I was sent to Siemens Photovoltaic Cell manufacturing plant in Santa Barbara to visit with the Southern California Edison customer, document the manufacturing process and take some pictures for my bosses presentation.  It has been years since then and the United States, the once leader in cell manufacturing, has given way to others overseas (~four(4) cell manufacturers remain in U.S.).  As a result, a manufacturing goal of 100% “Made in the United States” cannot be achieved for photovoltaic (PV) modules with mono-crystalline cells at cost effective prices.  Never the less, other quantifiable goals like USGBC LEED Material Resource Credits can be achieved.

Various products can claim to be as much as 80% made in the United States and anywhere from $1.80 to $4.50/Watt installed (including but not limited to, additional structural systems like; racking, ballast, lagging or wood lattice).  Using a goal to be the “Greenest” possible without additional expense, the owners of EcoGym Worldwide set out to design a PV System that met some of these goals.  Seeking the guidance of A Solar Studio, a small 2-3 man studio in Naperville who’s principal has been involved with PV off and on for the past twenty years, they learned they could achieve some of these goals using the Solon Sol quick 295.

Read the rest of this entry »

Glass as a design choice

A look at today’s architecture and design magazines, or at new construction projects in NYC, confirms that the current material of choice is glass.  Floor-to-ceiling windows, 360° views, natural daylight, connecting inside to the outside are the design vocabulary du jour.  Glass, and lots of it, is intended to convey modernity, sophistication, and, increasingly, green design.

The first glass was made about 2,000 years ago.  It was used to seal off small apertures made to let in light.  However, it was not until many centuries later that the use of glass in buildings became widespread.  Still, window sizes were constrained by practical considerations: impact on the load-bearing capacity of the walls, material limitations, energy conservation requirements, expense.  In the 20^th century, the development of structural steel, and later reinforced concrete, allowed to transfer bearing loads from the exterior walls to interior columns.  At the same time, glass came in increasingly bigger unbroken sheets.

The International Style in architecture, made simple glass façades and huge opens spaces synonymous with modernity.  In the late 1940s, double-pane glass with thermal insulation was created.  Windows were becoming bigger and bigger, until eventually the entire exterior skin of a building was made of glass – it was called the curtain-wall.  Lever House, built in 1952, was the first curtain-wall building in New York.  By 1970s, coated, laminated glass, and other innovative glass products were created.  Today, fully-glazed office buildings are ubiquitous, and in residential buildings, especially on the higher end, panoramic, huge, often floor-to-ceiling windows became a requisite amenity.

What is it that makes glass so appealing to architects and building owners? 

Read the rest of this entry »

Overview and a bit of history

The very first house to achieve LEED for Homes Platinum Certification was a factory made modular home in Santa Monica, CA, in 2006.

Factory made modular houses, also referred to as prefabricated or prefab, are inherently more sustainable than their built on-site counterparts.  Factory process, by nature based on standardization, precision and efficiency, automatically minimizes raw materials and construction waste.  Another important advantage of prefab houses is the high quality of the exterior envelope, which is the most important precision assembly in a green building.  In a factory, a house is assembled from the inside out, with the drywall installed first and sheathing and siding last.  All the caulking and insulation work is done from the back of the drywall, behind any electrical or mechanical boxes, which creates an airtight seal.  Modules are often prefabricated with plumbing, electric and HVAC infrastructure.  Modular homes are built to a higher structural standard, because they have to be loaded on and off trucks and transported, possibly on un-paved roads.

Because of the process efficiency and economies of scale, modular homes cost 5 to 20% less than comparably sized built on-site homes.  Savings can be used towards offsetting the expense of energy-efficient and eco-friendly technologies, such as solar panels, geothermal heating, high performance windows, green non-toxic interior finishes, and high-efficiency appliances.

There are intangible benefits to consider as well, such as reduced construction time, lesser dependence on the weather and climate conditions, as well as minimal neighborhood disturbance and damage to the landscape.

Read the rest of this entry »

Just because you’re doing your part for the environment and instituting more eco-friendly measures, it doesn’t mean you have to throw your fashion sense out your newly-green windows. These days, there are more ways than ever to introduce earth-saving accessories to our energy-efficient windows that are as easy on the eyes as they are on the environment.

Choosing eco-friendly window treatments is also much easier on the wallet than replacing every window in your home with energy-efficient ones. Including the cost of labor for installation, one can reasonably expect to pay anywhere from $400-$1,000 per energy-efficient window; for someone with even a dozen windows in their home, the costs could easily come in between $4,800-$12,000 for the entire project!

Once you consider the fact that you cannot take your super-expensive windows with you when you leave and that you will almost certainly not recoup 100% of the costs, other alternatives start to look much more promising.

Meanwhile, upgrading your window treatments is not only an exponentially more economical choice on the front end, but you are also able to transport them to your next home if you decide to move.
Here are a few of the most energy-saving options for eco-fashionable window treatments.

Honeycomb Cell Shades

In terms of extreme insulators, the honeycomb cellular shades can’t be beat! The unique honeycomb shape works like a quilt in that it insulates your windows by trapping air between the honeycomb cells. They not only block heat in the summer but they also block cold air from entering in the winter.

On the surface, they have an accordion-esque appearance and come in a variety of colors. Honeycomb cell shades are a good way to incorporate a bit of textural interest to your windows, as well.

Read the rest of this entry »

Despite the growth of public transportation and other transportation alternatives, parking locations remain necessary in much of the nation. Even though parking consultants and design teams have been using sustainable practices for parking structures in recent years, many do not calculate energy use as part of their standard methodology. Unknown to most, a garage typically uses 15% of the energy that the building that it is designed to support uses.Worse, this energy use is often lost in the periphery of energy efficiency efforts. Parking structures should not be overlooked, though, because the savings potential is immense. Energy use can be reduced by more than 90% over an ASHRAE Standard 90.1 2007 baseline parking structure with typical construction costs.

Here are some design elements that can be implemented to improve the energy efficiency of parking structures

Ventilation

Design the parking structure to maintain an approximate 40% façade openness, which allows natural ventilation on all levels. This will be enough ventilation to preclude the need for mechanical ventilation systems.

Daylighting

Lighting is typically the largest load, particularly for naturally ventilated structures. To reduce the lighting load to almost zero during daylight hours, perforate the façade with aluminum panels that let in sunlight (while keeping out weather) and, if possible, design to include a “light well” in the middle of the structure to meet a full daylighting effort in the center of the space. If done properly, only a few places in the structure, such as under the stairs, need to be electrically lighted between sunrise and sunset.

Read the rest of this entry »

The newest installment of CleanEdison’s LEED Certifications of the month series.

The month of March had a wide variety of buildings get their LEED Certification. The usual American college campuses were joined by a Holocaust museum and a university in Hong Kong.

In no particular order, here are the LEED Certifications of March 2013

Philadelphia School’s Ellen Schwartz and Jeremy Siegel Early Childhood Education Center

The Center, located at 2501 South Street, was recently awarded LEED Silver Certification under the US Green Building Council’s LEED 2009 New Construction Rating System.

During construction, a commitment was made to use as much locally produced materials as possible; preferred materials had recycled content. Spray foam insulation and fiberglass batts installed in the ceiling and walls resulted in a high R-value, a measure of insulation’s ability to resist heat traveling through it, and reduced air leakage in and out of the building.

A radiant heat system was installed. The size and positioning of the building’s many windows ensure ample natural daylight. Interior materials meet rigorous air quality standards. The drought-resistant landscaping and hard-surfaced areas were designed to help rainwater infiltrate into the ground rather than enter the city’s storm-sewer system.

Read the rest of this entry »

Combined, buildings in the United States consume 40% of all energy. But these buildings are not created equal. The important first step in reducing energy use in buildings is to understand what type of building it is, and what the occupants are there to do. A school will have different energy consumption habits than a single family home; a large office building will perform differently than a five story walkup. But what exactly are the differences, in aggregate, between the residential sector and the commercial sector?

1) In the residential sector, space heating accounts for 43% of energy use. In the commercial sector, space heating is only 25% of energy use.

2) In terms of energy used for space heating, the residential sector uses twice as much renewable energy as the commercial sector.

3) In terms of percentage of related carbon emissions, space heating is twice as much in residential buildings than commercial buildings.

4) 93% of the residential sector’s direct greenhouse gas emissions come from the combustion of fossil fuels, primarily for heating and cooking. Only 60% of direct emissions come from on-site fossil fuel combustion in commercial buildings.

5)As a percent of total energy consumption, lighting in commercial buildings is twice that of residential buildings.

6) As a percent of total energy consumption, water heating in residential buildings is almost three times that of commercial buildings

Read the rest of this entry »