Ecology Quiz #4
CoGen (or CHP - Combined Heat & Power)
"Waste" heat from electrical generation used for heating. The use of a heat engine or power station to generate electricity and useful heat at the same time.
PHIUS+ 2015 certification requirements
(1) High-performance building envelope: Thermal comfort, moisture control, durability (2) Fresh air requirements: direct bedroom supply, MERV 8 (MERV 12) (3) DHW design (domestic hot water?) 1. CHPC Designer 2. Precertification design review by PHIUS 3. Testing by PHIUS+ Rater (slab + foundation insulation, site shading, insulation, air barrier details) 4. Blower door test 5. HVAC + DHW commissioning 6. Infrared imaging
Lighting controls
1) Detects occupancy and turns lights on or off in response to the presence or absence of occupants. 2) Throttles lights up and down or turns lights on and off to compensate for levels of natural light provided by the daylighting system.
Common false/misleading claims in marketing "green" products
1. Hidden trade-offs: "Energy-efficient" electronics that contain hazardous materials. 2. No proof: Products claiming to be "environmentally friendly", but with no verifiable certification. 3. Vagueness: Products claiming to be "natural" when many naturally-occurring substances are hazardous (i.e., arsenic and formaldehyde). 4. Irrelevance: Products claiming to be CFC-free, even though CFCs were banned 20 years ago. 5. Misrepresentation: Products falsely claiming to be certified by an internationally recognized environmental standard. 6. Lesser of Two Evils: Organic cigarettes or "environmentally friendly" pesticides.
Surface-to-Volume ratio
A building with less exterior exposure will be more efficient Multi-story buildings are more efficient than single-floor structures Goal is for a low surface-to-volume ratio - as little exposed surface relative to amt. of interior space as passible. Trade-off with daylighting, views, natural ventilation
Waste audit
A process that is used to determine the amount and types of Waste produced by a company. Completing a Waste audit will provide valuable information that will benefit the company in many ways.
Color rendering index (CRI)
A quantitative measure of the ability of a light source to reveal the colors of various objects faithfully in comparison with an ideal or natural light source.
Variable-frequency Drive (VFD)
A type of adjustable-speed drive used in electro-mechanical drive systems to control AC motor speed and torque by varying motor input frequency and voltage.
Environmental product declarations (EPDs)
A verified document that reports environmental data of products based on life cycle assessment (LCA) and other relevant information and in accordance with the international standard ISO 14025 (Type III Environmental Declarations)
Cradle-to-grave/open loop system
Acquisition/extraction of raw materials --> processing/manufacturing --> packaging --> transportation/distribution --> consumer use --> disposal as waste
Positive displacement ventilation
Air heated by occupants and machines rises out of the room and is replaced by fresh air.
Energy heel truss
Allows full insulation thickness at wall-to-roof corners A raised-heel truss is identical to a conventional truss except for one difference: it is raised higher, with a "heel" that extends up from the top of the wall and elevates the truss at the building's edges. Raising the truss higher has two big advantages: it greatly simplifies attic ventilation, and it leaves ample room for insulation above exterior wall top plates.
Visible transmittance (VT)
Amount of visible light that passes through the glazing (0-1, same as percentage)
Environmentally preferable products (EPPs)
Available to producers of manufactured goods, input material manufacturers, and electricity providers. To be certified, your product must perform equal to or better in every category of potential environmental impact than other products serving the same function, with no environmental trade-offs. This performance addresses every stage of the product life cycle from raw material extraction and processing through manufacturing, use, and final disposition. SCS uses the most advanced life cycle assessment (LCA) protocols.
Solar orientation
Axis running east-west so passive solar apertures face south and offer an insulated barrier with few openings to the north Sout-facing windows subject to summer heat gain unless shaded.
Green building materials
Basic materials that may be the components of products or used in a stand-alone manner in a building. Green building materials have low environmental impact compared to the alternatives. Steel - High potential for reuse, and high potential for recycling. Recycled steel requires 1/5th the energy need to produce steel from iron ore. Recycling systems and recycling processes are well established. Earthen Materials Wood Bamboo SIPs Insulated Concrete Forms Cordwood Straw Bale Earth Bags Slate/ Stone Roofing Steel Thatch Composites Natural Fiber Polyurethane Fiber Glass Cellulose Cork Polystyrene and isocyanurate Natural Clay Non- VOC paints Natural Fiber Floor Fiber Cement Stone
Low-E coating
Block solar heat, but still allow visible light to pass through Can affect SHGC and VT
Green building products
Building components that have any of a wide range of attributes that make them preferable to the alternatives. (May or may not be made of green building materials) Ex. ERVs: Complex devices containing desiccants, insulation, wiring, an electric motor, controls, and other materials, BUT contributes to exceptionally low energy building use. LEDs, low-E windows, Energy Star appliances
Cardinal rules for closed-loop building materials strategy
Buildings must be deconstructable Products must be disassemblable Materials must be recyclable Products and materials must be harmless in production and in use Materials dissipated from recycling must be harmless
Insulation
Buildings use insulation to slow the movement of heat from one place to another.
Dessicant wheels
Captures humidity in incoming or exhaust air.
Recycled building materials
Cardboard (recycled) Concrete (downcycled) Steel (recycled) Wood (downcycled)
Radiant cooling
Circulate cool water through tubes in ceiling, wall, or floor elements, or panels. Need to be mindful of potential condensation.
Cellulose
Considered sustainable if created using other environmentally responsible materials/processes
Natural step
Defines the criteria by which a society (and thus a product) could be considered sustainable. For a society to be sustainable: 1. No increase in concentrations of substances extracted from the Earth's crust. 2. No increase in concentrations of substances created by society (man-made substances). 3. Nature's functions and diversity must not be impoverished by overharvesting or ecosystem manipulation. 4. Resources must be used fairly and efficiently in order to meet basic human needs globally.
Occupancy sensing
Detects occupancy and turns lights on or off in response to the presence or absence of occupants.
Energy recovery systems
Economizers Heat recovery ventilators Energy recovery ventilators Drain water heat recovery Dessicant
Plug loads
Electrical consumption by electronics that are "plugged in." Can represent up to 50% of operational energy.
Phantom loads
Electrical draw by devices even though they are turned "off." Clocks, standby power, sleep mode, AC adapters, etc.
Earth berming
Embed the building in the ground Natural temperature mediation Pile up earth against it
Environmental building declarations (EBDs)
Energy Star, Green Globe, Green Building Initiative, UL, U.S. Green Building Council, Living Building Challenge
Energy recovery ventilators
Exchange heat and humidity
Heat recovery ventilators
Exchange heat between fresh incoming air and stale exhaust air
Drain water heat recovery
Extracts heat from waste water to preheat water going to water heater.
Common insulation materials
Fibers: Cellulose, fiberglass, mineral wool, cotton, wool Foams: polystyrene foams, polyurethane foams, icynene foams, bio-based foams, cement foams, mycelium (fungus) aerogel
ATHENA LCA tool
Focuses on the assessment of a whole building or building assemblies such as walls, roofs, floors, etc.
Design for deconstruction
Green roof system (planting trays can be dug out and re-used in other green roof systems) Plywood sheathing (screwed into thermasteel panels. Easily disassembled) Thermasteel roof (steel and foam panels assembled with screws. Simple connections lead to easy disassembly) Wood flooring (reclaimed from existing houses on site to be renovated. Closes the loop on construction waste) Floor framing (lumber assembled with screws and can be easily disassembled and reused) Site framing (lumber assembled with screws and can be easily disassembled and reused) Concrete block piers (raise the building off the sloped site. Touches lightly to the ground and therefore lessens environmental impact)
Direct ground coupled systems
Ground coupling: thermal characteristics of the earth and groundwater are used for cooling and heating purposes. Closed loop retains same fluid, but exchanges heat with surroundings. Open loop uses fresh fluid and dumps altered fluid. DIRECT COUPLING: Preheat or precool of incoming fresh air through underground tubes.
Cool roofs
Heat should be reflected away Also addresses heat island effect Light colors help alleviate interior and exterior heat build up Albedo - reflectivity of a material (0 is total absorption, 1 is total reflectivity) Solar reflectance index (rates both reflectivity and emissivity - standard black = 0, white = 100) Loss of heat gain in the winter
Reused building components
Heavy timber Slate roofing Woodwork Tile roofing Windows Light fixtures Flooring Stone tile Lumber Doors Brick Plumbing fixtures
Thermal mass
High mass materials retain heat and should be placed where they can receive direct sunlight. Concrete, stone, or earth (dark wood floor over concrete is good pairing of absorber and thermal mass, or just dark tinted concrete) Collect and distribute solar radiation Aperture (collector): the large glass through which sunlight enters Absorber (hard, darkened surface) Thermal mass (materials that retain or store heat from sunlight) Distribution (How solar heat circulates from the collection and storage points to different areas of the building) Control (roof overhangs and other means to shade aperture area during summer)
R-value (resistance to heat flow)
Higher R-value means better insulation
Horizontal and vertical GSHP systems
Horizontal ground-coupling uses plastic piping placed in horizontal trenches to exchange heat with the ground. Vertical ground coupling uses U-tube plastic piping placed in boreholes.
Natural ventilation
Hot air rises Chimneys or tall spaces in which rising hot air generates a draft, pulling air from the lower parts of the building (stack) - open-front fireplaces make buildings colder (movement of air up the chimney requires that outside air be drawn into the room to replace it. The hot air from the fire is sent up and out the chimney while cold outdoor air is drawn into the room. The only place warmer (besides chimney) is area directly in front Warmer: solar chimney, tall space vented at top so as air warms it flows up and out, augmented by using sunlight to heat up the chimney and the air inside so that it rises faster
Common lighting systems
Incandescent: traditional resistance coil lightbulb Fluorescent: very efficient, easily controlled. Good color rendering, available in many styles. Fiber-optic: utilizes light-transmitting cable fed from a light source in a remote location. Cable can filter out infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths. Requires no voltage at the fixture, is completely safe, emits no heat, and is virtually maintenance free. Light-emitting Diodes (LEDs) - based on semiconductors that emit light when current is passed through them. 130 lm/W efficacy (compared to 52 lm/W for incandescent). Last 20 times longer than incandescents, but have slight dimming over time.
Waste-to-Energy (WtE)
Incineration of trash with electricity generated from the heat produced.
Materials that are typically landfilled
Insulation Sheet rock Carpet Tile Shingles Cabinets Treated wood/particle board Materials less than 2 inches (ADC)
Factors of passive design
Latitude Altitude Insolation (INcoming SOLar RADIation) Heating and cooling degree days Humidity patterns Annual wind strength and direction Presence of trees and vegetation Presence of other buildings or structures
Lighting efficacy
Lighting Controls - Ideally, lighting controls should comprise an integrated system that performs two basic functions: 1) Detects occupancy and turns lights on or off in response to the presence or absence of occupants. 2) Throttles lights up and down or turns lights on and off to compensate for levels of natural light provided by the daylighting system.
U-value (conductivity)
Lower U-value means better insulation U=1/R
Venturi effect
Lower air pressure where air flows faster
Ecological School of green building evaluation
Maintains that keeping materials in productive use, as in an ecological system, is of primary importance, and that the energy and other resources need to feed the recycling system are of secondary importance.
Rapidly renewable resource
Materials derived from species with a growth and harvest cycle of 10 years or less.
Solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC)
Measures the amount of heat that passes through the glazing (scale 0-1)
Window U-factor (and contributing aspects)
Measures thermal conductance of the whole window unit Determined by: 1. Panes of glass or film 2. Gas in airspaces between glazing layers 3. Frame materials 4. Thermal breaks and spacers
Renewable resource
Mterials that offer the opportunity to close materials loops via an organic recycling process Organic: recycling by biodegradation (composting or aerobic/anaerobic digestion) - Jute, hemp, sisal, wool, cotton, paper
Passive ventilation
Natural ventilation system that makes use of natural forces, such as wind and thermal buoyancy, to circulate air to and from an indoor space. These ventilation systems work to regulate the internal air temperature as well as bring fresh air in and send stale air out.
Tankless/instantaneous/on-demand/water heating systems
No storage tank Water is heated as it passes through the unit whenever hot water is turned on.
Design considerations for waste handling in large facilities
Operational efficiency to meet the needs of the building, cost effectiveness, safety to minimize risk and cleanliness Flexibility must also be considered as a way to adapt to inevitable future changes, from innovation and new markets to new pressures through stewardship programs and evolving stakeholder preferences. Bins are abandoned quickly due to people's fear of germs, especially if there is front access, flip doors, for instance. Designers are typically not provided with feedback on the ineffectiveness of these designs, and as a consequence, continue to replicate and build collection bins that do not work. Often, with millwork, the inside liners used for material collection slots don't fit properly. Odors, pests and spillage become issues because the designer often doesn't know what standard liner sizes the market offers. Garbage is usually collected inside a building by a contracted cleaning company. Janitorial companies within a building are never consultants on what does or doesn't work from a storage or collection standpoint. Also, they are not adequately trained on the expectations of the program and its goals. Space is almost always inadequate for the wide range of materials that must be collected. Space is lacking on floors, circulation corridors are often not wide enough, the turning radius and doorways are often not wide enough or swing the correct way. Recycling bins cannot be stored in corridors because of fire codes, and cleaners are expected to collect cardboard in elevator lobbies where there really isn't space. When garbage does find its way down to the storage room, there is often lack of space. There must be bins for cardboard, roll-out carts or some sort of system for recyclable paper, mixed containers, electronics, food waste, shredded paper, paper towels, batteries, toners and flexible space for obsolete items such as furniture. Storage facilities have to be designed to allow bins to be accessed. Waste and recycling should be separate, but isolated from one another; otherwise contamination occurs. Cleaners have to find any space available on tenant floors to stash garbage during collection rounds. When there's not enough space for recycling, the remaining contents of an overflowing bin often go in the garbage. With reduced storage capability, comes more frequent collections. Front-end bins are the most common types used for garbage collection. Front-end trucks need sufficient entrances and exit space. Loading docks rarely accommodate clearance. Roll-out compacters are the best option for large buildings because they hold a lot of garbage. They are also effective from a cost and environmental perspective, as the compaction ratio is about 4:1. They need a solid concrete base to endure the weight and secure equipment.
Other recyclable commodities in C&D (and their markets)
Plastics (Armadillo Deck, Albany — Makes composite decking • By the Yard, Jordan — Lawn and garden furniture • Bedford, Worthington — Makes recycled plastic lumber) Post-industrial waste and post-consumer waste automotive and building & construction Durable goods manufacturers Shingles RAS can also be used in the manufacture of new shingles; using up to 20 percent RAS in new shingles without affecting their quality. RAS can also be burned as fuel. The major use of RAS is in asphalt pavement applications • Hot-mix asphalt • Cold patch • Dust control on rural roads • Temporary roads or driveways • Aggregate road base E-waste (The term "e-waste" is loosely applied to consumer and business electronic equipment that is near or at the end of its useful life.) Tires and rubber materials (rubberized asphalt; shock absorption, noise reduction, resistance against changes of temperature and against chemical degradation; Elastomers, Reinforcing Fillers, Plasticizers, Chemicals, Metal Reinforcements, and Textile Reinforcements)
Extended producer responsibility
Policy approach that requires manufacturers to finance the costs of recycling or safely disposing of products consumers no longer want. Can be voluntary: Dell computers, Mercedes-Benz, Xerox copiers, single-use cameras
Coefficient of Production (CoP)
Ratio of cooling power delivered by a chiller to the input power supplied
Green building materials usage
Reduce material use Design with material modules Structural materials as finish surfaces Prefab construction Reuse & reclaim existing building materials Adaptive building reuse Building component reuse Design for deconstruction
Radiant barriers
Reflective surface placed below the roofing and rafters or at the attic floor that reduces the amount of solar heat that penetrates the attic or upper story of the building It can also help contain heat loss in the winter Needs an air space of at least 3/4 inch adjacent to the reflective side of the barrier Do not address heat island effect Only affect upper story
Radiant barrier
Reflects heat (primarily used to prevent overheating in hot climates) Requires an airspace to be functional
Chilled beams
Rely on stack effect to cool and mix room air.
Upcycling
Reuse in such a way that the new product has greater utility, quality, or value than the original
Downcycling
Reuse such that the end product is of reduced quality or lesser utility than the original (slowing its path to garbage)
Recycling
Reuse such that the utility or value is neither reduced nor improved
Sensors (CO2, CO, VOC)
Sensors can measure potentially toxic components of indoor air (CO2, CO, VOCs) Sensor tells ventilation system to deliver fresh air when toxic levels are detected
Urea-formaldehyde
Should be selected to ensure high IAQ/IEQ
Examples of renewable resources
Soy-based spray foam insulation Recycled cotton denim insulation Sheep wool insulation Cellulose spray insulation Recycled glass insulation Agri-fiber (panel products that can be used as finish materials) Sorghum Sunflower Straw Wheat Banana Hemp
Insulation
Standard has formaldehyde/bad at filling gaps Mineral wool Cotton or recycled denim (made from plants - biodegradable) Cellulose (recycled newsprint) Loose fill is better at filling gaps/less-accessible areas). Foam-in-place is best at this Spray foams don't use petroleum-based material
LCA School of green building evaluation
Suggests that if the energy and the emissions due to energy production are higher for recycling than for the use of virgin materials, then virgin materials should be used.
Color temperature (and temp categories "warm" to "daylight")
Temperature of an ideal black-body radiator that radiates light of a color comparable to that of the light source. Color temperatures over 5000 K are called "cool colors" (bluish), while lower color temperatures (2700-3000 K) are called "warm colors" (yellowish). Daylight has a spectrum similar to that of a black body with a correlated color temperature of 6500 K
Passive design
The design of a building's heating, cooling, lighting and ventilation systems, relying on sunlight, wind, vegetation, and other naturally occurring resources on the building site. Passive design includes the use of all possible measures to reduce energy consumption prior to the consideration of any external energy source other than the sun and the wind. Passive design defines the energy character of the building prior to the consideration of the active or powered systems (chillers, boilers, air handlers, pumps, and other powered equipment) - i.e., no pumps, fans or motors. 1. The use of the building's location and site to reduce the building's energy profile. 2. The design of the building itself - orientation, aspect ratio, massing, fenestration, ventilation paths, and other measures.
Greenwashing
The term used to describe the practice of companies or organizations disingenuously promoting or characterizing their products and/or policies as environmentally friendly. The term is a portmanteau of green and whitewashing, generally used when significantly more money or time has been spent advertising a product as being "green" rather than spending resources on environmentally sound practices.
Double-envelope construction
Thermal buffer space In the summer, hot air is vented at either the top of the building or top of each floor. In the winter, warm air is directed to the heating system to preheat the colder outdoor intake air. Solar radiation causes air to heat up between layers. The heated air is then used to heat the building or vented out the top. Typically, a shading system is employed to control the amount of light/heat. Doubles as a rainscreen. On a cold winter day, south-facing glazing warms up the air in the dynamic layer, which rises to the attic and releases its heat to the wood. The cooled air then circulates down the north face to the basement, where it is tempered by the thermal mass of the earth. At night, the circulation reverses as the exterior of the south fac cools faster than the rest of the building. In summer, the attic's hot air is vented out the roof, which creates low pressure in the basement, where air is drawn in and cooled by the earth.
Albedo/High-reflectivity roofing materials
Thermal resistance: high albedo Solar reflectance index: White membrane (80%) Bright aluminum coating (55%) Gray shingle (20%) Dark shingle (8%-19%) Black shingle or material
Daylight sensing
Throttles lights up and down or turns lights on and off to compensate for levels of natural light provided by the daylighting system.
Refuse-Derived fuels (RDF)
Trash used for WtE systems (currently defined as a "renewable" energy source) Fuel produced from various types of waste such as municipal solid waste (MSW), industrial waste or commercial waste.
BEES (Building for Environmental and Economic Stability) LCA tool
U.S. specific Allows side-by-side comparison of building products for the purpose of selecting cost-effective, environmentally preferable products, and includes both LCA and life-cycle costing data
Economizers
Use outside air to cool the building when weather conditions are appropriate.
Ground source heat pump (GSHP) aka Geothermal system
Use the ground as a heat source in the heating mode and as a heat sink in the cooling mode.
Variable air volume (VAV) systems
VAVs tailor the amount of air depending on need (or load or demand) A type of heating, ventilating, and/or air-conditioning (HVAC) system. Unlike constant air volume (CAV) systems, which supply a constant airflow at a variable temperature, VAV systems vary the airflow at a constant temperature.
Waste vs. Trash
Waste is material that is no longer suitable or useful for its original intended purpose. It can be separated, recycled, composted, reused, etc. Trash is material that is no longer suitable or useful for its original purpose and cannot be used for another. (Typically landfilled or burned)
Stack effect
When warm air moves upward in a building. Most pronounced in the winter because indoor-outdoor temperature differences are the greatest. Warm air rises because it's lighter than cold air. So when indoor air is warmer than the outdoor air, it escapes out of the upper levels of the building, through open windows, ventilation openings, or penetrations and cracks in the building envelope. The rising warm air reduces the pressure in the base of the building, forcing cold air to infiltrate through open doors, windows, or other openings. If more air is exhausted from a building than is supplied, a net negative pressure is generated, which can induce unwanted airflow through the building envelope.
Economically viable recyclable commodities in C&D (and their markets)
Wood: Koda energy (biofuel), Ag industry for animal bedding, Environmental Wood Supply (Biomass) Metal Concrete and block Cardboard and paper (WestRock, St. Paul, Liberty Paper, Becker, Verso Paper, Duluth)
Natural rubber
as opposed to synthetic rubber, is a rapidly renewable resource harvested as the sap of the rubber tree. It is used to manufacture resilient flooring, top set base, roofing products, and many other building materials. Rubber can also be recycled from used tires and be reconstituted as flooring, deck surfaces, pavers, walk-off mats, and as a "mulch" material used beneath playground equipment and for landscaping.
Cradle-to-cradle/closed-loop system
industry not only to close the loop by recycling, but to redesign the industrial processes altogether. Instead of concentrating on making the current system more efficient (less bad), we can redesign the system to be thoroughly good. Recycling and reuse is not a solution if the product or material is toxic in the first place, it will inevitably end up in the environment to poison us more slowly, but still surely. So, we must eliminate toxic materials and processes altogether, to make products that can be safely recycled and reused or else composted to support plant growth. This new conception of design—known as cradle-to-cradle design—goes beyond retrofitting industrial systems to reduce their harm. Conventional approaches to sustainability often make the efficient use of energy and materials their ultimate goal. While this can be a useful transitional strategy, it tends to reduce negative impacts without transforming harmful activity. Recycling carpet, for example, might reduce consumption, but if the attached carpet backing contains PVC, which most carpet backing does, the recycled product is still on a one-way trip to the landfill, where it becomes hazardous waste. Cradle-to-cradle design, on the other hand, offers a framework in which the effective, regenerative cycles of nature provide models for wholly positive human designs. Within this framework we can create economies that purify air, land, and water, that rely on current solar income and generate no toxic waste, that use safe, healthful materials that replenish the earth or can be perpetually recycled, and that yield benefits that enhance all life.
Cork
rapidly renewable resource harvested from trees. It is used as flooring, tack boards, and is a major component of linoleum.
Solar water preheating
sun heats fluid that flows through an absorber plate or tube, then heat is exchanged in hot water storage tanks. Glycol solution is used in our climate.
Tips for successful Passive House affordable multifamily development
· Identify funders early, as applications are often tied to hard deadlines and the project timeline must accommodate the funding awards Meet early and often with the team, and have MEP charrettes directly with CPHC Determine who is gathering performance data from manufacturers Use WUFI Passive model for its intended purpose - certification & envelope optimization Submit requests for Technical Committee Review for innovative system design Avoid excessive SF/person Consider which rooms are 'inside building envelope' A PV system will likely be necessary in multifamily housing to meet per-person source energy targets
Challenges facing recycling markets
• Insufficient demand for some recyclables - Need more local markets for commodities • Low prices for the combined recycling stream • Consumer behavior challenges • China import requirements
