Integrated Design + Six Tactics for Saving Energy

Energy Saving Tactics in Integrated Design

Energy efficiency has become a pre-eminent theme and yardstick of value for today’s generation of architects, engineers and builders.  Private, government and institutional owners alike are demanding buildings that exceed code, achieve energy certifications and deliver ever lower operating costs. 

The graphic above simplifies energy saving into six tactics.  In reality these tactics overlap, interact and can even be counter-productive when designed incorrectly.  The real strategy is Integrated Design. 

Integrated Design has replaced the traditional hand-off from discipline to discipline with an approach that features multi-disciplinary collaboration from concept to completion.  Although listed separately, the following tactics are each part of an interdependent system.

Reduce / Manage Loads

Consciously reduce the day to day energy demands.  A simple technique is set point management:  Set the heat a little lower and the AC a little higher.  Combine this with computerized management (much like the digital thermostat at home) and you can also manage start of day and end of day settings as well as weekends and holidays. 

Common sense lighting design with the appropriate watt/sq. ft. applied in each space reduces loads, as does the right building envelop.  Low-emissivity (Low-e ) windows, quality insulation and well-designed wall/roof/ceiling systems are required.

Passive systems

Passive systems are built into the building.  Daylight harvesting through skylights and light tubes brings in natural light and reduces the demand for artificial light.  Reflective roofing lowers cooling costs.  Better insulation reduces heating costs.  Natural ventilation often improves air quality and reduces air handling.

Active Systems

Each component of the HVAC system is evaluated for its energy efficiency rating.  Electrical systems including lighting controls and occupancy and daylight sensors help manage energy consumption.

Energy Recovery

When a by-product of energy use is a further source of energy, we call that recovered energy.  An example is the work station.  Computers use energy to function and to operate a cooling fan.  The heat expelled via the fan can be used to warm incoming air and reduce energy used for heating, or exhausted to reduce the cooling load.

Renewables

Solar, geothermal, bio-mass, wind and hydro-power energy.

Other

An example for our desert climate is the nighttime purge during hot weather.  Summer temperatures often become quite comfortable between 3 and 5 am, even after a hot day.  Automated purging, bringing in the cool outside air, pre-cools a space before the workday starts.

CSHQA began designing for energy efficiency long before it became standard ops.  It helped that we had clients who demanded buildings with low operating costs (grocers in particular); it also helped that we’ve always sought ways to design better buildings.  As CSHQA converts a 56-year-old warehouse into our new Boise office (See 1.31.13 post), check back for in-depth posts on these tactics as we learn from architects and engineers on the project.–