Comparative study of commercial building energy-efficiency retrofit policies in four pilot cities in China

The energy efficiency of existing commercial buildings is more challenging to regulate and improve than the energy efficiency of new constructions. In 2011 and 2012, the Chinese Government selected four cities- Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenzhen, and Chongqing- to implement pilot commercial building energy efficiency retrofit program. Based on site surveys and expert interviews in these pilot cities, this research conducted a comparative analysis on incentive policies of local city level. The analysis results show that policy designs of existing commercial buildings should be further improved. The aspects that influence the implementation effect in the future, such as subsidy level, installments, and business model promotion, should be specified in the policy clauses. Referring to the technical solution and cost-benefit in Chongqing, we found that lighting system is the most common retrofit objects while envelope system is the least common one. And the subsidy incentive is greatest for educational buildings, followed by office buildings. In the end, we further discussed the problems and obstacles in commercial building retrofit market, and provided a series of recommendations

Monitoring-Based Commissioning: Tracking the Evolution and Adoption of a Paradigm-Shifting Approach to Retro-Commissioning

Proceedings of the 2012 ACEEE Summer Study (Panel 4, Paper 1130). Monitoring-based commissioning (MBCx) emphasizes permanent energy performance metering and trending—for diagnosis of energy waste, for savings accounting, and to enable persistence of savings. Emphasis on monitoring represents a paradigm shift for the retro-commissioning (RCx) industry, which has traditionally relied upon test protocols and modeled savings estimates. Since 2004, a major monitoring-based commissioning program at twenty-five California university campuses has evolved to meet the changing needs of university and utility partners. More recently the monitoring-based approach has been adopted by third-party programs in California. We present information on the progression of program design and results for the multiple phases of the original program, along with a look at third-party and other programs adopting similar program features

Building Information Modelling [BIM] for energy efficiency in housing refurbishments

Building Information modelling offers potential process and delivery improvements throughout the lifecycle of built assets. However, there is limited research in the use of BIM for energy efficiency in housing refurbishments. The UK has over 300,000 solid wall homes with very poor energy efficiency. A BIM based solution for the retrofit of solid wall housing using lean and collaborative improvement techniques will offer a cost effective, comprehensive solution that is less disruptive, reduces waste and increases accuracy, leading to high quality outcomes. The aim of this research is to develop a BIM based protocol supporting development of 'what if' scenarios in housing retrofits for high efficiency thermal improvements, aiming to reduce costs and disruption for users. The paper presents a literature review on the topic and discusses the research method for the research project (S-IMPLER)

Affordable heat: A whole-buildings efficiency service for Vermont families and businesses

Policy Leadership Initiative Year III Addressing Energy Challenges for Low-income Families in Northern New Englan

Engaging as Partners in Energy Efficiency: A Primer for Utilities on the Energy Efficiency Needs of Multifamily Buildings and Their Owners

The multifamily building sector presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities for utilities seeking to implement effective energy efficiency programs. To deliver successful programs, utilities must understand what motivates building owners to take part in these programs, as well as barriers that may prevent participation.This paper outlines the opportunities to meet energy efficiency goals with multifamily programs. It then describes the benefits that multifamily building owners gain from these programs, and the barriers they face to participation. The paper focuses on rental housing, because these buildings are owned by a single entity and form the largest sector of the multifamily housing market. The paper provides a framework to help utilities develop successful programs that maximize energy savings and create benefits for building owners, tenants, and communities. And lastly, the paper recommends nine program design considerations that can help attract multifamily building owners to utility energy efficiency programs

Interrogating the technical, economic and cultural challenges of delivering the PassivHaus standard in the UK.

A peer-reviewed eBook, which is based on a collaborative research project coordinated by Dr. Henrik Schoenefeldt at the Centre for Architecture and Sustainable Environment at the University of Kent between May 2013 and June 2014. This project investigated how architectural practice and the building industry are adapting in order to successfully deliver Passivhaus standard buildings in the UK. Through detailed case studies the project explored the learning process underlying the delivery of fourteen buildings, certified between 2009 and 2013. Largely founded on the study of the original project correspondence and semi-structured interviews with clients, architects, town planners, contractors and manufacturers, these case studies have illuminated the more immediate technical as well as the broader cultural challenges. The peer-reviewers of this book stressed that the findings included in the book are valuable to students, practitioners and academic researchers in the field of low-energy design. It was launched during the PassivHaus Project Conference, held at the Bulb Innovation Centre on the 27th June 2014

The architectural and environmental retrofitting of public social housing as a resource for contemporary cities. The redesign of building envelopes

The current focus on the transformation of Western cities puts forward, in a shared and far-reaching manner, ‘degrowth’ as an opportunity to renew and update the perspective of sustainability, not only from an environmental point of view, but from a social and economic point of view as well. The most modern updated legislation is also headed in this direction: considering building stock as a resource for renovation, adopting policies and strategies aimed at reducing land and energy consumption, reusing and recycling building stock. Nowadays, the interpretation of the terms Reduce, Reuse, Recycle in relation to urban devel-opment offers the opportunity to create a new generation of spaces and architectures that sees buildings – dilapidated, neglected, worn out or abandoned – as a real resource and, hence, value. Renovations concern new programmes and projects for rethinking the uses, meanings and the values contained in existing construction (from individual buildings to whole neigh-bourhoods) and which can change. Within this scenario, suburbs are now considered part of the contemporary city and they are becoming the object of particular attention from those who are involved in urban planning and managing urban developments. Among the resources that have already been built, social hous-ing stock is a wide field of investigation, from different points of view. This built heritage can involve different levels of building and space transformation and defines various design approaches: the overall architectural quality is to be acknowledged. These design approaches reinterpret regeneration activities and are not just limited to the ‘technical’ renovation of buildings: they also take into account the consequent urban, social and economic implications

A New Model for Evaluating the Future Options of Integrating Ground Source Heat Pumps in Building Construction

Decision-making for effective infrastructure integration is challenging because the performances of long-lasting objects often depends on conditions which are either outside the control of the designer or difficult to foresee at the design stage. In this paper we examine a new approach to estimating the range of cost-effective solutions for integrating the construction/retrofit of two or more different types of infrastructure. Infrastructure integration has many perceived benefits, but also faces serious new challenges and doubts from practitioners, particularly in sectors with complex construction process, long asset lives, uncertain cost parameters, and slow and unwieldy decision-making, such as is common with civil engineering works. We test all main options in integrating a ground source heat pump (GSHP) system with the construction and retrofit of an archetypal, office building. A new simulation model is developed and parameterized using actual data in the UK. We incorporate unavoidable uncertainties and randomness in how the decisions are triggered, and test the effectiveness of proactive measures to embed future options. The model highlights how sensitive the range of cost-effective solutions is to the setting of renewable energy incentives, discount rates, technical performance and life-cycle asset management of interdependent infrastructure. This points to a clear need for establishing appropriate regulatory standards. We expect this model to find increasing applications in the planning and designing of integrated complexes of buildings, transport facilities, renewable energy supply, water supply and waste management in dense urban areas, which are an increasingly key part of sustainable urban development

Delivering sustainable buildings in retail construction

Session: Sustainability: Theory and Design The article can be viewed at: http://www.arcom.ac.uk/-docs/proceedings/ar2012-1455-1465_Dangana_Pan_Goodhew.pdfThe demand for high performance 'green' or 'sustainable' buildings is becoming increasingly important in the retail industry. Large construction companies in this sector have started to show leadership by working with their customers and supply chains towards sustainability in both products and operations. However, it remains associated risks be minimised, in order to add value and differentiate the output of retail construction. This paper reviews the practice of sustainable buildings within the context of retail construction, and also explores how the UK mainstream retail sector is currently addressing the challenges of sustainable retail buildings. The arguments are informed by a combination of literature review, a desk study of sustainability strategies of large client organisations and construction companies, and a case study with a leading construction company in the UK. The results demonstrate that businesses can benefit from embracing a sustainable approach while they need to adapt their business models to the rapidly changing environment. A demand-driven sustainability agenda is called for in the UK retail sector. The results also provide the basis for an in-depth, longitudinal case study to develop a framework to optimize process, energy and carbon efficiency in retail construction using sustainable technology. Such a framework should provide a sustainable technology model for retail customers to realize the full benefits of sustainable buildings and also assist construction companies and their professional advisors deliver green buildings more efficiently in the future