High-Performance Integrated Window and Façade Solutions for California

The researchers developed a new generation of high-performance façade systems and supporting design and management tools to support industry in meeting California’s greenhouse gas reduction targets, reduce energy consumption, and enable an adaptable response to minimize real-time demands on the electricity grid. The project resulted in five outcomes: (1) The research team developed an R-5, 1-inch thick, triplepane, insulating glass unit with a novel low-conductance aluminum frame. This technology can help significantly reduce residential cooling and heating loads, particularly during the evening. (2) The team developed a prototype of a windowintegrated local ventilation and energy recovery device that provides clean, dry fresh air through the façade with minimal energy requirements. (3) A daylight-redirecting louver system was prototyped to redirect sunlight 15–40 feet from the window. Simulations estimated that lighting energy use could be reduced by 35–54 percent without glare. (4) A control system incorporating physics-based equations and a mathematical solver was prototyped and field tested to demonstrate feasibility. Simulations estimated that total electricity costs could be reduced by 9-28 percent on sunny summer days through adaptive control of operable shading and daylighting components and the thermostat compared to state-of-the-art automatic façade controls in commercial building perimeter zones. (5) Supporting models and tools needed by industry for technology R&D and market transformation activities were validated. Attaining California’s clean energy goals require making a fundamental shift from today’s ad-hoc assemblages of static components to turnkey, intelligent, responsive, integrated building façade systems. These systems offered significant reductions in energy use, peak demand, and operating cost in California

Linkage between knowledge management practices towards library user’s satisfaction at Malaysian University Libraries

Academic library services have begun to apply various knowledge management (KM) practices in the provision of library services. KM has been developed to enhance the use of organizational knowledge through practices and organizational learning. KM practices include the creation, capture and/or acquisition of knowledge, its retention and organization, its dissemination and re-use, and general responsiveness to the new knowledge. The focus of this research is the assessment of KM practices, particularly creation, acquisition, capture, sharing, recording and preservation, and their effects on Library User’s Satisfaction (LUS) in Malaysian university libraries. The objective of this research is the development of a model to enhance KM processes (i.e. Creation, acquisition, capturing, sharing, recording, and preserving) and to improve library users’ satisfaction. A quantitative approach in research methodology is employed (e.g. Questionnaire) for the purpose of generating new knowledge and understanding of library concerns. The findings of this research show that the overall KM practice at six Malaysian university libraries is at a high level. The findings from the structural model indicated that two KM processes, namely knowledge creation and acquisition, are not supported in terms of KM practices at Malaysian university libraries. Other KM processes, namely capturing, sharing, recording, and preserving are fully supported towards KM practices in the library. Hence, the major contribution of this research is a model, namely KM Practice-Library User’s Satisfaction (KMP-LUS) highlighting six KM processes based on strong Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) fit indices

An integrated approach to indoor contaminant modelling

Air pollutants are those chemicals that are not generally present in the atmosphere because of natural causes but are disseminated into the air by human activity. In most parts of Europe, outdoor pollutants are principally the products of combustion from space heating, power generation, chemical industry waste, or from motor vehicle traffic (McGinlay 1997). Indoor air environments contain a myriad of inorganic and organic gases and vapors typically in trace (parts-per-billion) quantities. The chemical composition of air varies widely between particular locations as well as between measurements taken at different times for the same location. The nature of these variations is such that it is difficult to definitively characterize a typical indoor air environment with respect to specific contaminants present and concentration levels. A large number of air pollutants have known or suspected harmful effects that can be manifested on plant or animal life and/or the environment. Pollutants may not only prove a problem in the immediate vicinity of their emission, but they can travel long distances and react with other species present in the atmosphere to produce secondary pollutants (Weschler 2004)

Nexus of thermal resilience and energy efficiency in buildings: A case study of a nursing home

Extreme weather events become more frequent and severe due to climate change. Although energy efficiency technologies can influence thermal resilience of buildings, they are traditionally studied separately, and their interconnections are rarely quantified. This study developed a methodology of modeling and analysis to provide insights into the nexus of thermal resilience and energy efficiency of buildings. We conducted a case study of a real nursing home in Florida, where 12 patients died during Hurricane Irma in 2017 due to HVAC system power loss, to understand and quantify how passive and active energy efficiency measures (EEMs) can improve thermal resilience to reduce heat-exposure risk of patients. Results show that passive measures of opening windows and doors for natural ventilation, as well as miscellaneous load reduction, are very effective in eliminating the extreme dangerous occasions. However, to maintain safe conditions, active measures such as on-site power generators and thermal storage are also needed. The nursing home was further studied by changing its location to two other cities: San Francisco (mild climate) and Chicago (cold winter and hot summer). Results revealed that the EEMs' impacts on thermal resilience vary significantly by climate and building characteristics. The study also estimated the costs of EEMs to help stakeholders prioritize the measures. Passive measures that may not save energy may greatly improve thermal resilience, and thus should be considered in building design or retrofit. Findings from this study indicate energy efficiency technologies should be evaluated not only by their energy savings performance but also by their influence on a building's resilience to extreme weather events

Combining different validation techniques for continuous software improvement - Implications in the development of TRNSYS 16

Validation using published, high quality test suites can serve to identify different problems in simulation software: modeling and coding errors, missing features, frequent sources of user confusion. This paper discusses the application of different published validation procedures during the development of a new TRNSYS version: BESTEST/ASHRAE 140 (Building envelope), HVAC BESTEST (mechanical systems) and IEA ECBCS Annex 21 / SHC Task 12 empirical validation (performance of a test cell with a very simple mechanical system). It is shown that each validation suite has allowed to identify different types of problems. Those validation tools were also used to diagnose and fix some of the identified problems, and to assess the influence of code modifications. The paper also discusses some limitations of the selected validation tools

Contrasting the capabilities of building energy performance simulation programs

For the past 50 years, a wide variety of building energy simulation programs have been developed, enhanced and are in use throughout the building energy community. This paper is an overview of a report, which provides up-to-date comparison of the features and capabilities of twenty major building energy simulation programs. The comparison is based on information provided by the program developers in the following categories: general modeling features; zone loads; building envelope and daylighting and solar; infiltration, ventilation and multizone airflow; renewable energy systems; electrical systems and equipment; HVAC systems; HVAC equipment; environmental emissions; economic evaluation; climate data availability, results reporting; validation; and user interface, links to other programs, and availability