Symbolic energy estimation model with optimum start algorithm implementation

The drive to reduce carbon emissions and energy utilisation, directly associated with dwellings and to achieve a zero carbon home, suggests that the assessment of energy ratings will have an increasingly prioritised role in the built environment. Created by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) is the UK Government’s recommended method of assessing the energy ratings of dwellings. This paper describes a new, simplified dynamic method (hence known as IDEAS – Inverse Dynamics based Energy Analysis and Simulation) of assessing the controllability of a building and its servicing systems. The IDEAS method produces results that are comparable to SAP. An Optimum Start algorithm is explored in this paper to allow heating systems of different responsiveness and size to be integrated into the IDEAS framework. Results suggest that this design approach could enhance the SAP Methodology by the addition of advanced systems controllability and dynamic values

Why advanced buildings don't work?

The intent of policy is to achieve robust comfortable low energy buildings. However there are obvious policy disconnects and, where there is evidence, it appears that in general advanced buildings do not achieve their intended performance. There are many industry and policy initiatives aimed at improving industry processes such as: Soft Landings, BREEAM, LEED, Green Star, AGBR and BIM. In this paper the performance of buildings likely to be promoted by current policy is investigated and a number of significant and recurring problems identified. The possibility that these problems will be resolved by current initiatives is discussed and it is concluded that important gaps remain to be addressed

A simplified dynamic systems approach for the energy rating of dwellings

The drive to reduce carbon emissions and energy utilisation, directly associated with dwellings and to achieve a zero carbon home, suggests that the assessment of energy ratings will have an increasingly prioritised role in the built environment. Created by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) is the UK Government’s recommended method of assessing the energy ratings of dwellings. This paper describes a new, simplified dynamic method (hence known as IDEAS – Inverse Dynamics based Energy Analysis and Simulation) of assessing the controllability of a building and its servicing systems. The IDEAS method produces SAP Comparable results. Results suggest this design approach could enhance the SAP Methodology by the addition of advanced systems controllability and dynamic values

Enhancement of the UK Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) solar water heating prediction algorithm using parametric dynamical thermal simulations

SAP is the UK Government’s method for calculation of a dwelling’s energy efficiency and carbon dioxide emissions. This paper presents a method of informing the SAP procedure regarding evaluation of the advantage given to SAP ratings by installation of typical domestic Solar Domestic Hot Water (SDHW) systems. Comparable SDHW systems were simulated using the dynamic thermal simulation package TRNSYS and results were translated into empirical relations in a form that could be input into the SAP calculation procedure. Findings were compared against the current SAP algorithm and differences explained. Results suggest that calculation variances can exist between the SAP methodology and detailed dynamic thermal simulation methods. This is especially true for higher performance systems that can deviate greatly from default efficiency parameters. This might be due to SAP algorithms being historically based on older systems that have lower efficiencies. An enhancement to the existing SAP algorithm is suggested

A comparison of the UK Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) and detailed simulation of building-integrated renewable energy systems

The drive to reduce UK Carbon Emissions directly associated with dwellings and to achieve a zero carbon home dictates that Renewable Energy Technologies will have an increasingly large role in the built environment. Created by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) is the UK Government’s recommended method of assessing the energy ratings of dwellings. This paper presents an evaluation of the advantage given to SAP ratings by the domestic installation of typical Photovoltaic (PV) and Solar Domestic Hot Water (SDHW) systems in the UK. Comparable PV and SDHW systems will also be simulated with more detailed modelling packages. Results suggest that calculation variances can exist between the SAP methodology and detailed simulation methods, especially for higher performance systems that deviate from the default efficiency parameters

Simplified modelling of air source heat pumps producing detailed results

Created by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) is the UK Government‟s recommended method of assessing the energy ratings of dwellings. Modelling future complex dwellings, and their servicing systems, will require a more advanced calculation which is as simple as SAP to use but can produce more detailed results. This paper extends a novel advanced dynamic calculation method (IDEAS – Inverse Dynamics based Energy Analysis and Simulation) of assessing the controllability of a building and its servicing systems. IDEAS produces SAP compliant results and allows confident (i.e. calibrated in SAP) predictions to be made regarding the impact of novel heating and renewable energy systems. This paper describes the addition of an Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) model to IDEAS. This allows for detailed analysis to be made of ASHPs in a SAP compliant framework. The benefits of using the IDEAS method is highlighted with capabilities outwith the scope of SAP also possible. For example, IDEAS can be used as sizing tool for a heating system in a building

Performance of a quality assurance program for assessing dental health in methamphetamine users.

BackgroundSystematic characterization of the dental consequences of methamphetamine (MA) abuse presupposes a rigorous quality assurance (QA) program to ensure the credibility of the data collected and the scientific integrity and validity of the clinical study. In this report we describe and evaluate the performance of a quality assurance program implemented in a large cross-sectional study of the dental consequences of MA use.MethodsA large community sample of MA users was recruited over a 30 month period during 2011-13 and received comprehensive oral examinations and psychosocial assessments by site examiners based at two large community health centers in Los Angeles. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) protocols for oral health assessments were utilized to characterize dental disease. Using NHANES oral health quality assurance guidelines, examiner reliability statistics such as Cohen's Kappa coefficients and inter-class correlation coefficients were calculated to assess the magnitude of agreement between the site examiners and a reference examiner to ensure conformance and comparability with NHANES practices.ResultsApproximately 9% (n = 49) of the enrolled 574 MA users received a repeat dental caries and periodontal examination conducted by the reference examiner. There was high concordance between the reference examiner and the site examiners for identification of untreated dental disease (Kappa statistic values: 0.57-0.75, percent agreement 83-88%). For identification of untreated caries on at least 5 surfaces of anterior teeth, the Kappas ranged from 0.77 to 0.87, and percent agreement from 94 to 97%. The intra-class coefficients (ICCs) ranged from 0.87 to 89 for attachment loss across all periodontal sites assessed and the ICCs ranged from 0.79 to 0.81 for pocket depth. For overall gingival recession, the ICCs ranged from 0.88 to 0.91. When Kappa was calculated based on the CDC/AAP case definitions for severe periodontitis, inter-examiner reliability for site examiners was low (Kappa 0.27-0.67).ConclusionOverall, the quality assurance program confirmed the procedural adherence of the quality of the data collected on the distribution of dental caries and periodontal disease in MA-users. Examiner concordance was higher for dental caries but lower for specific periodontal assessments

Inverse Dynamics based Energy Assessment and Simulation : IDEAS

The Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) is the UK Government’s approved methodology for assessing the energy ratings of dwellings. SAP is a calculation method based upon empirical relations from measured data. A yearly calculation was used in SAP until the release of SAP 2009, which employs monthly calculations. SAP has moved from using a large time step with a coarse time resolution to a smaller time step with a medium time resolution. Rising CO2 emissions from dwellings advocate that properties designed in a sustainable method will become commonplace in the future. In tandem with enhanced sustainability, dwellings will increasingly be designed with implementations of renewable energy generation. The modelling of renewables in SAP has been highlighted as an area where SAP could benefit from additional research. Modelling future complex dwellings and systems will require an advanced calculation method which is capable of more detailed modelling and simulation; with a smaller time step which is measured in minutes and not months, producing results allowing more detailed analysis of energy performance. Dynamic Simulation Methods (DSMs) already exist which can operate at a very small time step. However with DSMs it is very difficult to make a comparison with SAP as the temperatures used in SAP are not well understood. To calculate energy consumption the SAP methodology guarantees that a standard occupancy temperature profile is met perfectly. A dynamic method which also guarantees the SAP standard occupancy temperature profile is required. This is difficult in complex DSMs as their control algorithms are often inadequate to optimise the heating system to guarantee that a temperature is met perfectly. The contribution to knowledge detailed in this thesis is the development of a novel SAP compliant advanced dynamic calculation method (IDEAS) which guarantees that the SAP standard occupancy temperature profile is perfectly tracked and is also calibrated with SAP. The Inverse Dynamics based Energy Assessment and Simulation (IDEAS) method employs the perfect inverse control law RIDE to guarantee that the SAP standard occupancy temperature profile is met. IDEAS produces SAP compliant results and allows confident (i.e. calibrated in SAP) predictions to be made regarding the impact of novel heating and renewable energy systems. Researched in depth are the temperatures used in SAP, leading to analysis of the implications of tracking air temperature and various comfort temperatures. A focused evaluation of the treatment of renewables in SAP and DSMs is also presented, leading to suggestions which were implemented into the SAP framework. The role of real life monitoring in the energy assessment process is highlighted with monitored studies conducted. Also in this thesis case studies applying IDEAS to buildings with renewable heating systems are described. The IDEAS method employs SAP as an exemplar steady state calculation to highlight the successful use and calibration of a new advanced Inverse Dynamics based symbolic method. The philosophy, research and equations derived in IDEAS are presented in this thesis demonstrating their use in Microsoft Excel and Matlab / Simulink environments. The IDEAS methodology is transparent and portable. IDEAS can be applied to other methodologies, such as those employed by PHPP and SBEM (by carrying out a calibration process), and also to different simulation environments such as ESP-r and ESL (by adopting the IDEAS equations in those methods). The contribution to knowledge of IDEAS is demonstrated in this thesis by the development of the method and the use of SAP as a comparator. The IDEAS method has many uses outwith SAP which are highlighted in the cases studies and future work sections of this body of work

A comparison of Australian and European Union research performance profiles

"Governments worldwide face the challenge of how best to prioritise their international science and innovation (S&I) cooperation activities. This involves balancing the intrinsic benefits that may arise from international S&I cooperation with extrinsic considerations – diplomacy, trade, national security etc. The interplay of these intrinsic and extrinsic considerations means that complex and often ambiguous tradeoffs need to be addressed by policymakers. In some cases international S&I cooperation priorities will reflect extrinsic diplomatic and geopolitical goals. In other cases the objectives will relate more closely to balancing the costs, risks and benefits of particular bilateral and multilateral S&I cooperation opportunities. Given the limited financial resources available to support international S&I cooperation it is useful for policymakers to have access to appropriate decision-support tools and information. This should help to avoid wasteful resource allocations caused by a lack of access to relevant information.This paper seeks to contribute to the evolving policy framework in this area by considering ways of characterising and mapping international imbalances in research performance." - page 2Australian National Universit