Analysis of electricity consumption for lighting and small power in office buildings

There is significant evidence to suggest that buildings do not perform as well as expected, and this is commonly referred to as the "performance gap". Energy compliance calculations for Building Regulations in England and Wales do not include sources of energy consumption in buildings such as small power, catering, external lighting and vertical transportation (i.e. lifts and escalators). These so called "unregulated" loads are therefore rarely included in building energy models, and the lack of feedback regarding the in-use performance of buildings makes it harder for designers to quantify their impact on the overall energy consumption of a building. Aiming to address these issues, this paper provides an analysis of monitored electricity consumption in two multi-tenanted office buildings, with one tenant in common in both buildings. This paper focuses on tenant electricity consumption, including lighting and small power. Detailed analysis of the monitored data demonstrates significant variation between the electricity consumption of different tenants occupying the same building whilst performing similar activities. Elements such as lighting controls, hours of occupancy and management decisions are observed to have a significant impact on such variations. Further analysis of half-hourly energy consumption data is also provided, in addition to a detailed breakdown of small power energy consumption due to individual office equipment. Future work will build on this study and aim to develop evidence based benchmarks for energy consumption in office buildings. It will include a "tailoring" component allowing the benchmarks to be adjusted according to profiles of occupancy and management behaviour, as well as workstation density and the specification of energy consuming equipment. It is expected that such benchmarks will inform designers about the impact of each of these parameters on the measured energy consumption of buildings

Predicted vs. actual energy performance of non-domestic buildings: using post-occupancy evaluation data to reduce the performance gap

With the increasing demand for more energy efficient buildings, the construction industry is faced with the challenge to ensure that the energy performance predicted during the design stage is achieved once a building is in use. There is, however, significant evidence to suggest that buildings are not performing as well as expected and initiatives such as PROBE and CarbonBuzz aim to illustrate the extent of this so called ‘performance gap’. This paper discusses the underlying causes of discrepancies between energy modelling predictions and in-use performance of occupied buildings (after the twelve month liability period). Many of the causal factors relate to the use of unrealistic input parameters regarding occupancy behaviour and facilities management in building energy models. In turn, this is associated with the lack of feedback to designers once a building has been constructed and occupied. The paper aims to demonstrate how knowledge acquired from Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) can be used to produce more accurate energy performance models. A case study focused specifically on lighting, small power and catering equipment in a high density office building is analysed and presented. Results show that by combining monitoring data with predictive energy modelling, it was possible to increase the accuracy of the model to within 3% of actual electricity consumption values. Future work will seek to use detailed POE data to develop a set of evidence based benchmarks for energy consumption in office buildings. It is envisioned that these benchmarks will inform designers on the impact of occupancy and management on the actual energy consumption of buildings. Moreover, it should enable the use of more realistic input parameters in energy models, bringing the predicted figures closer to reality

Benchmarking small power energy consumption in UK office buildings: a review of data published in CIBSE guide F

CIBSE’s Guide F is a widely recognised guidance document on energy efficiency in buildings, which includes energy consumption benchmarks for small power equipment in offices. In its recently published 3rd edition, existing power demand benchmarks for office equipment were revised to better represent appliances found in contemporary office buildings. Other key sources of data such as typical operating hours for equipment, however, have been omitted. This paper compares the benchmarks published in both the 2nd and 3rd editions of Guide F against a set of measurements of small power loads in a real UK office building. Load profiles for the monitored equipment are also presented to supplement the information included in the new Guide F. Practical application: With the increasing demand for more realistic predictions of operational energy use in buildings, small power should not be disregarded since it typically accounts for more than 20% of total energy used in offices. Furthermore, small power loads can have a significant impact on the cooling loads of a building. This paper reviews existing benchmarks, focusing on the new update to CIBSE Guide F, comparing available benchmarks against newly gathered monitored data. Detailed load profiles for individual office equipment are also provided, which can be used by designers to inform better predictions of small power consumption in office buildings

Assessing the impact of occupant behaviour on electricity consumption for lighting and small power in office buildings

Lighting and small power will typically account for more than half of the total electricity consumption in an office building. Significant variations in electricity used by different tenants suggest that occupants can have a significant impact on the electricity demand for these end-uses. Yet current modelling techniques fail to represent the interaction between occupant and the building environment in a realistic manner. Understanding the impact of such behaviours is crucial to improve the methodology behind current energy modelling techniques, aiming to minimise the significant gap between predicted and in-use performance of buildings. A better understanding of the impact of occupant behaviour on electricity consumption can also inform appropriate energy saving strategies focused on behavioural change. This paper reports on a study aiming to assess the intent of occupants to switch off lighting and appliances when not in use in office buildings. Based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the assessment takes the form of a questionnaire and investigates three predictors to behaviour individually: 1) behavioural attitude; 2) subjective norms; 3) perceived behavioural control. The paper details the development of the assessment procedure and discusses preliminary findings from the study. The questionnaire results are compared against electricity consumption data for individual zones within a multi-tenanted office building. Initial results demonstrate a statistically significant correlation between perceived behavioural control and energy consumption for lighting and small power

Polyethylene terephthalate clamps : optimization in endodontic and restorative practices

There is a growing search for innovations in dental materials and instruments and, therefore, an increase need to optimize the instruments used in the absolute isolation. The gold standard procedure contributes significantly to the quality of restorativ

Review of benchmarks for small power consumption in office buildings

There is significant evidence to suggest that buildings consume more energy than initially predicted during the design phase of building procurement. With increasing efforts to reduce the energy consumption associated with the operation of buildings, it is vital that these predictions be improved to represent the operation of buildings more realistically. One approach to bridge this gap would be to include energy consumption due to small power equipment in the energy models. Typically ignored, these end-uses usually represent between 13% and 44% of the total electricity consumption in an office building, according to Energy Consumption Guide 19. Currently there is little data available related to the electricity consumption of small power equipment in the context of office buildings. Existing data published in CIBSE Guide F is over a decade old and the use of office equipment and its associated technologies has changed significantly over this period. This lack of up-to-date benchmarks makes it increasingly difficult for designers to include small power consumption accurately within in their energy models. Following a detailed review of existing benchmarks for small power in office buildings, this paper presents a set of monitored data for a range of equipment commonly found in contemporary office buildings. Key metrics include details of power consumption and hours-in-use for both ICT equipment and kitchen appliances. In addition, a comparison of different laptops of varying specifications is provided and their subsequent impact on productivity is also discussed

Causes of death among homeless people: a population-based cross-sectional study of linked hospitalisation and mortality data in England. [version 1; peer review: 2 approved]

Background: Homelessness has increased by 165% since 2010 in England, with evidence from many settings that those affected experience high levels of mortality. In this paper we examine the contribution of different causes of death to overall mortality in homeless people recently admitted to hospitals in England with specialist integrated homeless health and care (SIHHC) schemes.  Methods: We undertook an analysis of linked hospital admission records and mortality data for people attending any one of 17 SIHHC schemes between 1st November 2013 and 30th November 2016. Our primary outcome was death, which we analysed in subgroups of 10th version international classification of disease (ICD-10) specific deaths; and deaths from amenable causes. We compared our results to a sample of people living in areas of high social deprivation (IMD5 group). Results: We collected data on 3,882 individual homeless hospital admissions that were linked to 600 deaths. The median age of death was 51.6 years (interquartile range 42.7-60.2) for SIHHC and 71.5 for the IMD5 (60.67-79.0).  The top three underlying causes of death by ICD-10 chapter in the SIHHC group were external causes of death (21.7%; 130/600), cancer (19.0%; 114/600) and digestive disease (19.0%; 114/600).  The percentage of deaths due to an amenable cause after age and sex weighting was 30.2% in the homeless SIHHC group (181/600) compared to 23.0% in the IMD5 group (578/2,512). Conclusion: Nearly one in three homeless deaths were due to causes amenable to timely and effective health care. The high burden of amenable deaths highlights the extreme health harms of homelessness and the need for greater emphasis on prevention of homelessness and early healthcare interventions

Outcomes of specialist discharge coordination and intermediate care schemes for patients who are homeless: analysis protocol for a population-based historical cohort

Introduction People who are homeless often experience poor hospital discharge arrangements, reflecting ongoing care and housing needs. Specialist integrated homeless health and care provision (SIHHC) schemes have been developed and implemented to facilitate the safe and timely discharge of homeless patients from hospital. Our study aims to investigate the health outcomes of patients who were homeless and seen by a selection of SIHHC services. Methods and analysis Our study will employ a historical population-based cohort in England. We will examine health outcomes among three groups of adults: (1) homeless patients seen by specialist discharge schemes during their hospital admission; (2) homeless patients not seen by a specialist scheme and (3)admitted patients who live in deprived neighbourhoods and were not recorded as being homeless. Primary outcomes will be: time from discharge to next hospital inpatient admission; time from discharge to next accident and emergency attendance and 28-day emergency readmission. Outcome data will be generated through linkage to hospital admissions data (Hospital Episode Statistics) and mortality data for November 2013 to November 2016. Multivariable regression will be used to model the relationship between the study comparison groups and each of the outcomes. Ethics and dissemination Approval has been obtained from the National Health Service (NHS) Confidentiality Advisory Group (reference 16/CAG/0021) to undertake this work using unconsented identifiable data. Health Research Authority Research Ethics approval (REC 16/EE/0018) has been obtained in addition to local research and development approvals for data collection at NHS sites. We will feedback the results of our study to our advisory group of people who have lived experience of homelessness and seek their suggestions on ways to improve or take this work further for their benefit. We will disseminate our findings to SIHHC schemes through a series of regional workshops

Alfabetização científica usando o tema dos quelônios amazônicos

Resumo: O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar de que forma o conhecimento adquirido sobre os quelônios amazônicos contribuiu para o processo de Alfabetização Cientifica em estudantes do 7° ano do Ensino Fundamental II. A pesquisa do tipo qualitativa foi realizada no Bosque da Ciência do Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia. Foram aplicados questionários em quatro turmas de escolas públicas e privadas de Manaus. Os estudantes incorporaram conceitos científicos sobre a diversidade de espécies, diferenças morfológicas e dimorfismo sexual. Partindo do pressuposto de que só ocorre mudança diante do conhecimento, destacamos a influência do trabalho realizado não só na formação de estudantes cientificamente alfabetizados, mas também na preparação de cidadãos preocupados com o meio ambiente.Palavras-chave: Alfabetização Científica; Educação Não Formal; Quelônios amazônicos. Scientific literacy using amazonian turtles themeAbstract: The objective of this work was to analyze the how acquired understandings about Amazonian turtles contribute to the process of Scientific Literacy in 7th grade students attending Elementary school. This a qualitative research conducted at the Science Forest at National Institute of Amazonian Research. For data gathering we applied questionnaires in four different classes of both private and public schools, in Manaus. The students acquired scientific concepts about species diversity, morphological differences, and sexual dimorphism. From the presumption that changes only occur from obtaining knowledge, we emphasize the influence of this study made not only in the formation of science literate students, but also in the preparation of citizens concerned with the environment.Keywords: Scientific Literacy; Non-Formal Education; Amazonian turtles.