[Bldg-sim] LEED, Process energy and pools

[Rosenberg, Michael I]

James,

I don't think I agree with you that all swimming pool related energy is a process load according to 90.1. The definition in 90.1 is as follows:

process energy: energy consumed in support of a manufacturing, industrial, or commercial process other than conditioning spaces and maintaining comfort and amenities for the occupants of a building.

Clearly controlling space and pool water temperature in a natatorium maintains comfort for the occupants of a building. Additionally, 90.1 specifically includes many swimming pool related requirements including;


*         Section 7.4.5.1 - pool heaters

*         Section 7.4.5.2 - pool covers

*         Section 7.4.5.3 - time switches

*         Table 7.8 - pool heater efficiency requirements

*         Section 6.5.6.1 - Exhaust Air Energy Recovery (does not specifically mention swimming pools, but should apply).
Mike


__________________________
Michael Rosenberg
Senior Commercial Buildings Energy Analyst
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT DIRECTORATE
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
2032 Todd Street
Eugene, OR 97405
(541) 844-1960
michael.rosenberg at pnl.gov
www.pnl.gov
From: bldg-sim-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org [mailto:bldg-sim-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org] On Behalf Of James V Dirkes II, PE
Sent: Friday, June 25, 2010 11:16 AM
To: bldg-sim at lists.onebuilding.org
Subject: [Bldg-sim] LEED, Process energy and pools

Dear Bldg-Sim community,

I've just completed a lovely, accurate, comprehensive building energy model (in Energy Plus) which contains an indoor swimming pool.  The building is about 100,000 square feet and the pool area is about 10% of that total.

At the end of the year, the heating, cooling, fans and pumps associated with the pool have consumed 70% of the total building energy!  I was rather surprised.  I expected it to be a large percentage, but not THAT large!  This, by the way, is the result when using a specialty pool HVAC unit which recovers and re-uses most of the DX cooling energy and thus greatly reduces the pool energy total.

As far as I can tell, ALL of the pool-related energy is considered by ASHRAE 90.1 and LEED to be "process" energy.  Since "process" energy must be identical in both the baseline and proposed models, the rest of the building must accomplish the entire savings ... which is pretty darn difficult (impossible, really) if "process" is too large a percentage.

Have any of you successfully modeled a building with a pool and also received LEED certification?  If so, can you suggest what I might be missing?

Thanks in advance.

[cid:image001.jpg at 01CB1466.1DCBDB30]

Quid est hoc ad aeternitatem?

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