[Bldg-sim] LEED - What does it take?

Nick Caton ncaton at smithboucher.com
Wed Jan 16 14:37:38 PST 2013


To answer the SEER question, 1.1*13 = 14.3, all things being equal.  (If you're talking heatpumps, consider your HSPF's as well for the heating season.)

Again, this is all a simplified guideline for early decisionmaking, but the situation you're describing with all trades "pointing fingers" is exactly the paradigm I'm advising to kick out the door early to ensure success as a team.  It's much harder to do later in the game!  

Building performance is a team effort, and a team can only do as well as the weakest link.  If and when someone I'm working alongside is stubbornly designing "in a bubble" to the detriment of the project, I consider it as the energy modeler's imperitive to demonstrate this to the rest of the team if necessary.

As an example: More than once I've been able to give lighting designers a big "ah-ha!" moment by showing how major even a small LPD reduction can be when mechanical and envelope designers are pulling their weight.  It can also be humbling when you consider the costs implications of a 10% reduction in installed lighting wattage against the equivalent effects of getting all the premium bells and whistles for the chiller plant.

~Nick

NICK CATON, P.E.
SENIOR ENGINEER

Smith & Boucher Engineers
25501 west valley parkway, suite 200
olathe, ks 66061
direct 913.344.0036
fax 913.345.0617
www.smithboucher.com 


-----Original Message-----
From: David Eldridge [mailto:DEldridge at grummanbutkus.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2013 4:20 PM
To: RobertWichert
Cc: Nick Caton; bldg-sim at lists.onebuilding.org
Subject: Re: [Bldg-sim] LEED - What does it take?

Also the SEER only helps you while the A/C is on...meanwhile the lights are chugging along at "budgeted" rates every day eating away your 10% reduction in cooling end-use.

DSE Mobile

On Jan 16, 2013, at 4:12 PM, "RobertWichert" <robert at wichert.org> wrote:

> My current project has very good windows, "standard" walls, you're right about the lighting, it's right on budget (but residential doesn't really have a budget, so the small common areas are right on budget), better than standard roof.
> 
> I absolutely agree with you, Nick, on achieving 10% better, but all the trades point to the others.  It's kind of comical, actually.
> 
> I guess my question on this list could be rephrased, using your approach, as "What SEER is 10% better than SEER 13?"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Robert Wichert P.Eng. LEED AP BD&C
> +1 916 966 9060
> FAX +1 916 966 9068
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ===============================================
> 
> On 1/16/2013 12:34 PM, Nick Caton wrote:
>> A very simple way of looking at LEED & energy, which I come back to often for discussions on that level, is to consider a building's performance like a tripod with three important legs:  Lights, Mechanical, and Envelope.  If any of those legs is too short, the tripod falls over.
>> 
>> Building on that analogy, to do 10% better than a LEED baseline, a good starting place is to have at least:
>> -  10% better lighting (10% lower LPD),
>> -  10% better HVAC & hot water heating (10% better efficiencies), and
>> -  10% better envelope (10% more insulation in walls/roof, 10% better windows).
>> For each of these, you can source the baseline/prescriptive levels from the standard of your choosing.
>> 
>> Overperforming in one area can sometimes make up for underperfomance in another, but with diminishing returns.  Amazing HVAC equipment/design has a harder time shining when you have a poor envelope and/or the lighting designer treats LPD's as a "budget" they have to use up.  For such reasons, it's advisable to always consider building performance in holistic fashion in early/broader discussions.
>> 
>> That's my (simple) take anyway!
>> 
>> ~Nick
>> 
>> NICK CATON, P.E.
>> SENIOR ENGINEER
>> 
>> Smith & Boucher Engineers
>> 25501 west valley parkway, suite 200
>> olathe, ks 66061
>> direct 913.344.0036
>> fax 913.345.0617
>> www.smithboucher.com
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: bldg-sim-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org [mailto:bldg-sim-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org] On Behalf Of RobertWichert
>> Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2013 9:24 AM
>> To: EnergyPro at yahoogroups.com; bldg-sim at lists.onebuilding.org
>> Subject: [Bldg-sim] LEED - What does it take?
>> 
>> I know that LEED is way more than just energy, and energy is way more than just equipment, but just for a basis, what SEER and EER do people have to use to get 10% better than ASHRAE 90.1 to qualify for LEED?  I also know that you don't have to use ASHRAE 90.1, but that is what I am doing.
>> 
>> So, what does it take?
>> 
>> My shot - Residential Apartment, individual DX units, 17 SEER and 13 EER in California CZ 12 (Mostly cooling).
>> 
>>   Next?
>> 
>> 
>> --
>> Robert Wichert P.Eng. LEED AP BD&C
>> +1 916 966 9060
>> FAX +1 916 966 9068
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> ===============================================
>> 
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