ASHRAE Journal - September 2014 - 4

COMMENTARY
1791 Tullie Circle NE
Atlanta, GA 30329-2305
Phone: 404-636-8400
Fax: 404-321-5478 | www.ashrae.org
PUBLISHER
W. Stephen Comstock
EDITORIAL
Editor
Fred Turner
fturner@ashrae.org
Managing Editor
Sarah Foster
sfoster@ashrae.org
Associate Editor
Rebecca Matyasovski
rmatyasovski@ashrae.org
Associate Editor
Christopher Weems
cweems@ashrae.org
Associate Editor
Jeri Alger
jalger@ashrae.org
Assistant Editor
Tani Palefski
tpalefski@ashrae.org
PUBLISHING SERVICES
Publishing Services Manager
David Soltis
Production
Jayne Jackson
Tracy Becker
ADVERTISING
Associate Publisher,
ASHRAE Media Advertising
Greg Martin
gmartin@ashrae.org
Advertising Production Coordinator
Vanessa Johnson
vjohnson@ashrae.org
CIRCULATION
Circulation Specialist
David Soltis
dsoltis@ashrae.org
ASHRAE OFFICERS
President
Thomas H. Phoenix, P.E.
President-Elect
T. David Underwood, P.Eng.
Treasurer
Timothy G. Wentz, P.E.
Vice Presidents
Darryl K. Boyce, P.Eng.
Charles E. Gulledge III
Bjarne W. Olesen, Ph.D.
James K. Vallort
Secretary & Executive Vice President
Jeff H. Littleton
POLICY GROUP
2014 - 15 Chair
Publications Committee
Michael R. Brambley, Ph.D.
Washington Office
washdc@ashrae.org

What the Data Shows
The 2007 - 08 renovation of the
ASHRAE headquarters added classroom
and meeting space, and turned the
building into a leading example of sustainable renovation.
It also created a "living lab." Three
different types of mechanical systems
serving different parts of the building
enable research on different technologies. More than 1,300 points are
monitored. The real-time and stored
data are available to ASHRAE members around the world through the
Internet.
"Our Living Laboratory provides
value to ASHRAE members and the
industry by allowing for evaluation of
the ongoing energy and operational
performance of the building at a level
that is unprecedented in current commercial buildings," said 2008 - 09
ASHRAE President Bill Harrison at the
dedication ceremonies. "The lab allows
ASHRAE to contribute significantly to
reducing energy use in buildings via
future development of research and
educational materials."
UP UNTIL NOW, little of this data has
been used. One reason is that it's not
easy. An article in this edition is a product of "many man months" of research
by respected ASHRAE members from
Oklahoma State University and Oak
Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The
research was funded by the Geothermal
Exchange Organization (GEO), a consortium of geothermal heat pump
stakeholders.
It looks at the relative performance
of variable refrigerant flow (VRF) and
geothermal systems that serve different

Fred Turner

floors of the two-story building, and the
contribution of the dedicated outdoor
air system (DOAS). The performance
is measured from two years of data
trended from the building automation
system.
The article includes data-based analysis of why the building is performing as
it is. Interesting elements include the
impact of a narrow deadband in the
VRF systems. This is illustrated with two
example days showing how the systems
cycle between heating and cooling in
different zones.
It also raises some questions. Why
does the DOAS use so much energy?
Why does the first floor have three
dedicated split systems?
In sum, we think you'll find this
article enlightening. Very few occupied
buildings have been exposed at this
level. And there's more to come as these
authors will be writing at least one
more article. This will address cooling
and heating loads, and help complete
the comparison.
WE HOPE you enjoy this edition,
and we hope the headquarters article
encourages other members and
researchers to take advantage of the
Living Lab. It is a unique opportunity
to learn about the long-term operation, maintenance and performance of
a high-performing building.
This was an important take-away
point of this article.
"The efforts described in this article,"
say the authors, "have barely touched
the surface of the vast opportunities that are available to researchers
through this resource."

ASHRAE Journal reviews current HVAC&R technology of broad interest through publication of applications-oriented articles. Content ranges from back-to-basics features to reviews of emerging technologies.
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ASHRAE Journal - September 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ASHRAE Journal - September 2014