High Performing Buildings - Fall 2010 - (Page 65)

NABERS ratings are improved by the purchase of Greenpower. However, a NABERS certification includes a rating with and without the effect of Greenpower, ensuring that energy efficiency remains the most important strategy for emissions reduction and higher NABERS ratings. Measuring area NABERS Energy relies on the most common area measurement in the market, which is the net lettable area (NLA). To avoid granting high performance ratings for partially occupied buildings, a measure of occupancy is made. This relates to the proportion of building total NLA that is occupied with documented leases in place. The NABERS rating encourages effective turndown of the partially occupied building so that energy is only used to condition and serve occupied areas. Normalize for Hours of Operation Two buildings that are identical in all but operating hours will show different energy intensity benchmarks. Normalizing for hours of operation allows for fair comparison. Weekly operating hours are defined as the sum of daily hours that are stipulated in the lease conditions as “normal” operating hours. Allowance can be made for recorded after-hours airconditioning calls from tenants. climate Zone and Weather factor Australia is a large country spanning a wide range of climate zones. NABERS applies a climate factor for each building based on its postcode. Conversely, the system does not normalize for weather. The effect of weather extremes on a whole year of energy consumption shows that the energy variation is actually small. Often, hot days will be offset by milder shoulder season days. All buildings within the weather zone experience the same weather events, which further reduces the relative impact on ratings. fa l l 2 0 1 0 HigH open atria, extensive use of natural light and open floor plans are some of 818 Bourke St.’s key design features. The building, located in Melbourne, Victoria, has a five star NABERS Energy rating and is owned by the GPT Group. creating the star scale instead of using modeling or other theoretical methods to determine rating bands, information was gathered from various sources to understand the breadth of performance of existing buildings. Statistical techniques Performing Buildings 65

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of High Performing Buildings - Fall 2010

High Performing Buildings - Fall 2010
Table of Contents
IDeAs Z2 Design Facility
Lighting Design Alliance
Manassas Park Elementary School and Prekindergarten
FC Gulf Freeway Office Building
Capturing Condensate
National Australian Built Environment Rating System
Tyson Living Learning Center

High Performing Buildings - Fall 2010