Consulting-Specifying Engineer - December 2008 - (Page 44)

100 80 60 40 20 Conventional system ■ Atlanta 100% ■ Minneapolis 100% ■ Los Angeles 100% ■ Denver 100% ■ Philadelphia 100% ■ Portland 100% ers to document the building’s predictive to actual performance and carbon footprint. In today’s challenging energy economy, building owners need proven systems that will deliver the performance necessary to meet their increasingly integrated environmental sustainability and business goals. Conclusion Building owners and designers faced with increased concerns for energy conservation and environmental stewardship and are searching for cost effective system options for their projects. LLH systems can deliver both low first cost and reduced energy costs in new construction and retrofit chilled water applications. These systems not only meet the efficiency and sustainability recommendations of the EPA, but when designed using advanced selection tools, installed with an integrated control system, and supported by trained operators, allow building owners to compare predicted energy use to actual performance and carbon footprint. In today’s challenging energy economy, building owners need proven systems that will deliver the performance necessary to meet their increasingly integrated environmental sustainability and business goals. More information on LLH systems is available in the ASHRAE Green Guide3. Smithart, director of systems and solutions at Trane, has more than 30 years of industry experience–29 years with Trane and four years with Danfoss Turbocor. He is a recipient of the U.S. EPA Climate Protection award, one of only five people in the world to have received this prestigious award at the time. References 1. U.S. EPA. Building Owners: Save Money, Save the Earth, EPA-430-F-02-026, December 2002. Download at no cost at www.epa.gov/Ozone/ title6/608/chiller1_07.pdf. 2. Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute. ARI Standard 550/590–2003, Performance Rating of Water Chilling Packages Using the Vapor Compression Cycle, 2003. Download at no cost at www.ari.org. 3. ASHRAE. ASHRAE GreenGuide: The Design, Construction, and Operation of Sustainable Buildings, 2nd ed., 2006, ISBN/ISSN: 1-93374207-0. Order at cost from www.ashrae.org. 0 LLH system 83% 93% 70% 83% 89% 80% Figure 2 By comparison, the right side of the graph shows energy consumption and the energy savings achieved by using LLH systems concepts. Source: Trane 3. Chiller/tower optimization is achievable with BAS control strategies, which can calculate on a real-time basis the optimum balance point between the chiller, the tower, and the condenser water pumps. These programs can be used on new construction and are a reasonably priced upgrade on retrofitted installations, with cost-effective results. 4. Auto-commissioning/auto-calibration can be done using BAS software to provide information from each zone, including the zone set-point and actual temperature, VAV box performance, and delivered CFM. Discrepancies can be identified with an alarm. This allows a more proactive response as opposed to creating a catastrophic failure. 5. Virtual graphics help ensure building systems are easy to understand and operate. Realistic graphics speed problem diagnosis and solutions, by identifying the mechanical systems in a “picture-type format.” System selection tools Lifecycle cost analysis tools help system designers and building owners model operating cost savings by calculating the optimum supply air temperature and the right leaving water temperature. When combined with a program similar to E-Grid, today’s advanced system design tools also can evaluate a project from both lifecycle cost and “carbon footprint” perspectives providing detailed information on levels of utility-generated CO2, SO2, and NOx. Building models also give owners a baseline for performance comparison, which is crucial to identifying minor problems before they become major failures. Figure 2 shows an example of the effectiveness of these tools in determining energy savings. Using a lifecycle cost program, the base “conventional VAV” system was modeled in six different sites with the energy consumption set at 100% for each city. Designers should use lifecycle cost analysis tools to optimize the right water and air-side temperatures and flows. It is important they understand how to design an HVAC system that is efficient at both full- and part-load. Building owners and designers are increasingly concerned with energy conservation and environmental stewardship, and are searching for cost-effective system options from the design community. LLH systems can deliver both low first cost and energy costs in new construction and retrofit chilled water applications. These systems meet the efficiency and sustainability recommendations of the EPA; when designed using advanced selection tools, installed with an integrated control system, and supported by trained operators, they allow building own- 44 Consulting-Specifying Engineer • DECEMBER 2008 http://www.epa.gov/Ozone/title6/608/chiller1_07.pdf http://www.epa.gov/Ozone/title6/608/chiller1_07.pdf http://www.ari.org http://www.ashrae.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Consulting-Specifying Engineer - December 2008

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - December 2008 Contents Viewpoint News M/E Roundtable ARC Awards New Construction Gold New Construction Silver New Construction Bronze Renovation Gold Renovation Silver A Green Approach to Air Conditioning Systems Turning Down the Lights Case Study New Products Equipment Lifecycles Advertiser Index Green Space Gas Technology Pure Power Supplement

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - December 2008

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