Ashrae Journal - November 2008 - 5

C O M M E N TA RY Each year we publish BACnet ® Today to emphasize the growth and capabilities of the 13-year-old ASHRAE standard that enables technologies from different manufacturers to work together. BACnet is now a household word in HVAC and an integral part of thousands of buildings. One anecdotal measure is that “BACnet” is the second highest search word on ASHRAE’s home page. What might be less known is how BACnet is evo lving to help cr eate and maintain energy-ef.cient and sustainable buildings. This edition is filled with examples. One is Do ckside Gr een, a $1.2 billio n, 24-building neighborhood development that aspires to become a net -zero en ergy use Fred Turner planned community. Included in residential suites are visual display me ters monit ored by BACne t Advance A pplication C ontrollers that sh ow c old water, hot water, heat and electrical consumption, and carbon footprints. This allows performance data to be quickly gathered, calculated and c ommunicated to the o ccupant so they readily vie w the impa ct of thei r be havior. In cidentally, the carbon footprint is calculated by multiplying energy consumption by a CO2 emission factor that corresponds to the energy source. Another article describes how BACnet is being used to connect systems in nearly 5 million ft 2 (465 000 m 2) in 42 buildings on the Xerox Campus in Webster, N.Y. By integrating the different equipment into one BACnetbased system and centralizing building operations, Xerox gained control over its campus. The programming now in place—demand control ventilation, occupied/unoccupied, load shedding and optimum start—has enabled Xerox to save significant energy by supplying heating and cooling BACnet® and Green only when occupied areas require it, and to cycle down operations when areas are unoccupied. Other a rticles cove r the h igh pe rformance book less digital library on the L oyola U niversity ca mpus, a h igh performance 800,000 ft 2 (74 000 m 2) complex in Canada; and the University of Minnesota, which is using BACnet to centralize campus co ntrol, upgr ade equipment and add innovative integrations. DO “G REEN” buildings r eally sa ve ener gy? Can y ou be “green” and not save energy? The first question is addressed in this month’s column by Joe Lstiburek, Ph.D., P .Eng., Fellow ASHRAE. He says much of the current green craze can be summed up as “architects and engineers behaving badly.” His main point is that designers too often chase “green points” and ignore important issues. The good news, he says, is that most of the “nonsense can be easily remedied.” The bad news, he says, is that “the failures are beginning to bubble to the surface, and we are in danger of ruining the ‘green brand.’” THE COLUMN also answers the second question. “Don’t tal k to me a bout biologica l dive rsity, re cycled materials, natural ventilation, carbon offsets and saving the planet until you’ve save some energy,” says Lstiburek. “Those are all good things, but they mean nothing to me because you still have a poor building.” If there’s one article in this edition you should read, this is it. You might not agree with everything, and that’s okay. Letters are always welcome. This is a conversation that needs to be held, and I’m glad Joe has started the dialogue. A SHRAE ® Journal | 1791 Tullie Circle NE | Atlanta, GA 30329-2305 | Phone: 404-636-8400 | Fax: 404-321-5478 | A SHRAE Online: www.ashrae.org Publisher W. Stephen Comstock Editor Fred Turner | fturner@ashrae.org Managing Editor Sarah Foster | sfoster@ashrae.org Associate Editors Rebecca Matyasovski | rmatyasovski@ashrae.org Christopher Weems | cweems@ashrae.org Copy Editor Jeri Eader | jeader@ashrae.org Publishing Services Manager David Soltis Production Jayne Jackson Tracy Becker Advertising Sales Manager Greg Martin | gmartin@ashrae.org Advertising Production Coordinator Vanessa Johnson | vjohnson@ashrae.org Circulation Specialist David Soltis | dsoltis@ashrae.org ASHRAE OFFICERS President William A. Harrison President-Elect Gordon V.R. Holness, P .E. Treasurer Lynn G. Bellenger, P .E. Vice Presidents Jim Fields Andrew Persily, Ph.D. Vincent Tse Thomas Watson, P .E. Secretary & Executive Vice President Jeff H. Littleton POLICY GROUP 2007 – 08 Chair Publications Committee Mark W. Fly, P .E. Washington Office washdc@ashrae.org Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation

Ashrae Journal - November 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Ashrae Journal - November 2008