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Home > Design Guidance > Design Objectives > Sustainable > Optimize Energy Use

Optimize Energy Use

by the WBDG Sustainable Committee

Last updated: 08-18-2009

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Overview

On an annual basis, buildings in the United States consume 39% of America's energy and 68% of its electricity. Furthermore, buildings emit 38% of the carbon dioxide (the primary greenhouse gas associated with climate change), 49% of the sulfur dioxide, and 25% of the nitrogen oxides found in the air. Currently, the vast majority of this energy is produced from nonrenewable, fossil fuel resources. With America's supply of fossil fuel dwindling, concerns for energy supply security increasing (both for general supply and specific needs of facilities), and the impact of greenhouse gases on world climate rising, it is essential to find ways to reduce load, increase efficiency, and utilize renewable fuel resources in facilities of all types.

During the facility design and development process, building projects must have a comprehensive, integrated perspective that seeks to:

  • Reduce heating, cooling, and lighting loads through climate-responsive design and conservation practices;
  • Employ renewable energy sources such as daylighting, passive solar heating, photovoltaics, geothermal, and groundwater cooling;
  • Specify efficient HVAC and lighting systems that consider part-load conditions and utility interface requirements;
  • Optimize building performance by employing energy modeling programs and optimize system control strategies by using occupancy sensors CO2 sensors and other air quality alarms; and
  • Monitor project performance through a policy of commissioning, metering, annual reporting, and periodic recommissioning.

Apply this process to the reuse or renovation of existing buildings as well.

Rooftop of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Training Center in Petaluma, California with a multiple arrays of photovoltaic solar modulesExterior of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Training Center in Petaluma, California

2004 ASLA Award Recipients (Photos: Nancy Rottle)

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Recommendations

Reduce Heating, Cooling, and Lighting Loads through Climate-Responsive Design and Conservation Practices

  • Use passive solar design; orient, size, and specify windows; and locate landscape elements with solar geometry and building load requirements in mind.
  • Use high-performance building envelopes; select walls, roofs, and other assemblies based on long-term, insulation, and durability requirements.

Employ Renewable or High-Efficiency Energy Sources

  • Renewable energy sources include solar water heating, photovoltaic (PV), wind, biomass, and geothermal. Use of renewable energy can increase energy security and reduce dependence on imported fuels, while reducing or eliminating greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy use. Consider solar thermal for domestic hot water and heating purposes.
  • Evaluate the use of building scale to take advantage of on-site renewable energy technologies such as daylighting, solar water heating, and geothermal heat pumps.
  • Consider the use of larger scale, on-site renewable energy technologies such as photovoltaics, solar thermal, and wind turbines.
  • Evaluate purchasing electricity generated from renewable sources or low polluting sources such as natural gas.

Specify Efficient HVAC and Lighting Systems

Optimize Building Performance and System Control Strategies

  • Employ energy modeling programs early in the design process.
  • Use sensors to control loads based on occupancy, schedule and/or the availability of natural resources such as daylight or natural ventilation.
  • Evaluate the use of modular components such as boilers or chillers to optimize part-load efficiency and maintenance requirements.
  • Evaluate the use of Smart Controls that merge building automation systems with information technology (IT) infrastructures.
  • " Employ an interactive energy management tool that allows you to track and assess energy and water consumption like the Energy Star® Portfolio Manager.

Monitor Project Performance

Sustainability and Energy Security

Energy independence and security are important components of national security and energy strategies. Today, power is mostly generated by massive centralized plants, and electricity moves along transmission lines. "Getting off of foreign oil" means minimizing energy consumption through energy conservation and efficiency, and generating energy from local, renewable sources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, etc. (see WBDG Distributed Energy Resources, Fuel Cell Technology, Microturbines, Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), Daylighting, Passive Solar Heating) Additionally, using distributed energy systems adds to building resiliency as the threats of natural disaster damage become more frequent.

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Emerging Issues

Photo of roof mounted PV on carport, North Island Naval Base, San Diego, CA

Roof-mounted PV on carport, North Island Naval Base, San Diego, CA

Passive survivability, which is described as the ability of a facility to provide shelter and basic occupant needs during and after disaster events without electric power is becoming a design strategy to consider, particularly in areas of the country where storms and floods have been reoccurring annually or more often. Incorporate facility survivability concepts in the design of critical facilities, including on-site renewable energy sources that will be available to power the building soon after a major storm passes. Checklist for Passive Survivability

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Relevant Codes and Standards

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Major Resources

WBDG

Building / Space Types

Applicable to most building types and space types, especially high energy users such as Health Care Facilities, Hospital, Research Facilities, Automated Data Processing: Mainframe, Automated Data Processing: PC System, Laboratory: Dry, Laboratory: Wet

Design Objectives

Aesthetics—Engage the Integrated Design Process, Cost-Effective, Functional / Operational, Historic Preservation—Update Building Systems Appropriately, Productive, Secure / Safe, Sustainable—Optimize Site Potential, , Sustainable—Protect and Conserve Water, Sustainable—Use Environmentally Preferable Products, Sustainable—Enhance Indoor Environmental Quality, Sustainable—Optimize Operational and Maintenance Practices

Products and Systems

Section 23 28 13: Commercial—Kitchen Hoods, Section 23 31 00: HVAC Ducts and Casings, Section 23 05 93: Testing, Adjusting, and Balancing for HVAC, Building Envelope Design Guide—Sustainability of the Building Envelope
Federal Green Construction Guide for Specifiers:

Project Management

Project Planning and Development, Building Commissioning

Tools

LEED® Version 2.1 Credit / WBDG Resource Page Matrix, LEED®-DoD Antiterrorism Standards Tool. See also Tools: Energy Analysis.

Minimize Energy Consumption

Employ Renewable or High-Efficiency Energy Sources

Specify Efficient HVAC and Lighting Systems

Optimize Building Performance and System Control Strategies

Others

  • FedCenter.gov—FedCenter, the Federal Facilities Environmental Stewardship and Compliance Assistance Center, is a collaborative effort between the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive (OFEE), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, and the U.S. EPA Federal Facilities Enforcement Office. FedCenter replaces the previous FedSite as a one-stop source of environmental stewardship and compliance assistance information focused solely on the needs of federal government facilities.
  • Executive Order 13423 Technical Guidance
  • GSA LEED® Applications Guide
  • GSA LEED® Cost Study
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