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Pitch

‘Optimization of building fenestration systems in rapidly urbanizing cities after analyzing solar heat gain and day lighting elements with consideration to adaptive shading and material cost implications’


Description

Summary

Currently 659 million Sqm of commercial space has been constructed in India and it is projected that by 2030, 1900 million Sqm of commercial space will be built in India assuming a 5-6% annual growth. It has been estimated that the total built space in the country would increase five-foldfrom 2005 to 2030, and by then more than 60% of the commercial built space would be air- conditioned. Building consumes around 30% of the electricity consumption in India.  Commercial buildings together consumed a total of 58,971 GWh of electricity during the year 2009–2010 in the country. This is about 9% of the total electricity consumed during that period .Energy consumed by these buildings could be mainly attributed to lighting, running office equipment and for HVAC systems. Lighting and Air Conditioning account for over 80% of energy end use in a typical commercial building in India while in residential building fan and lighting load are predominant.  The building fenestration system should be designed so that it opens itself to those climatic factors, which make seasonal conditions more comfortable and closes itself to the ones, which make the seasonal comfort worst, which reduces the cooling requirement of the building. Overall the energy savings estimates for the commercial and residential buildings vary between 30-70%. Thus, India has this opportunity to capture savings in buildings which are not yet built. It is also estimated that nationwide enforcement of ECBC ( Energy Conservation building Code )would yield annual savings of around 1.7 billion kWh[3].Currently the code targets only commercial buildings because of their high energy intensity. [5] The proposal investigates the minimum code requirements of ECBC code and suggests design strategies beyond the minimum requirements for various climatic zones in India in order to reduce green house emissions. The proposal also studies adaptive shading for better environmental performance of the building envelope.


Category of the action

Building efficiency: Physical Action


What actions do you propose?

Urbanization of India is inevitable for India’s economic development and financial growth as the country need to sustain a growth of around 8% to keep the vast segments of its population above the poverty line. The planning commission of India seeks to spend 1 Trillion US$ in infrastructure development in the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017)which is double of that in the Eleventh five-year plan.Massive building construction is underway to respond to these requirements and to the rise in the Indian economy. Built environment is one of the largest consumers of energy and make up for 40% of total energy use [4]. The cost of not doing anything now will be enormous and would seriously retard India’s progress.

The current energy installed capacity in the country is approx. 160,000 MW and the projected energy load for 2030 is 8,00,000 MW.  Currently 659 million Sqm of commercial space has been constructed in India and it is projected that by 2030, 1900 million Sqm of commercial space will be built in India assuming a 5-6% annual growth. It has been estimatedthat the total built space in the country would increase five-foldfrom 2005 to 2030, and by then more than 60% of the commercial built space would be air- conditioned. Building consumes around 30% of the electricity consumption in India.  Commercial buildings together consumed a total of 58,971 GWh of electricity during the year 2009–2010 in the country. This is about 9% of the total electricity consumed during that period .Energy consumed by these buildings could be mainly attributed to lighting, running office equipment and for HVAC systems. It varies with building type, activities and climatic region in which the building is located.Lighting and Air Conditioning account for over 80% of energy end use in a typical commercialbuilding in India while in residential building fan and lighting load are predominant. By acting as a thermal barrier, the building envelope plays an important role in regulating interior temperatures and helps to determine the amount of energy required to maintain thermal comfort. The building should be designed so that it opens itself to those climatic factors, which make seasonal conditions more comfortable and closes itself to the ones, which make the seasonal comfort worst, which reduces the cooling requirement of the building.

 

The thermal performance of a building refers to the process of modeling the energy transfer between a building and its surroundings. For a conditioned building, it estimates the heating and cooling load and hence, the sizing and selection of HVAC equipment can be correctly made.

Overall the energy savings estimates for the commercial and residential buildings vary between 30-70%. No other country in the history would have encountered the growth in the Energy load that India is poised to experience. Thus, India has this opportunity to capture savings in buildings which are not yet built. It is also estimated that nationwide enforcement of ECBC ( Energy Conservation building Code )would yield annual savings of around 1.7 billion kWh[3].Currently the code targets only commercial buildings because of their high energy intensity. Commercial buildings as stated in Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) are “all buildings exceptfor multi-family buildings of three stories or fewer above gradeand single-family units”. These include a wide range of buildingslike private offices, government offices, hotels, hospitals, retail spaces, educational institutes, universities, high rise residential apartments and others.[5]

The proposal investigates the minimum code requirements of ECBC code and suggests design strategies beyond the minimum requirements for various climatic zones in India in order to reduce green house emissions. The proposal also studies adaptive shading for better environmental performance of the building envelope.

The thermal performance of a building refers to the process of modeling the energy transfer between a building and its surroundings.  Analyzing building envelope performance is challenging due to dynamic energy flows created by sun and weather conditions as well as changing interior climate needs. The complexity of these energy flows necessitates the use of computer modeling and simulation tools to analyze the effects of these relationships to quantify thermal performance.[6]

Thermal performance quantifications enable to determine the effectiveness of the design of a building and help in evolving improved designs for realizing energy efficient buildings with comfortable indoor conditions. A number of such tools are now available to do accurate assessment of a building’s thermal and day lighting performance for a given environmental condition.

The amount of energy consumed through lighting and cooling in a building is mainly influenced by its fenestration system.

Since the overall heat transfer coefficient (U value) of windows is normally five times greater than those of other components of a building envelope, the design and selection of a proper window system is one of the important strategies for effectively conserving the energy of a building.

The solar heat gain coefficient(SHGC) in a glazing is connected with heating and cooling energy consumption, the visible transmittance ( T vis) affects the lighting energy load and light to solar gain ratio (LSG) chart is applied to indicate the value of relationship between SHGC and Tvis.•      The thermal performance of a building refers to the process of modeling the energy transfer between a building and its surroundings.

•      Analyzing building envelope performance is challenging due to dynamic energy flows created by sun and weather conditions as well as changing interior climate needs.

•      The complexity of these energy flows necessitates the use of computer modeling and simulation tools to analyze the effects of these relationships to quantify thermal performance.

•       Thermal performance quantifications enable to determine the effectiveness of the design of a building and help in evolving improved designs for realizing energy efficient buildings with comfortable indoor conditions. A number of such tools are now available to do accurate assessment of a building’s thermal and day lighting performance for a given environmental condition. Air conditioning results in extra thermal emissions to the surroundings, reflective glass reflects solar heat and glare black out, and large, bulkybuildings create hostile local wind effects and overshadow neighboring buildings which depend ondaylight. The result is a vicious circle of worsening exterior environment and spiraling energy costs.

For building energy efficiency, optimal envelope thermal performance is significant. The building envelope acts as a filter between the interior and the exterior, and it is a regulator of energy flow. An accurate assessment of envelope thermal performance will aid optimal sizing of systems for comfort and efficiency.

A number of such tools are now available to do quick and accurate assessment of a building’s thermal and daylighting performance. These tools can estimate the performances of different designs of the building for a given environmental condition. From these results, a designer can choose the design that consumes minimum energy. Thermal calculations also help to select appropriate retrofits for existing buildings from the viewpoint of energy conservation.

Daylighting has a significant impact on buildings and occupants: it is essential to health and well being, it is a fundamental design element, and it can offset a significant portion of a building’s electricity use. Because daylight is dynamic, it needs to be managed to assure that a sufficient, but not excessive amount of light is provided. Glare must be adequately controlled for particular building uses. Daylighting typically also has a close relationship with views and management of solar heat gain to achieve an energy efficient building.

A number of tools are available for simulating the thermal performance of buildings; they address different needs.

§  eQUEST: is a whole building performance analysis tool that recognizes that energy responsive design is a creative process of integrating the performance of interacting systems, eg: envelope, fenestration, lighting, HVAC.

§  eQuest considers these interactions during the analysis by creating effective building energy model by inputting features of the design that would impact energy use such as Building Type and Size, Floor Plan Layout, Construction Material, Area Usage and Occupancy, Lightning System and HVAC equipment.

§  Within eQUEST, DOE-2.2 performs an hourly simulation of the building design for a one-year period. It calculates heating or cooling loads for based on factors such as walls, windows, glass, people, plug loads, and ventilation.

§  eQUEST offers several graphical formats for viewing simulation results. It allows one to perform multiple simulations and view alternative results in side-by-side graphics of Energy Cost Estimating, Daylighting and Lighting System control.[7]

 

•      COMFEN, a software tool designed for analyzing and comparing the annual performance data (including energy and comfort) of a number of facade configurations. This data can be used to compute window properties, daylighting performance, and whole building energy performance. Features of COMFEN:

•      Flexible Fenestration Facade Design: Defines fenestration facade details. Facade variations can include window systems, glazing and frame system, and exterior shading by overhangs and fins.

•      Comparative Facade Analysis: Facade variations can be selected for comparative analysis.  Each of the selected facades can optionally include daylighting controls, and can be oriented to face different directions. 

•      Graphical Display of Analysis Results: Comparative charts are displayed for annual energy consumption (heating, cooling, fan, and lighting), peak energy, and CO2 emissions.  Annual average daylightingilluminance, discomfort glare index, and thermal comfort PPD are also reported.[8]

More detailed graphs are also displayed for monthly heating, cooling, fan, and lighting energy consumption, peak energy, and thermal comfort; and hourly daylight illuminance and glare index.

I propose to use simulation programs like above to investigate the impacts of building fenestration systems on energy consumption. Apart from these field studies will be conducted to measure energy performance of various fenestration assemblies.

 

 

 


Who will take these actions?

The stake holders will be the Indian government which is proposing 100 smart cities across India, the government can provide incentives to developers who will consider these building envelope strategies.  Urban planners for proposing commercial developments land use and development controls. Architects for designing, master planning sustainable communities, builders, Window fenestration product manufacturers, Window frame manufacturers, Building envelope installers, HVAC manufacturers, shading device manufacturers. The research findings can be used to enhance the Energy Conservation Building Code minimum requirements. Architects with due consideration to building orientation can specify materials for enhanced window fenestration systems thus increasing the energy efficiency of buildings, thus having a tremendous positive impact on future energy use of commercial buildings in India.


Where will these actions be taken?

Action will be taken in rapidly urbanizing cities of countries like India. New commercial buildings across the country will be environmentally more sustainable. The cost effective solutions for adaptive fenestration installations can increase the usage across the country thus impacting energy consumption and emission of Green house gases.


How much will emissions be reduced or sequestered vs. business as usual levels?

No other country in the history would have encountered the growth in the Energy load that India is poised to experience. Thus, India has this opportunity to capture energy savings in buildings which are not yet built. The control of greenhouse gas emissions at such a large scale will have a positive impact around the world. 


What are other key benefits?

Lower carbon footprint, significant savings in capital and operating costs, increased economic benefits, Less pressure on Environment, reduced ozone depletion, improved worker productivity and morale.The research will make a strong case and provide the much needed quantitative basis for pursuing these environmentally sustainable strategies for new commercial developments in India.


What are the proposal’s costs?

The proposal to cost around 1 million USD .


Time line

3-5 Years


Related proposals


References

[1]UNnewscenter,http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=25762, accessed 01.08.2011

 

[2] Faster,Sustainable and more inclusive growth, An approach to the 12th five year plan, Planning Commission, India, 2010

[3]Central Electricity Authority, General Review 2009

 

[4] LEED for New Construction 2009, US Green Building Council, 2009

[5] Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Energy Conservation Building Code 2007, New

Delhi, India, 2008.

 

[6] Ministry and New and Renewable energy : Thermal performance of buildings.

[7]http://www.doe2.com/equest

[8] COMFEN 4.1for Calculating the Energy Demand and Comfort

Impacts of Windows in Commercial Buildings: Lawerence Berkeley National Laboratory.

[9]. Mckinsey and Company (2009), Environmental and Energy Sustainability : An approach for India

[10]  USAID ECO III Project, New Delhi

 

[11]http://www.energyplus.gov

[12] International Energy Agency, World Energy Outlook 2006

 

[13]Pradeepkini, Exploring strategies for sustainable site planning of built environment to mitigate the effects of rapid urbanization in warm and humid climate’(Published in: International Journal of Earth Sciences Engineering (Indexed in Scopus Compendex and Geobase Elsevier, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Chemical Abstract Services- USA, Geo- Ref Information Services- USA) Volume 06 No.04SPL  Aug 2013    ISSN 0974-5904

 

[14]PradeepKini, ‘Optimal Urban microclimatic environment considering clusters of buildings and open spaces in warm and humid climate’ (Published in: International Journal of Earth Sciences Engineering (Indexed in Scopus Compendex and Geobase Elsevier, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Chemical Abstract Services- USA, Geo- Ref Information Services- USA) Volume 05 No.01 SPL  Jan 2011    ISSN 0974-5904

 

[15] India construction, Importance of Infrastructure Construction in India, March 2009, HIS Global Insight

[16] Sastry, G S, Urban Environment of Karnataka, in Karnataka Development Report. Published for the Planning Commission, Government of India. New Delhi: Academic Publication. (2007)

[17] S. Bry, Sarte, Sustainable Infrastructure, The guide to green engineering and design, John Wiley &Sons,Inc,  New Jersey, 2010

[18] J.K.Nayak, J.A Prajapati, Handbook on energy conscious buildings, May 2006

[19] Marcus T.A and Morris E.N Buildings Climate and Energy, Pitman publishing limited, London, 1980

[20] J.K.Nayak, Hazra R, J.A Prajapati ,Manual on Solar Passive Architecture, Solar Energy Center, MNES, Govt. of India, , New Delhi, 1999

[21] Brown G.Z, Dekay  M, Sun, Wind, Light- Architectural design strategies, , 2nd Ed, John Wiley and Sons Inc., New York, 2001

[22] Kibert, Charles J, Sustainable Construction, Green Building design and delivery, New Jersey, USA, 2010

[23] Emmanuel R, An urban approach to climate-sensitive design: strategies for the tropics. London: Spon Press; 2005

[24]  Chirag Deb, A. Ramachandraiah, A simple technique to classify urban locations with respect to human thermal comfort: Proposing the HXG scale. 1 Building and Environment 46 (2011) 1321e1328