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Tag: Energy Efficiency

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Tanić, Petković, and Kondić, 2012

Current principles in architectural design emphasize the importance of application of materials and technologies that do not jeopardize the environment. Application of sustainable principles in planning and construction becomes an obligatory part of design and construction process for all types of architectural structures. This approach results in architecture that is essentially contextual and sustainable in all crucial parameters, from the construction phase to the exploitation.

One type of approach which could contribute to the creation of such architecture and solve current environmental problems is usage of solar energy. This energy is completely clean, and its source is practically inexhaustible. Solar architecture is therefore a logical continuation in development of architectural concepts in modern times. Usage of active and passive solar systems and their combination can create energetically almost autonomous buildings. The paper examines some aspects relevant for the usage of those systems in the pre-school facilities, both for construction of new buildings and the reconstruction of the existing buildings.

Location data (meteorological data, insulation, orientation towards the sides of the world, the effects of vegetation...) and elements of the building (architectural plan, the form of structure, layout and size of openings, the materialization of the building...) are pointed out as important factors that could affect the application of such systems. In addition to these factors, possibilities and economic feasibility of application of solar systems are treated given the specific architectural features of pre-schools.

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Saiz, Kennedy, Bass, and Pressnail, 2006

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used to evaluate the benefits, primarily from reduced energy consumption, resulting from the addition of a green roof to an eight story residential building in Madrid. Building energy use is simulated and a bottom-up LCA is conducted assuming a 50 year building life. The key property of a green roof is its low solar absorptance, which causes lower surface temperature, thereby reducing the heat flux through the roof. Savings in annual energy use are just over 1%, but summer cooling load is reduced by over 6% and reductions in peak hour cooling load in the upper floors reach 25%. By replacing the common flat roof with a green roof, environmental impacts are reduced by between 1.0 and 5.3%. Similar reductions might be achieved by using a white roof with additional insulation for winter, but more substantial reductions are achieved if common use of green roofs leads to reductions in the urban heat island.

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McDonald, 2008

The administrations of several universities have developed strategies to reduce the negative environmental effects created by their institutions. Because no single, comprehensive methodology to guide institutions to sustainability exists, these strategies range widely in scope. As well, the definition of “sustainability” differs for these various institutions, resulting in strategies ranging from small-scale recycling programs to major initiatives to incorporate green building and revamping curricula. This study attempts to create the first comprehensive methodology to guide university campuses and processes to become regenerative. Regenerative systems “produce more resources than needed, provide resources for other projects, and enhance [the] environment” (Bernheim 2003), and are synonymous with the “triple top line” of sustainability presented by Braungart and McDonough (2002).

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Santamouris et al., 2006

The present paper deals with the energy performance, energy classification and rating and the global environmental quality of school buildings. A new energy classification technique based on intelligent clustering methodologies is proposed. Energy rating of school buildings provides specific information on their energy consumption and efficiency relative to the other buildings of similar nature and permits a better planning of interventions to improve its energy performance. The overall work reported in the present paper, is carried out in three phases. During the first phase energy consumption data have been collected through energy surveys performed in 320 schools in Greece. In the second phase an innovative energy rating scheme based on fuzzy clustering techniques has been developed, while in the third phase, 10 schools have been selected and detailed measurements of their energy efficiency and performance as well as of the global environmental quality have been performed using a specific experimental protocol. The proposed energy rating method has been applied while the main environmental and energy problems have been identified. The potential for energy and environmental improvements has been assessed.

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Gallo & Romano, 2015

The paper aims to investigate the emergency of estate management the scholastic buildings. It examines the economic and legal resources problems, necessary to start an effective redevelopment of the public school buildings in Italy. In detail, the paper analyse the European researches field, which funded renovation and the new construction actions of energy efficient school buildings, and presents same results of research Teenergy School. The Teenergy research, has involved the University of Florence and a Tuscany Public Administration in a benchmarking activities and in a pilot projects development. The paper aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of instruments and financial resources in promoting technological innovation, in this specific construction industry, as a vehicle to transform obsolete schools buildings in Nzeb, as indicated from the latest European legislation on energy performance of the buildings.

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Kim, Hong, & Koo, 2012

Green-roof systems offer various benefits to man and nature, such as establishing ecological environments, improving landscape and air quality, and offering pleasant living environments. This study aimed to develop an optimal-scenario selection model that considers both the economic and the environmental effect in applying GRSs to educational facilities. The following process was carried out: (i) 15 GRSs scenarios were established by combining three soil and five plant types and (ii) the results of the life cycle CO2 analyses with the GRSs scenarios were converted to an economic value using certified emission reductions (CERs) carbon credits. Life cycle cost (LCC) analyses were performed based on these results. The results showed that when considering only the currently realized economic value, the conventional roof system is superior to the GRSs. However, the LCC analysis that included the environmental value, revealed that compared to the conventional roof system, the following six GRSs scenarios are superior (cost reduction; reduction ratio; in descending order): scenarios 13 ($195,229; 11.0%), 3 ($188,178; 10.6%), 8 ($181,558; 10.3%), 12 ($130,464; 7.4%), 2 ($124,566; 7.0%), and 7 ($113,931; 6.4%). Although the effect is relatively small in terms of cost reduction, environmental value attributes cannot be ignored in terms of the reduction ratio.

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Hong, Kim, & Koo, 2012

As the area of urban forests rapidly decrease in size, there is growing interest in green roofs as the only alternative to urban forests. This study aimed to evaluate economic and environmental effects of functional improvement in elementary school facilities by applying various improvement scenarios based on green roof systems (GRSs) with the combination of energy-saving measures (ESMs). A total of 16 possible improvement scenarios from the combination of GRSs and ESMs were developed, and energy modeling (Energy Plus ver. 6.0), based on the (i) characteristics of building, (ii) regional climate, and (iii) season, was performed. Using the energy modeling result, the amount of the CO2 emission reduction by energy savings and the CO2 absorption by GRSs’ plants was calculated, and a life cycle cost analysis was conducted with the consideration of the life cycle CO2 (LCCO2). The results of this study can be used (i) to introduce the most appropriate ESMs for the specific facility when applying GRSs, (ii) to decide which location is proper to implement GRSs considering characteristics of regional climate, and (iii) to select energy- and cost-efficient elementary school when applying GRSs.

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Inter-American Development Bank, 2015

Rise Up Against Climate Change! A school-centered educational initiative. 

Module 4

How much energy do you think is needed to light and mobilize all the machines and devices operating on the planet? Have you ever thought that by turning on a light in your house or school you are impacting the environment and emitting gases into the atmosphere?

Energy is an essential component of our lives. Omnipresent and invisible as it is, we often forget that our basic, everyday activities depend on it.

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