Earning EAp2 and drawing up energy efficiency goals can help to determine your project’s cooling strategy as it relates to energy consumption. This exercise may help you prioritize energy performance versus refrigerant selection, when applicable.
Energy-efficient design strategies may be new to the users and operating staff. It is helpful to develop training and an O&M manual. Occupants and facility staff should be aware of any automatic controls and refrain from changing settings and controls during the initial months of occupancy.
Have the MEP engineer and controls contractor develop an operations manual in collaboration with facility management and the commissioning agent to aid in maintaining and correctly operating all energy-efficient equipment.
Using the table of appliances and equipment that you developed previously, confirm the rated power of products listed and compliance with the requirement that 50% of the total rated power be Energy Star-labeled.
If your project develops an energy model, you can use it not only to optimize the lighting design but also to demonstrate that lighting power density is 10% less than the ASHRAE baseline case, per Appendix G.
The model is a great design tool that should be utilized to its full potential during design development. Use it to assist in design development for interior mechanical fit-out spaces, comparison of alternative systems, determination of lighting loads, and selection of fixtures. Simulate alternative strategies or designs to provide a true cost-benefit analysis of energy-saving features, along with long-term energy savings and lower maintenance costs for the tenant and building owner.
Constant communication among project team members throughout the design process is important for minimizing construction and operational costs and meeting the project’s goals. For example, changing a specification, such as the solar heat gain coefficient of glazing, affects mechanical system sizing. These opportunities should be discussed with the team and incorporated into the design.
The mechanical team should meet with the base building’s engineer or manager early in the process to get detailed information on the potential to add controls, outside air intakes, and to make efficiency modifications to base building systems.
