The project is an approximately 40,000 sqft research and development building designed to develop and test air and water cooled chillers, compressors and heat pumps for a multinational manufacturer of HVAC equipment for the commercial, industrial and institutional building market. The principal focus of the energy consuming systems is to create a precise simulation of a wide range of ambient conditions and simulated building loads on the tested equipment to meet national and international testing protocols. In addition, the facility tests the equipment to research and develop innovative technologies for the HVAC industry. Control of the testing conditions is critical to the function of the facility. The facility\'s large process heating and cooling plants are used to simulate heating and cooling loads on the tested equipment. The subsequent heating and cooling energy created from the tested equipment is then rejected to the environment. This research and testing system is highly energy intensive. Recognizing the opportunity for energy use reduction, the owner\'s research and development team and the project\'s design team developed a process heating and cooling system that reduces the energy use of the system while maintaining the ability to simulate ambient conditions and building loads. Heating and cooling energy created by tested equipment is captured and reused in the process heating and cooling plants. Closed-loop heat recovery systems connect evaporator and condenser systems of the process plants to the tested equipment to reduce energy usage. Variable flow pumping and varying temperature control provide the necessary control functions for testing. For this project, the process energy associated with the research and testing system is greater than 90% of the total energy load. If the reductions in process load are not included, the opportunities for energy reduction are minimized. The project utilizes commercially available energy reduction strategies, including enhanced envelope systems, premium efficient chillers and high efficiency boilers for process loads, high efficiency comfort heating and cooling equipment, variable frequency drives on fans and pumps, and higher efficiency lighting systems. Building energy simulations indicate that minimal energy reduction is achieved (
The applicant is requesting approval of a modeling methodology that would allow credit for waste energy recovery from process loads. Per the LEED NC 2.2 Reference Guide, page 183, "project teams may follow the Exceptional Calculation Method (ASHRAE Std 90.1- G2.5) to document measures that reduce process loads. If credit is taken for process loads, the calculation must include reasonable assumptions for the baseline and proposed case." ASHRAE 90.1-2004, G2.5 further states "Applications for approval of an exceptional method shall include documentation of the calculations performed and theoretical and/or empirical information supporting the accuracy of the method." Insufficient information has been provided above regarding the process energy savings strategies to verify whether they would qualify for credit using the Exceptional Calculation Method under EAc1. However, any modeling approach used for the building systems should include the following: 1. Tested equipment should be modeled using identical types, quantities, efficiencies, controls, and pump power in the Baseline and Proposed Case. 2. In the Baseline Model (prior to applying any exceptional calculation measures), the process heating and cooling plants for simulating test conditions should be modeled with the identical quantities and capacities of equipment in the Baseline and Proposed Case, identical pump power, identical controls, and identical schedules of operation. However, equipment efficiencies for the Baseline Case process equipment should reflect those listed in Tables 6.8.1A-J. 3. Other baseline assumptions used for the Process heating and cooling plants should reflect standard practice for newly constructed facilities with similar functions. These assumptions should be modeled identically in the Baseline and Proposed Case, and then modified in the Proposed Exceptional Calculation Method model. The Exceptional Calculation Narrative must provide sufficient information to verify that the efficiency measures modeled are not standard practice for this type of facility. 4. The Proposed Case Exceptional Calculation Method Model should reflect any parasitic energy associated with waste energy recovery, but this parasitic energy should not be reflected in the Baseline Model. Applicable Internationally.