Song, Suwon (2009-06). Development of new methodologies for evaluating the energy performance of new commercial buildings. Doctoral Dissertation.
Thesis
The concept of Measurement and Verification (M&V) of a new building continues to become more important because efficient design alone is often not sufficient to deliver an efficient building. Simulation models that are calibrated to measured data can be used to evaluate the energy performance of new buildings if they are compared to energy baselines such as similar buildings, energy codes, and design standards. Unfortunately, there is a lack of detailed M&V methods and analysis methods to measure energy savings from new buildings that would have hypothetical energy baselines. Therefore, this study developed and demonstrated several new methodologies for evaluating the energy performance of new commercial buildings using a case-study building in Austin, Texas. First, three new M&V methods were developed to enhance the previous generic M&V framework for new buildings, including: 1) The development of a method to synthesize weathernormalized cooling energy use from a correlation of Motor Control Center (MCC) electricity use when chilled water use is unavailable, 2) The development of an improved method to analyze measured solar transmittance against incidence angle for sample glazing using different solar sensor types, including Eppley PSP and Li-Cor sensors, and 3) The development of an improved method to analyze chiller efficiency and operation at part-load conditions. Second, three new calibration methods were developed and analyzed, including: 1) A new percentile analysis added to the previous signature method for use with a DOE-2 calibration, 2) A new analysis to account for undocumented exhaust air in DOE-2 calibration, and 3) An analysis of the impact of synthesized direct normal solar radiation using the Erbs correlation on DOE-2 simulation. Third, an analysis of the actual energy savings compared to three different energy baselines was performed, including: 1) Energy Use Index (EUI) comparisons with sub-metered data, 2) New comparisons against Standards 90.1-1989 and 90.1-2001, and 3) A new evaluation of the performance of selected Energy Conservation Design Measures (ECDMs). Finally, potential energy savings were also simulated from selected improvements, including: minimum supply air flow, undocumented exhaust air, and daylighting.
