Sustainability in construction

Incorporating the interdependencies of building systems during the design phase will increase the potential technical performance of the building as a whole and reduce its lifecycle cost and the environmental impact.

• Incorporates the behaviour of building systems (e.g., heating system and building envelope) to account for the interdependencies amongst the building systems

• Evaluates the design of building systems in order to reduce their lifecycle cost and environmental impact.

Effective November 1, 2016, new homes constructed in Alberta, Canada, are required to comply with “Section 9.36: Energy-Efficiency Requirements” of the Alberta Building Code (2014). This section introduces energy requirements for building envelope that are approximately 57% more strict than those in the previous code. It is important to investigate the implications of these changes on housing construction practice and energy performance, and to develop a methodology for selecting cost-effective approaches for code compliance. In this context, this research investigates the details of the new code, characterizes current practice, develops least-construction-cost approaches to meet the code’s energy requirements, and assesses the lifecycle economic performance of a code-compliant house. Three approaches are pursued with respect to ensuring code compliance: (1) develop least-construction-cost upgrades for building envelope (attic ceiling, above- and below-grade walls, and windows) that meet code-specified thermal insulation values specified in the prescriptive path of the code; (2) carry out approach (1) with energy-efficient tankless domestic hot water system and optimal window sizing for reduced lifecycle operation cost; and (3) develop least-construction-cost upgrades for the performance path of the code. To perform this assessment, a 30-year lifecycle analysis is conducted using HOT2000 simulations to estimate the energy performance and operation cost of a home in Edmonton, Canada. By deploying approach (1), a reduction of approximately 12% on energy consumption is achieved with a return on investment (ROI) of −3.44%. By applying approach (2), a reduction of energy consumption of approximately 27% is obtained with an ROI of 68.08%. Alternatively, in approach (3), a reduction of energy consumption of approximately 10% with an ROI of 527.21% is achieved. By applying the methodology developed in this research, least-construction-cost code-compliant upgrades can be easily identified for other climatic conditions and other locations in Canada.

Energy consumption in school buildings represents enormous annual cost for school boards nationwide. However, a large portion of the energy used in schools is wasted due to inefficient equipment use and occupant behaviour. To reduce the operating budgets of school districts in terms of energy costs, an effective energy management strategy must be developed and applied. This research presents a framework of an electrical management program to evaluate the energy performance of school buildings. The examination of building energy performance incorporates the analysis of historical electricity consumption data and the establishment of building energy benchmarks. A real-time monitoring plan is also proposed in order to continuously track the energy performance of school buildings and identify any energy-saving opportunities. This research study is based on a project with Edmonton Catholic School District (Facility Services). The methodology proposed in this research can be used as a reference by school districts to categorize school buildings based on energy performance and identify electricity-saving opportunities.

A ground source heat pump is an effective and environmentally-friendly system for space heating and cooling in residential buildings. For cold regions, where heating demand is typically greater than cooling demand, multi-source heat pumps integrating renewable energy sources are an environmentally-friendly alternative that ensures occupant comfort. This research investigates the performance of multi-source heat pump systems in residential buildings in cold regions. One year of monitoring data is collected from a four-storey residential building located in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. This data is analyzed to evaluate the performance of the multi-source heat pump system. Enhanced heating system control is also devised which shows potential benefits for system efficiency improvement and non-renewable energy source savings. A system control set point forecasting model is also proposed for the purpose of reducing operation costs.