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Energy Newsbriefs

Articles for May 14, 2012

ENERGY NEWSBRIEFS is a weekly current awareness service provided by the WSU Extension Energy Program Library and written by Angela Santamaria, WSU Energy Library Manager, to assist users in tracking developments in the energy field. To view past issues or to subscribe to receive an email notification of the publication of a new issue, go to the Energy Newsbriefs home.

Please be aware that although every URL is checked for accuracy prior to the publication of Energy Newsbriefs, URLs are, for various reasons, subject to change. Further, servers sometimes fail to connect to working URLs.


BIOENERGY – MILITARY

"Upstate N.Y. Army Facility Set for Biomass Renovation," by Luke Geiver, Associate Editor, Biomass Power & Thermal, was posted March 29, 2012, on the Biomass Power & Thermal website. Fort Drum will be operating a biomass plant, converted from a coal-fired one, on residues from surrounding forests. The plant is expected to generate all the energy needed by the fort.

BUILDINGS

"UW Tacoma’s Joy Building Receives Highest Green-Building Certification," by Beth Luce, is a February 1, 2012, University of Washington (UW) press release. It is a case study of the repurposing of an 1892 facility on the Tacoma campus of Seattle-based UW. Energy and water savings are dramatic; daylighting and water efficiencies abound.

The following four case studies and one case study "revisit" were published in the March+April 2012 issue of GreenSource:
  1. "Between Silence and Light," by Alanna Malone, describes the Quaker meeting house that is a re-purposed gym aiming for LEED-Platinum certification; it was designed by KieranTimberlake for students at the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. Diffused daylighting is prominent, and well-insulated rooms added to the building's periphery improved on the original, less-than-ideal envelope.

  2. "Health Care Goes Lean and Green," by Clifford A. Pearson, describes the LEED-Gold, Seattle Children's Bellevue Clinic, designed by NBBJ. The expected footprint of the clinic was reduced by 30,000 square feet in the design stage by a re-imagining of traffic flows and of how rooms with related uses ought to be arranged for maximum convenience and comfort for patients and their families, and for staff. Just the space reduction saved energy and other resources. Additionally, the designers included sustainable landscaping, daylighting, and other features that save energy and adhere to sustainable practices.

  3. "Northern Exposure," by Jane Kolleeny is about the solar-roofed, net-positive-energy, Solhuset Nursery which is located in Hoarsholm, Denmark, designed by Christensen & Co. Architects, and based on the Danish system known as "Active House." As a photo shows, there is vegetation (sedum) on the roof as well as solar panels; the sedum helps cool the building and the panels, and handles storm-water, as well.

  4. "Teenage Dream," by Asad Syrkett, is a case study of the YMCA–PG&E Teen Center in Berkeley, California. This was a repurposing of an old Pacific Gas and Electric building into a LEED-Platinum facility that benefitted from the input of Berkeley’s teens. The teens were part of the Task Force responsible for the project planning and for the selection of the architectural firm that designed the rehabilitated facility, Noll & Tam Architects. The design included an added third floor, and radiant heat throughout the building.

  5. "Sitting Pretty near the Beach," by Nadav Malin, is a revisit to and re-assessment of the Gunning House in Hermosa Beach, California, that was designed by Robert Nebolon Architects and featured as a case study in GreenSource over two years ago. The installed heating system is now considered "overkill." Also, there is an explanation for why the roof was not outfitted with solar panels, which could have resulted in the home's being a net-zero-energy building.

COMBINED HEAT and POWER (CHP)

"Branching Out with CHP," by Ed Ritchie, appeared in the March/April 2012 issue of Distributed Energy. It is an update on the rather slow adoption of CHP installations in Canada, the U.S., and elsewhere. Several examples of these installations are discussed.

FEDERAL BUILDINGS

"Facilitating Sound, Cost-Effective Federal Energy Management" is a two-page, March 2011, fact sheet from the U.S. DOE’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). It highlights several areas where FEMP’s resources can be brought to bear to save energy. They include high-performance buildings, efficient products, renewables, water, greenhouse gases, vehicles, and energy management, in general.

HVAC/R (HEATING, VENTILATION, AIR CONDITIONING, AND REFRIGERATION)

The following two articles were published in the March 2012 issue of Consulting-Specifying Engineer:

"Analyze the Life Cycle of HVAC Systems" was co-authored by Cole Roberts, Principal and Energy and Resources Business Leader, Andrew Rhodes, Senior Engineer, and Alexander Hespe, Senior Energy and Sustainability Designer; all of Arup. The authors urge reliance on lifecycle cost analysis (LCCA) as the tool that best discovers the true financial costs and benefits of proposed HVAC systems, but only if the analyses are done correctly. The major part of the article is an informed discussion of LCCA basics which is distinguished from the larger field of LCA (lifecycle analysis) that includes environmental and social costs and benefits.

"When, Where to Use Displacement Ventilation," by Raymond W. Schultz, PE, Cannon Design, shows the conditions under which displacement ventilation (DV) might be a better choice than mixed-flow ventilation. It, also, discusses various design implications when DV is chosen and what specific equipment may be needed. Finally, it covers appropriate applications, and spells out the advantages and disadvantages of DV.

RESIDENTIAL EFFICIENCY STRATEGIES

EnergySavers.gov: Stay Cool, Save Money is a website, revised (and re-named) seasonally, from the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office of the U.S. Department of Energy. The site is now offering many tips for energy savings for the warmer months.


Past issues of Energy Newsbriefs are available here.

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© 2012 Washington State University Extension Energy Program. This publication contains material written and produced for public distribution. Permission to copy or disseminate all or part of this material is granted, provided that the copies are not made or distributed for commercial advantage, and that each is referenced by title with credit to the Washington State University Extension Energy Program. Copying, reprinting or dissemination, electronic or otherwise, for any other use requires prior written permission from the Washington State University Extension Energy Program.