Environmental Science Refferal - Essay Example

The rate of heat loss from the building and the annual energy requirement is to be estimated. The insulation of the building is one of the factors that needs to be improved in order to determine the heat loss in the building and the energy requirement. A great amount of energy demand is connected to the built environment. The interaction between the different conditions, control strategies and heating/cooling loads in the building in the hot summer and cold winter through the building energy program has to be evaluated.

The effects of the parameters like the climatic conditions(location), insulation and thermal mass, aspect ratio, color of external surfaces, shading, window systems including window area and glazing system, ventilation rates and different outdoor air control strategies on the annual building energy requirements is examined with the results to be presented in order to estimate the heat loss in the building for refurbishment. Glazing system has an impact on the energy consumption, and its modification presents an excellent opportunity for the improvement of energy in buildings.

During the hot weather, the primary strategy for the control of heat gain is by keeping solar energy from entering the interior space while allowing reasonable light transmittance for views and day lighting. In comparison with the features of the building before the planned refurbishment, there is no proper insulation of the building. The annual energy consumption is very high compared to the new design of the multi-purpose hall. The materials used are starting to wear off. It can be noted that the materials used needs to be replaced with new ones.

The challenge set for the refurbishment was to design a building that is operational at the energy use and occupant comfort levels set for the program for advanced commercial buildings. While the refurbishment demands a high level of energy performance, it also emphasize achievement of high performance in other areas, such as indoor air quality, lighting quality, adaptability to future changes and ease of maintenance operations. Task 2 In response to the other requirement such as the lighting array to provide a suitable level of illuminating the inside of the building, the electrical parameter is a design consideration.

The strategy will be comprised of daylight control of perimeter lighting, an automatic lighting control system, and high-efficiency boilers and chillers. The envelope design will be limited to meeting the prescriptive requirements for the roof, wall and slab insulation levels. The window units will be made of double-pane glazed units with an effective mid-grade coating in a thermal aluminum frame. Another means of illuminating the building is having large window frames. Large windows will allow more light to enter the building, thus contributing more energy saving to the building.

The office area lighting requirements are set at minimum, switching for lighting to be zoned(including a perimeter zone with photocell operation), energy efficient fixtures and power requirements for plug loads to accommodate high-tech users. The ventilation inside the building will be a great contribution to the energy cost. A well ventilated building reduces the energy consumption because the occupants will feel at ease in a place where the ventilation is set at 14.21/s per person.Task 3 Since the building is situated by a busy main road, it