Monday, January 25, 2016: 8:00 AM-9:30 AM
The Great Debate
Chair:
Richard Sweetser, Exergy Partners Corp.
Technical Committee: 02.08 Building Environmental Impacts and Sustainability
Sponsor: Residential Buildings Committee
CoSponsor: 01.10 Cogeneration Systems
Determining a building's energy performance for benchmarking, code compliance and investment decisions is extremely complicated. The choice of metric, methodology and values all matter if the primary intent of the initiative is to be achieved equitably in a competitive marketplace. This seminar compares and contrasts different metrics and approaches used by ASHRAE and other organizations, including metrics based on end use loads, site energy, energy cost, primary energy and greenhouse gas emissions. Benefits and challenges with each metric are explored, and options for reconciling differences among the metrics are examined.
1 Site Energy-Based Metrics Are Useful and Easy to Use
 |
Keith Dennis, P.E., National Rural Electric Cooperative Association |
Site energy is a useful metric for a variety of purposes in examining building energy performance. It is the only metric that is measured directly at the building, and therefore provides an easy way to calculate energy consumption and evaluate the impact of changes in energy consumption associated with more efficient equipment. This presentation will illustrate the use of the site energy metric in Standard 100-2015, and describe its value in determining building energy performance.
2 One Metric May Not Be Enough, but Some Are Better Than Others
 |
David Goldstein, Natural Resources Defense Council |
When trying to judge a building's energy performance considering both economic and environmental factors, one metric may no longer be sufficient. It may be more useful to consider multiple complementary metrics, while finding a metric that provides a good compromise solution for many purposes today. This presentation will hypothesize why the TDV and emissions metrics may be the most useful over time for societally beneficial decisions. In the meantime, the use of a metric such as normalized modified end use loads may provide a good enough compromise to satisfy competing stakeholders in the residential marketplace.
3 Primary Energy, Energy Cost, and GHG Emissions All Make Sense
 |
Neil P. Leslie, P.E., Gas Technology Institute |
The choice of metric is critical when evaluating and comparing a mixed fuel building's energy performance with an all-electric building's energy performance, or for comparing competing energy investment options for new buildings and replacements. This presentation will explore the benefits and limitations of different metrics that may be useful for such comparisons and decisions, including energy cost, primary energy, and environmental emissions metrics. It will also provide an overview of different methodologies and values to implement these metrics to ensure the most equitable treatment of different competitive design and investment options.