Open Surface Parking and Energy Star Score
< 1 min read The engineered model developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to calculate the Energy Star score adjusts to include parking energy usage since this is one of the most common end-uses in commercial buildings. To obtain an accurate estimation of the building’s energy usage, the model estimates parking energy use and subtracts this from the…
Little Things Can Be Overlooked: Indoor Air Quality
< 1 min read Appropriate ventilation is essential to maintain good Indoor Air Quality and keep the air fresh in residential homes. Windows and mechanical systems go hand in hand to provide that and keep the living space free from pollutants. There are ways to control the amount of fresh air that is coming into the unit. One of…
What is Missing: Design Phase Commissioning
< 1 min read Reviewing building design drawings is an integral part of a Design Phase Commissioning scope and with good reason: with the minute level of detail and the sheer volume of information, there’s a good chance that some piece of equipment is mislabeled, differing systems aren’t coordinated, or that typos are present that may cause confusion at…
Rooftop Unit Installation Issue: Unfriendly Neighbors
< 1 min read One fun aspect of performing a building walk-through is getting to go out on the roof. There is almost always technical equipment up there to be inspected and the vantage point often offers great views. System designers and installers favor placing equipment on the roof because there tends to be a lot more space for…
Follow the Energy
< 1 min read While reviewing trend data from an air handling unit, we noticed that the supply air temperature was significantly above the setpoint. Whereas the supply air should have been kept at around 20°C, it got up to 26°C. When we see a problem we often assume that the cause is at the same spot, in this…