Understanding the Implications of Changes to Build Systems

Legionella pneumophila,the causative agent of Legionnaires’ disease, is often found in the plumbing systems of buildings from where it can be transmitted to humans via inhalation or aspiration of contaminated water drops. Annual routine water sampling from the potable water system of an occupational healthcare building in Basel over 25 years was performed in accordance with national guidelines. Overall, 309 water samples were collected at 38 time points over the period of 25 years.L. pneumophilawas recovered from 120 water samples (38.8%) from 26 time points. No clinical infections were recorded during this period. Initial decontamination measures were successful for approximately 12 years, after which an increase in the total number ofLegionellacolony forming units as well as ofL. pneumophila-positive sites was noticed, in 2008. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis of n=123 isolates from n=113 samples showed allL. pneumophilato be sequence type (ST)-45 (Sequence based typing scheme). The isolates are closely related, with only 408 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) among all isolates after the bioinformatic removal of recombination events. Over the 25 years, a single lineage deriving from a recent common ancestor colonized the water system of this building. The phylogeny of isolate genomes can be interpreted as inferring good water circulation, possible recolonization from a common source after cleaning, with genome evolution and insertion / loss of large elements evident. Regular monitoring of waterlines in healthcare settings helps to identify concentrations ofLegionellaspp. and WGS is recommended for detailed investigation.Data SummaryAll data is submitted to the ENA under project PRJEB79004 under accession numbers ERR13662450-ERR13662572.Impact StatementThis is the most detailed, long-term study ofL. pneumophilain the water system of a single building recorded to date. TheL. pneumophilaisolates found in the building over the sampling period of 25 years were all closely related, belonging to ST45. SNP analysis suggested that the common ancestor of the cluster was from around 1938 (range 1911 to 1959), and movement of a large genomic island and plasmid transfer were observed. Despite several decontamination measures, it was impossible to completely eradicateLegionellaspp. from the water system of the historic building. No infections could be attributed to the presence ofL. pneumophilain this building. To mitigate the risk of Legionellosis from such buildings, awareness, regular water testing based on official national guidelines and recommendations, and other control measures, such as the use of sterile water for critical procedures can be recommended.

Space cooling energy consumption is a significant component of building energy consumption, and in recent years it has attracted much attention worldwide owing to its significantly increasing usage. The variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system is one common type of cooling equipment for buildings in China and is applied extensively to residential and office buildings. The performance of VRF systems significantly influences the cooling energy consumption of buildings. The system energy efficiency and electricity consumption are the main indicators employed to evaluate the performance of VRF systems. It is hard to obtain the actual energy efficiency and electricity consumption of VRF systems in buildings because of the high cost of the required complicated measurements. This study proposes a virtual sensor modeling method to determine the actual energy efficiency and electricity consumption of 344 VRF systems in residential buildings. Statistical and clustering analyses are conducted to determine the energy efficiency and electricity consumption to obtain distributions and typical operation load patterns of VRF systems in residential buildings in China. The main findings are as follows: the main range of the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) for the cooling season is from 2.9 to 4.4; the median SEER in the Hot Summer and Cold Winter zone is lower than in another climate zones; the longer cooling duration may lead to greater electricity consumption, and the electricity load for VRF systems electricity load is periodic for each day. The oversizing issue is common for VRF systems in the dataset, which also led to the lower energy efficiency of VRF systems. The high usage of VRF systems appeared from July 27th to August 26th. The findings provide recommendations for designing VRF systems in residential buildings.

According to the California Energy Commission (CEC 1998a), California commercial buildings account for 35% of statewide electricity consumption, and 16% of statewide gas consumption. Space conditioning accounts for roughly 16,000 GWh of electricity and 800 million therms of natural gas annually, and the vast majority of this space conditioning energy passes through thermal distribution systems in these buildings. In addition, 8600 GWh per year is consumed by fans and pumps in commercial buildings, most of which is used to move the thermal energy through these systems. Research work at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has been ongoing over the past five years to investigate the energy efficiency of these thermal distribution systems, and to explore possibilities for improving that energy efficiency. Based upon that work, annual savings estimates of 1 kWh/ft{sup 2} for light commercial buildings, and 1-2 kWh/ft{sup 2} in large commercial buildings have been developed for the particular aspects of thermal distribution system performance being addressed by this project. Those savings estimates, combined with a distribution of the building stock based upon an extensive stock characterization study (Modera et al. 1999a), and technical penetration estimates, translate into statewide saving potentials of 2000 GWh/year and 75 million thermal/year, as well as an electricity peak reduction potential of 0.7 GW. The overall goal of this research program is to provide new technology and application knowledge that will allow the design, construction, and energy services industries to reduce the energy waste associated with thermal distribution systems in California commercial buildings. The specific goals of the LBNL efforts over the past year were: (1) to advance the state of knowledge about system performance and energy losses in commercial-building thermal distribution systems; (2) to evaluate the potential of reducing thermal losses through duct sealing, duct insulation, and improved equipment sizing; and (3) to develop and evaluate innovative techniques applicable to large buildings for sealing ducts and encapsulating internal duct insulation. In the UCB fan project, the goals were: (1) to develop a protocol for testing, analyzing and diagnosing problems in large commercial building built-up air handling systems, and (2) to develop low-cost measurement techniques to improve short term monitoring practices. To meet our stated goals and objectives, this project: (1) continued to investigate and characterize the performance of thermal distribution systems in commercial buildings; (2) performed energy analyses and evaluation for duct-performance improvements for both small and large commercial buildings; (3) developed aerosol injection technologies for both duct sealing and liner encapsulation in commercial buildings; and (4) designed energy-related diagnostic protocols based on short term measurement and used a benchmarking database to compare subject systems with other measured systems for certain performance metrics. This year's efforts consisted of the following distinct tasks: performing characterization measurements for five light commercial building systems and five large-commercial-building systems; analyzing the potential for including duct performance in California's Energy Efficiency Standards for Residential and Non-Residential Buildings (Title 24), including performing energy and equipment sizing analyses of air distribution systems using DOE 2.1E for non-residential buildings; conducting laboratory experiments, field experiments, and modeling of new aerosol injection technologies concepts for sealing and coating, including field testing aerosol-based sealing in two large commercial buildings; improving low-cost fan monitoring techniques measurements, and disseminating fan tools by working with energy practitioners directly where possible and publishing the results of this research and the tools developed on a web-site. The final report consists of five sections listed below. Each section includes its related background information, the research methods employed, new measurement techniques developed, the results, and discussion.

Traditional green building energy efficiency management methods lack real-time optimization and intelligent management and lack effective coordination between systems, resulting in energy waste and limited building energy efficiency optimization effects. This paper proposes a comprehensive approach to solve this problem, combining dynamic energy consumption monitoring, intelligent scheduling, multi-objective optimization, and prediction adjustment to construct an efficient building energy efficiency optimization framework. The building energy consumption data are collected in real time through the Internet of Things (IoT) technology and sensor networks, and the Kalman filter algorithm is used to fuse and correct the data to ensure the accuracy of the monitoring data. The energy consumption prediction model is based on historical energy consumption data and external environmental factors. Long short-term memory (LSTM) neural networks are used to predict future energy consumption demand and provide data support for real-time scheduling. Based on real-time energy consumption data and prediction results, fuzzy control algorithms are used to dynamically adjust the operating strategies of various energy systems in the building to ensure efficient operation of the systems under different conditions. Meanwhile, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is used to solve the multi-objective scheduling problem to achieve the global objectives of energy conservation, cost reduction, and comfort optimization. The scheduling strategy adopts a dynamic approach based on priority to flexibly allocate energy resources to ensure the coordinated operation of various energy systems in the building. A three-month comparative experiment is conducted, and the method in this paper is effective in improving the energy efficiency of green buildings, reducing energy consumption, and optimizing system coordination. Experimental results demonstrate that the average energy consumption reduction rate is 4.63%, the comfort retention rate is improved, and the system coordination efficiency and response speed are significantly improved. This approach provides an effective solution for green building energy efficiency management, breaks through the limitations of traditional methods, and has substantial practical application value. The method can be implemented by integrating IoT devices and energy management systems in smart buildings. Existing systems can be upgraded to add sensors and IoT connections to enable real-time data collection. LSTM prediction models and PSO algorithms can be deployed to ensure efficient computation and real-time response, thus enabling applications in a variety of scenarios.

Despite a few scholars providing narrow views of Building Management Systems (BMS), many studies showed that the system could be applied in the electronic part, such as lighting, access control, and power monitoring, which would contribute to the engineering industry in the future. The system is called a Building Automation Control System (BACS). For example, facility managers, electronic engineers, and their operations teams can use the system to monitor problems and perform basic control, to ensure daily functions of the lighting system in the building. Therefore, this research aims to discuss the possibility of realizing an intelligent building automation control system in Hong Kong commercial buildings. To review design specifications for the BACS and evaluate the possibility of adopting the system in Hong Kong commercial building, and provide general implications to electronic engineering, the facility management industry, and the Hong Kong government to achieve an intelligent city in the future.

The construction of green roofs (GR) combined with rainwater harvesting systems (RWHSs) in buildings can increase the advantages of each of these technologies, being a very promising solution to combat climate change and increase the sustainability of cities. However, the viability of this joint solution significantly depends on local climatic conditions. The planet’s climate classification, known as the Köppen climate classification, is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. The Köppen climate classification divides climates into five main climate groups, with each group being referenced based on seasonal precipitation and temperature patterns. In the specific case of mainland Portugal, according to the Köppen classification, the climate is divided into two regions. In this article, case studies are developed for two Portuguese climatic regions, seeking to demonstrate the possibility of using the Köppen classification as a decision criterion for the eventual inclusion of rainwater harvesting systems in buildings with green roofs. For this study, the results of a previous study were applied, through which we obtained an expression to determine the runoff coefficients of green roofs common in Portugal, concluding that the Köppen climate classification can be used as a prior decision criterion regarding its incorporation or exclusion in rainwater harvesting system buildings combined with green roofs, depending on the location.

Legionella pneumophila, the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease, is often found in the plumbing systems of buildings, from where it can be transmitted to humans via inhalation or aspiration of contaminated water drops. Annual routine water sampling from the potable water system of an occupational healthcare building in Basel over 25 years was performed in accordance with national guidelines. Overall, 309 water samples were collected at 38 time points over the period of 25 years. L. pneumophila was recovered from 120 water samples (38.8%) from 26 time points. No clinical infections were recorded during this period. Initial decontamination measures were successful for ~12 years, after which an increase in the total number of Legionella c.f.u. as well as of L. pneumophila-positive sites was noticed in 2007. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis of n=123 isolates from n=113 samples showed all L. pneumophila to be sequence type 45 (sequence-based typing scheme). The isolates are closely related, with only 408 SNPs among all isolates after the bioinformatic removal of recombination events. Over the 25 years, a single lineage deriving from a recent common ancestor colonized the water system of this building. The phylogeny of isolate genomes can be interpreted as inferring good water circulation and possible recolonization from a common source after cleaning, with genome evolution and insertion/loss of large elements evident. Regular monitoring of waterlines in healthcare settings helps to identify concentrations of Legionella spp., and WGS is recommended for detailed investigation.

NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract Session 1526 Electronically-Controlled Artificial Sky Dome @ OSU … in Progress Khaled Mansy, Steven O’Hara / Thomas Gedra, Qamar Arsalan School of Architecture / School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078 Abstract Indeed, design of daylighting systems is increasingly becoming an integral part of the design of energy-efficient buildings. In order to accurately design, test, and analyze daylighting systems, a controlled luminous environment is required to simulate different sky conditions, under which a physical model can be tested. An artificial sky dome is needed. This paper reports on the ongoing effort to build an Artificial Sky Dome for the School of Architecture at Oklahoma State University. The paper discusses the technical challenges faced by the team in charge of designing the Artificial Sky Dome. Challenges that relate to the structure of the dome, uniform distribution of light sources, avoiding the star effect, effect of internal reflections, models of different sky conditions, control of sky luminance, and the need for a post-construction calibration of the lighting control system. The construction of the Artificial Sky Dome is expected to be completed by the end of summer 2005. This laboratory is funded by the National Science Foundation, Division of Undergraduate Education, (CCLI) Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement-Adaptation and Implementation. This new laboratory will help integrate the engineering of daylighting systems into the school’s curriculum, with the anticipation that this will nurture the scientific background and design skills of undergraduate students. The secondary mission of the laboratory is to disseminate the same knowledge and/or skills between graduate students, faculty, and practicing professionals. The laboratory will also be an effective venue to integrate teaching and research. 1. Design of Daylighting Systems in Buildings Integration between daylighting and electric lighting systems in commercial buildings may result in a significant reduction in the annual energy consumption and operating cost. Indeed, daylight is a free source of energy. Moreover, it is rather a cool source of light that reduces space cooling load. Despite of this fact, the majority of building designers still does not use accurate design tools to design daylighting systems in buildings. Currently, design of daylighting systems relies on the use of rules of thumb, which are not accurate because they only offer general guidance that is not case-specific. The use of inaccurate design tools results in losing the opportunity of saving energy. Currently used daylighting design tools include, but not limited to, simple formulas, daylighting nomographs, and graphical methods. Each of these design-assisting tools “Proceedings of the 2005 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2005, American Society for Engineering Education”

The questions connected with the influence of pulsed heating of the coolant on the operating efficiency and the parameters of the heat supply systems are considered. When implementing such a method in the heating systems of private residential buildings (houses) «hot water boiler – heat exchangers – living quarters», where the working body (heat carrier) is water, it is necessary, along with maintaining comfortable conditions inside the premises, to create an efficient operating mode with minimizing fuel consumption, which may possibly be mutually exclusive influencing factors. In addition, the theoretical justification of the efficiency of using pulsed heating of heating medium in heating systems of residential buildings is extremely limited in the technical literature, which served to formulate the purpose of this work. To achieve it, a mathematical model of the thermal performance of the individual heating system of the building with pulsed heating of the coolant has been developed. Based on the analysis of the heat carrier heating dynamics equation, the main parameters of impulse heating of a heat supply system of a building are determined, the rational values for the duration of the heat input and the pause between the pulses, and the duty cycle of the pulses, depending on the heating surface of the heating devices in the buildings and the thermal losses to the environment. The essential influence of these functional parameters on the characteristics of the impulse heat supply and the heat carrier heating intensity has been shown. The ranges of the change in the pulse frequency have been determined, within which the pulse mode of heat supply in heating systems can be more effective. The concept has been introduced, by analogy with the regular mode of heating (cooling), the rate of heating (cooling) of the coolant – the rate of change in its temperature

Pump Efficiency of Water Supply Systems in Buildings of Hong Kong

Energy saving performance assessment and lessons learned from the operation of an active phase change materials system in a multi-storey building in Melbourne

The usage of an air–conditioning (AC) system in any building is necessary to maintain its indoor thermal comfort and health. However, this system consumes a lot of energy, while the usage of refrigerant causes irreversible damage to the ozone layer. To solve this problem, a solar thermoelectric radiant panel (PV-TERP) system has a high potential in replacing conventional AC system because it requires no refrigerant and easier to be controlled due to the absence of moving and mechanical parts such as water pumps, compressors, including auxiliary and hydronic pipes. Meanwhile, the usage of solar energy in the PV-TERP system can also help reduce fossil energy consumption and carbon emissions. The main objective of this work is to design a new PV-TERP system for replacing conventional AC systems in buildings located in tropical climate countries, like Malaysia. It is found that the designed PV-TERP system can provide up to 4.84 kW of cooling power, which is about 0.6% higher than the cooling load of targeted rooms. Here, the targeted rooms operate under indoor parameters within the acceptable range of ASHRAE standard-55. The obtained results clearly show that the new design is applicable to be used as a cooling system for the targeted building. In the future, it is then essential to understand the thermal properties and mechanism of the design via simulation process, followed by experimental validation to support the design feasibility. In conclusion, this new design of PV-TERP will lead the path toward expanding renewable energy applications for cooling purposes in sustaining and preserving the environment. HIGHLIGHTS Alternative cooling system in replacing air-conditioning (AC) system for maintaining indoor thermal comfort without harming the environment. Designation of the PV-TERP system as a cooling system for building in a tropical country (Malaysia) under indoor parameters within the acceptable range of ASHRAE Standard-55. The designed PV-TERP is refrigerant-free and operates using renewable energy, which can sustain and preserve the environment for a better future. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in buildings have great potential to provide regulation capacity that is leveraged to maintain the balance of supply and demand in the power system. In order to make full use of HVAC’s regulation capacity, it is important to accurately evaluate it ahead of time. Because physical model-based approaches are hard to implement and highly personalized for each building, data-driven approaches are preferable for this capacity evaluation. However, given the insufficient data for individual buildings and buildings’ potential unwillingness to share their data because of privacy concerns, it is extremely challenging to build a high-performance data-driven regulation capacity evaluation model. In this paper, we propose a privacy-preserving framework that combines federated learning and transfer learning to evaluate the regulation capacity of HVAC systems in heterogeneous buildings. Specifically, a classified federated learning algorithm is proposed to build capacity evaluation models of HVAC systems for different building types. Each building trains its model locally without sharing data with other buildings to preserve privacy. The algorithm also tackles data insufficiency and achieves high evaluation accuracy. In addition, we design a cross-type transfer learning algorithm to enhance model generalization and further address data deficiency. A protocol is created for the above two algorithms to protect privacy and security. Finally, numerical case studies are conducted to validate the proposed framework.

Fire is a hazard caused by an uncontrollable flame, resulting in both material and moral losses. Fire problem occurs when firefighting equipment is often ignored during the construction planning of a building, for that we need to check and supervision the fire safety system in multilevel buildings. The purpose of this research is to determine the level of reliability of building fire safety system in Forriz Hotel Yogyakarta and is expected to be a refence fire protection system in other commercial buildings in Yogyakarta. this research used a method by direct observation on fire protection system with reference to fire safety inspection guidelines for building (Pd-T-11-2005-C). The result of this research is reliability value of building safety for each component consisting of the value of completeness of the site of 22,7% (less), means of the rescue of 16,4% (less), active protection of 15,1% (less), passive protection of 24,3 (less). The calculation results for the reliability of the building of Hotel Forriz Yogyakarta is 78,5% or in the Enough category. Based on the research result Hotel Forriz Yogyakarta cannot be used for reference to the implementation of the fire protection system in buildings.

A mixed integer linear programming-based simple method for optimizing the design and operation of space heating and domestic hot water hybrid systems in residential buildings