Building performance
Encyclopedia
Building performance or home performance is a comprehensive whole-house approach to identifying and fixing comfort and energy efficiency
problems in a home.
Energy audits are performed by energy auditors, also known as building analysts or consultants, which, in the United States, are usually certified by the Building Performance Institute (BPI) or the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET
).http://www.energy.ca.gov/HERS/index.html In the beginning stages of a design, building performance can also be optimized with software solutions for architects.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency
and Department of Energy
started a national program "Home Performance with ENERGY STAR
" to offer a comprehensive, whole-house approach to improving energy efficiency and comfort at home, while helping to protect the environment. The Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program has 40 programs, to date, across the country which are administered by various utilities and state energy offices.
Home performance applies building science
to address the following issues:
Diagnostic equipment includes:
A home performance energy audit results in home energy retrofit recommendations to improve the comfort and efficiency of the home, the most common of which include:
Efficient energy use
Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the goal of efforts to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. For example, insulating a home allows a building to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve and maintain a comfortable temperature...
problems in a home.
Energy audits are performed by energy auditors, also known as building analysts or consultants, which, in the United States, are usually certified by the Building Performance Institute (BPI) or the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET
ResNet
A ResNet , which stands for residential network , is a relatively large local area network or a metropolitan area network provided by a university that serves the personal computers of students in their residence halls or dormitory buildings...
).http://www.energy.ca.gov/HERS/index.html In the beginning stages of a design, building performance can also be optimized with software solutions for architects.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
and Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
started a national program "Home Performance with ENERGY STAR
Energy Star
Energy Star is an international standard for energy efficient consumer products originated in the United States of America. It was first created as a United States government program during the early 1990s, but Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan and the European Union have also adopted...
" to offer a comprehensive, whole-house approach to improving energy efficiency and comfort at home, while helping to protect the environment. The Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program has 40 programs, to date, across the country which are administered by various utilities and state energy offices.
Home performance applies building science
Building science
Building science is the collection of scientific knowledge that focuses on the analysis and control of the physical phenomena affecting buildings. It traditionally includes the detailed analysis of building materials and building envelope systems...
to address the following issues:
- Efficient energy useEfficient energy useEfficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the goal of efforts to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. For example, insulating a home allows a building to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve and maintain a comfortable temperature...
- Durability
- Indoor Air QualityIndoor air qualityIndoor air quality is a term referring to the air quality within and around buildings and structures, especially as it relates to the health and comfort of building occupants....
- Thermal ComfortThermal comfortThermal comfort is a term used by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, an international body. It is defined as the state of mind in humans that expresses satisfaction with the surrounding environment...
- Indoor Moisture sources and solutions
Diagnostic equipment includes:
- Blower doorBlower DoorA blower door is a piece of equipment primarily used to measure the airtightness of small to medium size buildings. It can also be used to measure airflow between building zones, to test ductwork airtightness and to help physically locate air leakage sites in the building envelope.There are three...
- Duct blaster
- Thermographic cameraThermographic cameraA thermographic camera or infrared camera is a device that forms an image using infrared radiation, similar to a common camera that forms an image using visible light...
- Combustion analyzer
A home performance energy audit results in home energy retrofit recommendations to improve the comfort and efficiency of the home, the most common of which include:
- Sealing air holes and gaps in the building envelopeBuilding envelopeThe building envelope is the physical separator between the interior and the exterior environments of a building. Another emerging term is "Building Enclosure". It serves as the outer shell to help maintain the indoor environment and facilitate its climate control...
and subsequently adding insulation. - Sealing ductsDuct (HVAC)Ducts are used in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning to deliver and remove air. These needed airflows include, for example, supply air, return air, and exhaust air. Ducts also deliver, most commonly as part of the supply air, ventilation air...
. - Upgrading heating and cooling systemsHVACHVAC refers to technology of indoor or automotive environmental comfort. HVAC system design is a major subdiscipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer...
, appliancesHome applianceHome appliances are electrical/mechanical machines which accomplish some household functions, such as cooking or cleaning. Home appliances can be classified into:*Major appliances, or White goods*Small appliances, or Brown goods...
and lightingLightingLighting or illumination is the deliberate application of light to achieve some practical or aesthetic effect. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources such as lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight...
by replacing them with energy efficient equipment such as ENERGY STAREnergy StarEnergy Star is an international standard for energy efficient consumer products originated in the United States of America. It was first created as a United States government program during the early 1990s, but Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan and the European Union have also adopted...
appliances or devices, compact fluorescent lampCompact fluorescent lampA compact fluorescent lamp , also called compact fluorescent light, energy-saving light, and compact fluorescent tube, is a fluorescent lamp designed to replace an incandescent lamp; some types fit into light fixtures formerly used for incandescent lamps...
s, or LEDLED lampAn LED lamp is a solid-state lamp that uses light-emitting diodes as the source of light. The LEDs involved may be conventional semiconductor light-emitting diodes, organic LEDs , or polymer light-emitting diodes devices, although PLED technologies are not currently commercially available.Since...
lamps. - Adding heat recovery ventilationHeat recovery ventilationHeat recovery ventilation, also known as HRV, mechanical ventilation heat recovery, or MVHR, is an energy recovery ventilation system using equipment known as a heat recovery ventilator, heat exchanger, air exchanger, or air-to-air heat exchanger which employs a counter-flow heat exchanger between...
or other means to control and upgrade fresh air ventilation. - Controlling moisture.
See also
- Energy auditEnergy auditAn energy audit is an inspection, survey and analysis of energy flows for energy conservation in a building, process or system to reduce the amount of energy input into the system without negatively affecting the output.-Principle:...
- Building scienceBuilding scienceBuilding science is the collection of scientific knowledge that focuses on the analysis and control of the physical phenomena affecting buildings. It traditionally includes the detailed analysis of building materials and building envelope systems...
- Green retrofitGreen retrofitGreen retrofit, home energy retrofit, home retrofit, Deep energy retrofit and home performance retrofit are terms with overlapping meaning for retrofits that ensure the maintenance and preservation of buildings and the continued operation and maintenance of energy efficiency technologies...
- WeatherizationWeatherizationWeatherization or weatherproofing is the practice of protecting a building and its interior from the elements, particularly from sunlight, precipitation, and wind, and of modifying a building to reduce energy consumption and optimize energy efficiency.Weatherization is distinct from building...
- Efficient energy useEfficient energy useEfficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the goal of efforts to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. For example, insulating a home allows a building to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve and maintain a comfortable temperature...
- Architectural engineeringArchitectural engineeringArchitectural engineering, also known as building engineering, is the application of engineering principles and technology to building design and construction...
External links
- BPI Building Performance Institute - U.S. organization setting home performance technical standards
- Efficiency First - U.S. trade association of home performance contractors and others promoting performance based energy retrofits.