World Resources Institute Working Papers contain preliminary research, analysis, findings, and re... more World Resources Institute Working Papers contain preliminary research, analysis, findings, and recommendations. They are circulated to stimulate timely discussion and critical feedback and to influence ongoing debate on emerging issues. Most working papers are eventually published in another form and their content may be revised.
Building energy rating schemes and tools are used around the world to underpin labeling or disclo... more Building energy rating schemes and tools are used around the world to underpin labeling or disclosure programs, and as a mechanism to determine minimum energy performance standards for buildings. Importantly, building energy performance reporting and disclosure is just one part of a comprehensive policy package to achieve energy efficiency policy objectives. Because building energy rating systems support or interact with a variety of different policies and programs, they are vitally important to get right. Building rating schemes necessarily differ by jurisdiction, so there has been little work to compare rating scheme elements across jurisdictions to identify elements of such programs that render them particularly effective at achieving their ultimate policy objectives. A recent project has attempted to document the state-of-play in the development, implementation, and use of building energy rating schemes. The main focus of the project was to assess how building energy rating sche...
This paper surveys current lighting design programs aimed towards energy efficiency in commercial... more This paper surveys current lighting design programs aimed towards energy efficiency in commercial buildings in the US. There is evidence that much of the US market has been transformed toward more efficient linear lamps and ballasts, but there is great potential for further reductions in more efficient and effective lighting design and controls. Lighting is a significant energy use that affects health, safety, and productivity in commercial and industrial built environments. Energy-efficient lighting practices must consider both technologies and design issues. Recently in the US, energy efficiency programs have recognized this and have been embracing design quality issues in conjunction with technologies. Several utilities and other public benefits providers in the US offer programs. As these programs grow, the need to benchmark, evaluate, and value both the energy and non-energy benefits of lighting design also grows.
In response to climate change, governments are developing policies to move toward ultra-low-energ... more In response to climate change, governments are developing policies to move toward ultra-low-energy or 'zero-energy' buildings (ZEBs). Policies, codes, and governance structures vary among regions, and there is no universally accepted definition of a ZEB. These variables make it difficult, for countries such as China that wish to set similar goals, to determine an optimum approach. This paper reviews ZEBs policies, programmes, and governance approaches in two jurisdictions that are leading ZEBs development: Denmark and the state of California in the United States. Different modes of governance (hierarchy: principal-agent relations, market: self organizing and network: independent actors) are examined specifically in relation to policy instruments (prescriptive, performance or outcome-based). The analysis highlights differences in institutional conditions and examines available data on energy performance resulting from a building policy framework. The purpose is to identify ZEBs governance and implementation deficits in China and analyse alternative governance approaches that could be employed in China, which is currently developing ZEBs targets and policies. Conclusions suggest that the ZEBs governance structure in China could benefit from widened participation by all societal actors involved in achieving ZEBs targets. China's ZEBs policies would benefit from employing a more balanced hybrid governance approach.
This study employs a simplified Knowledge Discovery in Database (KDD) to extract occupancy, equip... more This study employs a simplified Knowledge Discovery in Database (KDD) to extract occupancy, equipment and light use profiles from a database referred to 12 all-electric prefabricated dwellings in the Netherlands. The profiles are then integrated into a building performance simulation (BPS) model using the software TRNSYS v17. The significance of the extracted profiles is verified by comparing the total and end-use yearly electricity consumption of the investigated dwellings as predicted by the simulation tool with on-site measurements. For the considered dwellings, using standard OB modeling results in an underestimation of the energy use intensity (EUI) by 5.9% to 42.5%, depending on the case. The integration of the occupant behavior (OB) profiles improves the total electricity consumption prediction from an initial 22.9% average deviation from measurements to 1.7%. The results corroborate that the 1.6x discrepancy observed in the buildings' energy use intensity could be entirely ascribed to OB. Then, the knowledge extracted from the households' database is used to propose a local electricity market framework to reduce the electricity bill and grid dependency of all households. This study confirms the need for appropriate OB modeling in BPS, it shows the potential of the KDD method for successful OB profiles extraction, and is a first example of data-mined OB profiles integration in BPS, as well as of OB profiles deployment for a practical application other than energy use prediction.
Some new high performance, green buildings are cited in the literature as what is needed in the f... more Some new high performance, green buildings are cited in the literature as what is needed in the future to achieve carbon reduction targets in the buildings sector. Growing anecdotal information suggests that some of these buildings, while built with the latest technologies, are in fact operating at a higher energy intensity than predicted. In one of the more public examples, the new Seattle City Hall, which had received LEED Gold Certification, has been shown to use more energy per square foot than the "less efficient" building that it replaced. In many cases, there are valid reasons for the higher energy intensity, perhaps due to more outside air ventilation or innovative water recycling systems. Additionally, technologies in these buildings, and the interaction of these newer technologies, can be quite complex, and may be challenging to operate as designed and modeled. A variety of efforts are presently underway to accurately disclose the measured energy performance of the high performance building stock. The EPA ENERGY STAR ® Program, LEED for Existing Buildings, and a number of other efforts are based on actual energy performance, instead of modeled or simulated energy use. This paper reports on a number of efforts that are underway, particularly in Germany, the United Kingdom and some regions of the US, to better understand why some of these buildings are operating on a more efficient level, and for others why the performance has been different than expected.
In a variety of voluntary and regulatory initiatives around the globe, including the introduction... more In a variety of voluntary and regulatory initiatives around the globe, including the introduction of the European Building Performance Directive, the question of how to assess the performance of commercial buildings has become a critical issue. There are presently a number of initiatives for the assessment of actual building performance internationally, including in particular US ENERGY STAR ® Buildings rating tools and the Australian Building Greenhouse Rating scheme. These schemes seek to assess building energy performance on the basis of actual achieved results, which takes into account not only the theory of how well a design works but also the quality and fidelity of delivery, commissioning, operation and maintenance. It has been shown that in virtually identical buildings, with very similar systems, equipment, and space usage patterns, differences in control, operation and maintenance can generate dramatic impacts on the energy performance of the building. Given the known dissonances between theoretical performance and actual performance true operational performance-based assessment is essential if policy initiatives are to be assured of delivering actual benefits. Such assessment also has the strong benefit of being somewhat cheaper than design based approaches. In this paper, the various empirical benchmarking schemes around the world and in development are identified and briefly scoped. A summary of the benefits and problems of empirical benchmarking are discussed, and solutions and examples drawn from key existing schemes are presented.
In a variety of voluntary and regulatory initiatives around the globe, including the introduction... more In a variety of voluntary and regulatory initiatives around the globe, including the introduction of the European Building Performance Directive, the question of how to assess the performance of commercial buildings has become a critical issue. There are presently a number of initiatives for the assessment of actual building performance internationally, including in particular US Energy Star Buildings rating tools and the Australian Building Greenhouse Rating scheme. These schemes seek to assess building energy performance on the basis of actual achieved results, which takes into account not only the theory of how well a design works but also the quality and fidelity of delivery, commissioning, operation and maintenance. It has been shown that in virtually identical buildings, with very similar systems, equipment, and space usage patterns, differences in control, operation and maintenance can generate dramatic impacts on the energy performance of the building.
World Resources Institute Working Papers contain preliminary research, analysis, findings, and re... more World Resources Institute Working Papers contain preliminary research, analysis, findings, and recommendations. They are circulated to stimulate timely discussion and critical feedback and to influence ongoing debate on emerging issues. Most working papers are eventually published in another form and their content may be revised.
Building energy rating schemes and tools are used around the world to underpin labeling or disclo... more Building energy rating schemes and tools are used around the world to underpin labeling or disclosure programs, and as a mechanism to determine minimum energy performance standards for buildings. Importantly, building energy performance reporting and disclosure is just one part of a comprehensive policy package to achieve energy efficiency policy objectives. Because building energy rating systems support or interact with a variety of different policies and programs, they are vitally important to get right. Building rating schemes necessarily differ by jurisdiction, so there has been little work to compare rating scheme elements across jurisdictions to identify elements of such programs that render them particularly effective at achieving their ultimate policy objectives. A recent project has attempted to document the state-of-play in the development, implementation, and use of building energy rating schemes. The main focus of the project was to assess how building energy rating sche...
This paper surveys current lighting design programs aimed towards energy efficiency in commercial... more This paper surveys current lighting design programs aimed towards energy efficiency in commercial buildings in the US. There is evidence that much of the US market has been transformed toward more efficient linear lamps and ballasts, but there is great potential for further reductions in more efficient and effective lighting design and controls. Lighting is a significant energy use that affects health, safety, and productivity in commercial and industrial built environments. Energy-efficient lighting practices must consider both technologies and design issues. Recently in the US, energy efficiency programs have recognized this and have been embracing design quality issues in conjunction with technologies. Several utilities and other public benefits providers in the US offer programs. As these programs grow, the need to benchmark, evaluate, and value both the energy and non-energy benefits of lighting design also grows.
In response to climate change, governments are developing policies to move toward ultra-low-energ... more In response to climate change, governments are developing policies to move toward ultra-low-energy or 'zero-energy' buildings (ZEBs). Policies, codes, and governance structures vary among regions, and there is no universally accepted definition of a ZEB. These variables make it difficult, for countries such as China that wish to set similar goals, to determine an optimum approach. This paper reviews ZEBs policies, programmes, and governance approaches in two jurisdictions that are leading ZEBs development: Denmark and the state of California in the United States. Different modes of governance (hierarchy: principal-agent relations, market: self organizing and network: independent actors) are examined specifically in relation to policy instruments (prescriptive, performance or outcome-based). The analysis highlights differences in institutional conditions and examines available data on energy performance resulting from a building policy framework. The purpose is to identify ZEBs governance and implementation deficits in China and analyse alternative governance approaches that could be employed in China, which is currently developing ZEBs targets and policies. Conclusions suggest that the ZEBs governance structure in China could benefit from widened participation by all societal actors involved in achieving ZEBs targets. China's ZEBs policies would benefit from employing a more balanced hybrid governance approach.
This study employs a simplified Knowledge Discovery in Database (KDD) to extract occupancy, equip... more This study employs a simplified Knowledge Discovery in Database (KDD) to extract occupancy, equipment and light use profiles from a database referred to 12 all-electric prefabricated dwellings in the Netherlands. The profiles are then integrated into a building performance simulation (BPS) model using the software TRNSYS v17. The significance of the extracted profiles is verified by comparing the total and end-use yearly electricity consumption of the investigated dwellings as predicted by the simulation tool with on-site measurements. For the considered dwellings, using standard OB modeling results in an underestimation of the energy use intensity (EUI) by 5.9% to 42.5%, depending on the case. The integration of the occupant behavior (OB) profiles improves the total electricity consumption prediction from an initial 22.9% average deviation from measurements to 1.7%. The results corroborate that the 1.6x discrepancy observed in the buildings' energy use intensity could be entirely ascribed to OB. Then, the knowledge extracted from the households' database is used to propose a local electricity market framework to reduce the electricity bill and grid dependency of all households. This study confirms the need for appropriate OB modeling in BPS, it shows the potential of the KDD method for successful OB profiles extraction, and is a first example of data-mined OB profiles integration in BPS, as well as of OB profiles deployment for a practical application other than energy use prediction.
Some new high performance, green buildings are cited in the literature as what is needed in the f... more Some new high performance, green buildings are cited in the literature as what is needed in the future to achieve carbon reduction targets in the buildings sector. Growing anecdotal information suggests that some of these buildings, while built with the latest technologies, are in fact operating at a higher energy intensity than predicted. In one of the more public examples, the new Seattle City Hall, which had received LEED Gold Certification, has been shown to use more energy per square foot than the "less efficient" building that it replaced. In many cases, there are valid reasons for the higher energy intensity, perhaps due to more outside air ventilation or innovative water recycling systems. Additionally, technologies in these buildings, and the interaction of these newer technologies, can be quite complex, and may be challenging to operate as designed and modeled. A variety of efforts are presently underway to accurately disclose the measured energy performance of the high performance building stock. The EPA ENERGY STAR ® Program, LEED for Existing Buildings, and a number of other efforts are based on actual energy performance, instead of modeled or simulated energy use. This paper reports on a number of efforts that are underway, particularly in Germany, the United Kingdom and some regions of the US, to better understand why some of these buildings are operating on a more efficient level, and for others why the performance has been different than expected.
In a variety of voluntary and regulatory initiatives around the globe, including the introduction... more In a variety of voluntary and regulatory initiatives around the globe, including the introduction of the European Building Performance Directive, the question of how to assess the performance of commercial buildings has become a critical issue. There are presently a number of initiatives for the assessment of actual building performance internationally, including in particular US ENERGY STAR ® Buildings rating tools and the Australian Building Greenhouse Rating scheme. These schemes seek to assess building energy performance on the basis of actual achieved results, which takes into account not only the theory of how well a design works but also the quality and fidelity of delivery, commissioning, operation and maintenance. It has been shown that in virtually identical buildings, with very similar systems, equipment, and space usage patterns, differences in control, operation and maintenance can generate dramatic impacts on the energy performance of the building. Given the known dissonances between theoretical performance and actual performance true operational performance-based assessment is essential if policy initiatives are to be assured of delivering actual benefits. Such assessment also has the strong benefit of being somewhat cheaper than design based approaches. In this paper, the various empirical benchmarking schemes around the world and in development are identified and briefly scoped. A summary of the benefits and problems of empirical benchmarking are discussed, and solutions and examples drawn from key existing schemes are presented.
In a variety of voluntary and regulatory initiatives around the globe, including the introduction... more In a variety of voluntary and regulatory initiatives around the globe, including the introduction of the European Building Performance Directive, the question of how to assess the performance of commercial buildings has become a critical issue. There are presently a number of initiatives for the assessment of actual building performance internationally, including in particular US Energy Star Buildings rating tools and the Australian Building Greenhouse Rating scheme. These schemes seek to assess building energy performance on the basis of actual achieved results, which takes into account not only the theory of how well a design works but also the quality and fidelity of delivery, commissioning, operation and maintenance. It has been shown that in virtually identical buildings, with very similar systems, equipment, and space usage patterns, differences in control, operation and maintenance can generate dramatic impacts on the energy performance of the building.
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Papers by Adam Hinge