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Albedo
The ratio
of reflected light to the total amount falling on a surface. A high albedo
indicates high reflectance properties.
ASHRAE
American
Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers
Base Building
Also referred
to as "core and shell" building, includes overall building elements
which are completed prior to construction of tenant finishe; including
structure, enclosures (walls, glass and roof), the vertical core (consisting
of elevators, stairs, bathrooms, shafts and risers) and central mechanical
and electrical systems.
Biodegradable
A material
which can be decomposed when discarded by the normal action of bacteria
and fungi. Typical examples are paper and wood products, natural fibers,
starches.
BTU
(British Thermal Units)
A unit of
measurement equivalent to the amount of heat energy required to raise
the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit.
Building Commissioning
A systematic
process that begins in the design phase of a new or remodeled building,
and includes testing and fine-tuning of the HVAC, electrical, plumbing
and other system to assure proper functioning and adherence to design
criteria. Commissioning also includes preparation the systems operations
manuals, and instruction of the building maintenance personnel.
Building Envelope
The elements
of a building (e.g. walls, roofs, floors) enclosing conditioned spaces
through which thermal energy may be transferred.
Building Load
That energy
expended for running of building systems.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
Synthetic
chemicals manufactured from hydrocarbons and chlorine, flourine, or bromine
that are used in refrigeration, air conditioning, packaging, insulation,
and as solvents and aerosol propellants. Because CFCs drift into the upper
atmosphere, where their chlorine components destroy the earth's protective
ozone layer, they were completely banned in 1997.
Clerestory
A glass
"window" at the top of an interior building wall, specifically
intended to transmit daylight from the exterior to the interior.
Curtain Wall
Any exterior
wall which is supported by or "hung" from the building structure.
Typically, the term curtain wall is used to describe a metal and glass
wall system.
Daylighting
The use of
controlled natural lighting methods indoors through top lighting (sklights),
side lighting (windows) and/or uplighting (reflection)
Demand
The rate
at which energy is consumed by a piece of equipment or a building as a
whole or the maximum amount of energy required for a specific length of
time which may be greater than the amount of energy required at other
times.
Direct Digital Monitoring(and Control)
Sensing and
control of the building operating conditions with computer microprocessors
and digital communications.
DOE- 2
A public
domain computer program for energy analysis developed by Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory. Well suited for large commercial buildings, the program
calculates a building's energy use and lifecycle costs based on its location,
construction, operation, and HVAC systems. It is useful in evaluating
building system design, energy budgets, and life-cycle costs and benefits,
and can explore trade-offs between design alternatives. It includes four
main calculation sections: loads, systems, plants, and economics.
Formaldehyde
A gas used
widely in production of adhesives, plastics, preservatives, and fabric
treatments and commonly emitted by indoor materials that are made with
its compounds.
Fossil fuels
Coals, gas
or coal fuels derived from ancient vegetation. Fossil fuels were formed
several million years ago and are generally considered non-renewable energy
sources.
Fuel Cell
A technology
that uses an electromagnetic process to convert energy into electrical
power. Often powered by natural gas, fuel cell power is cleaner than grid-connected
power sources. In addition, hot water is produced as a by-product that
can be utilized as a thermal resource for the building.
Fungi
Parasitic
lower plants (including mold and mildew) lacking chlorophyll and needing
organic material and moisture to germinate and grow
Graywater
Wastewater
that does not contain sewage or fecal contamination and can be reused
for irrigation after simple filtration.
"Hat Truss" Design
A structural
steel truss located at the top of the building to provide a rigid frame
for resisting lateral wind loads and reducing building movement (sway).
Humidity, relative (RH)
The ratio
of the amount of water vapor actually present in the air to the greatest
amount possible at the same temperature
Hydrogenated Chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)
Substitute
refrigerants and solvents which do not have as much potential to destroy
atmospheric ozone if released into the environment as of CFCs . Most are
less efficient as refrigerants than CFCs and some are quite toxic.
HVAC System
The equipment,
distribution network and terminals that provide either, collectively or
individually the processes of heating, ventilation or air-conditioning
to a building.
IAQ (Indoor Air Quality)
According
to the U.S. EPA and National Institutes of Occupational Safety and Health,
the definition includes: 1) introduction and distribution of adequate
ventilation air; 2) control of airborne contaminants; and 3) maintenance
of acceptable temperature and relative humidity. According to ASHRAE Standard
62-1989 indoor air quality is defined as " air in which there are
no known contaminants at harmful concentrations as determined by cognizant
authorities and with which a substantial majority (80% or more) of the
people exposed do not express dissatisfaction.
Integrated Pest Management
A coordinated
approach to pest control that is intended to prevent unacceptable levels
of pests by the most cost-effective means with the least possible hazard
to building occupants, workers, and the environment.
ISO 14000
Set of generic
standards developed by the International Organization for Standardization
(ISO) created to give business management a structure for measuring environmental
impacts. The standards include a broad range of environmental disciplines,
including basic environmental management systems (EMS), auditing, environmental
performance evaluations (EPE), labeling, life-cycle assessment (LCA),
and environmental aspects in product standards (EAPS).
Life Cycle Cost
The amortized
annual cost of a product, including capital costs, installation costs,
operating costs, maintenance costs, and disposal costs discounted over
the lifetime of the product.
Light Shelf
A horizontal
device positioned (usually above eye level) to reflect daylight onto the
ceiling and to shield direct sunlight form the area immediately adjacent
to the window.
Load
Indicates
a rate of flow of energy for either a heating or cooling requirement or
a total of both (expressed in terms of BTU per hour, BTU per month or
BTU per year)
Low-E
(Emissivity) Glass
Glass with
a selective optical coating that blocks transmission of infrared light
while allowing transmission of the remaining available light spectrum,
to reduce solar heating loads and cooling energy while maintaining visible
daylight. The use of Low-E Glass results in spaces that are warmer in
the winter and cooler in the summer.
Luminaire
A complete
electric lighting unit, including housing, lamp and focusing and/or diffusing
elements; informally referred to as a fixture.
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
A legal
requirement for all potentially hazardous products, the data sheet indicates
the risks from using and disposing of the product and recommends safe
practices. The sheet may also indicate the chemical contents if the product.
Occupancy Sensor
A device
that detects the presence or absence of people within an area and causes
any combination of lighting, equipment or appliances to be adjusted accordingly.
Off Gassing or Out Gassing
The release
of gases or vapors from solid materials. It is a form of evaporation or
a slow chemical change which will produce indoor air pollution for prolonged
periods after installation of a material.
Operations & Maintenance
Operations
refers to how equipment or systems are run, e.g., when a system should
be turned on, temperature ranges, set points for boiler pressures and
temperatures, thermostat set points, etc. Maintenance refers to servicing
or repair of equipment and systems. "Preventive maintenance"
performed on a periodic basis to ensure optimum life and performance is
designed to prevent breakdown and unanticipated loss of production or
performance. "Corrective" or "unscheduled" maintenance
refers to repairs on a system to bring it back "on-line." "Predictive"
maintenance is performed on equipment monitored for signs of wear or degradation,
e.g., through thermography, oil analysis, vibration analysis, maintenance
history evaluation.
Outdoor or Outside Air
Air taken
from the exterior of the building that has not been previously circulated
through the building.
Ozone Depletion
The loss
of atmospheric ozone, which is the very high altitude layer that protects
the earth from destructive ultraviolet radiation.
Payback Period
The amount
of time it takes the savings resulting from the modification to "pay
back" the costs involved. A "simple" payback does not consider
the time value of money. A "discounted" payback period does.
Peak Load
Maximum predicted
load over a given segment of time for any system.
Photovoltaic
Generation
of electricity from the energy of sunlight, using photocells.
Photovoltaic Panels
These devices
use semiconductor material to directly convert sunlight into electricity.
Power is produced when sunlight strikes the semiconductor material and
creates an electric current. BPCA GG
Post-Consumer Recycled Content
A reclaimed
waste product that has already served a purpose to the consumer, such
as a used newspaper, and has been diverted or separated from the waste
stream for recycling and reprocessing back into a new consumer product.
Post-industrial Recycled Content
Material
that is the byproduct of the industrial production process.
R-value
A measure
of the thermal resistance of material.
"Radiance" Program
Public domain
lighting simulation software developed at Lawrence Berkeley Labs, for
"analysis and visualization of lighting in design." It is used
by architects and engineers to predict illumination, visual quality, and
appearance of innovative design spaces. A PC version named ADELINE uses
Radiance and can interface with CAD software.
Recycled Material
Material
that would be otherwise destined for disposal but is diverted or separated
from the waste stream, reintroduced as material feedstock, and processed
into marketed end products.
Renewable
A renewable
product that can be grown or naturally replenished or cleansed at a rate
that exceeds human depletion of the resource.
Renewable Energy
Energy resources
such as wind power or solar energy that can keep producing indefinitely.
Return Air
Air that
has circulated through a building as supply air and has been returned
and has been returned to the HVAC systems for additional conditioning
or release from the building.
Reuse
The recovery
of material to be used again for a similar application without reprocessing.
Supply Air
The total
quantity of air supplied to a space of a building for thermal conditioning
and ventilation. Typically, supply air consists of a mixture of return
air and outdoor air that is appropriately filtered and conditioned.
Sustainable
The condition
of being able to meet the needs of present generations without compromising
those needs for future generations. Achieving a balance among extraction
and renewal and environmental inputs and outputs, as to cause no overall
net environmental burden or deficit. To be truly sustainable, a human
community must not decrease biodiversity, must not consume resources faster
than they are renewed, must recycle and reuse virtually all materials
and must rely primarily on the resources of its own region.
Sustainability
The practice
of conservation and environmental protection which assures the availability
of resources for future generations.
Task Lighting
Lighting
that provides illumination for specific visual functions, and is directed
to a specific surface or area.
Thermal Breaks
An insulating
barrier which provides a separation between construction elements that
are exposed to the outside. A thermal break is used especially to reduce
the conductive transfer of curtain wall and window frame elements and
their resulting energy loss to the outside. A thermal break also minimizes
the the possibility of condensation on surfaces of exterior framing.
Transmissivity
The capacity
of a material to transmit radiant energy.
Urban Heat Island Effect
The additional
heating of air over city as the result of the replacement of vegetated
surfaces with those composed of asphalt, concrete, rooftops and other
man-made materials. These materials store much of the sun's energy, producing
a dome of elevated air temperatures up to 10 degrees greater over city
compared to air temperatures over adjacent rural areas. Light colored
rooftops and lighter colored pavement can help to dissipate heat by reflecting
sunlight, and tree planting can further help modify the city's temperature
through shading and evapotranspiration.
Vairable Air Volume (VAV)
A method
of modulating the amount of heating or cooling effect that is delivered
to a building by the HVAC system. The flow of air is modulated rather
than the temperature. VAV systems typically consist of VAV boxes that
throttle supply air-flow to individual zones, some mechanism to control
supply-fan flow to match box demand, and the interconnecting ductwork
and components.
Variable Speed Drives
Motor drives
for fans and pumps whose speed can be increased or decreased by modulating
the frequency of the electrical input, thereby reducing electrical demand
at part-load conditions.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)
Chemicals
that contain carbon molecules and are volatile enough to evaporate from
materials surfaces into indoor air at normal room temperatures (referred
to as off-gassing). Examples of building materials that may contain VOCs
include, but are not limited to, solvents, paints, adhesives, carpeting,
and particleboard. Signs and symptoms of VOC exposure may include eye
and upper respiratory irritation, nasal congestion, headache and dizziness.
Sources:
Lessons Learned 4 Times Square
attery Park City Authority Green Guidelines
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