Page 140 - Zero Net Energy Case Study Buildings-Volume 2

CASE STUDY NO. 11
THE EXPLORATORIUM
Cumulative Net Energy Performance (2015)
Net Zero
Net Negative
Net Energy Production
128
Zero Net Energy Case Study Buildings: Volume 2
Post Occupancy: Observations and Conclusions
As might be imagined, moving and setting up operations at the new, larger facility involved a prodigious effort on the part of the Exploratorium staff and required some time to make every- thing functional and ready for the public. Commissioning such a large and complex building was equally as challenging, particularly considering the unusual nature of some of the building sys- tems. Much of the post-occupancy period since the building opening in 2013 has been taken up by these tasks and most of the post-occupancy issues are the result of the transition to the new facility and the startup of its unconventional systems.
Some issues, however, are actually common issues for properly “tuned” ZNE buildings, as noted in the earlier case study buildings, and are discussed below.
Post Occupancy: Controls and Monitoring
One common issue affecting the ZNE performance is the missing integration of the control sys- tems and energy monitoring systems. With no design for this during the planning and design phases of the project, the opportunity to monitor and improve the building’s energy performance is limited. At times, there are problems that arise which have an adverse effect and are simply un- detected. An example of the latter is a software update for a control system that overrode some equipment schedules and the DOAS fans ran all night for three months before anyone noticed.
One of the principal problems remains the onerous task of extracting measurement data from the BMS. In the absence of the master system integrator from the design team, a metering de- sign program was not done. That is, there was no design for establishing which meters together comprised measurement for a specific category of energy use.
The net result is that the Exploratorium is currently not able to monitor the performance of the energy system components on a regular basis—a major data extraction effort is required—and there is no breakdown of the energy use by category readily available (heating, cooling, lighting, plug load) so that progress toward the ZNE goal can be tracked.