Energy Newsbriefs

Articles for August 30, 2010

ENERGY NEWSBRIEFS is a weekly current awareness service provided by the Washington State University Extension Energy Program Library and written by Angela Santamaria, WSU Energy Library Manager, to assist users in tracking developments in the energy field. To view past issues or to subscribe to receive an email notification of the publication of a new issue, go to the Energy Newsbriefs home.

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Buildings

The following two brief articles appeared in the June 2010 issue of Construction Innovation, a publication of the National Research Council Canada:

1. "Energy Rating of Insulated Wall Assemblies," by staff, ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­shows the testing method by which a tool was developed for an easy determination of a wall’s WER (Wall Energy Rating). View this article
2. "Managing Rainwater – An Update on Flanged Window Installation" includes a link to a 45-page article, published February 2010, "Laboratory Tests of Water Penetration through Wall-Window Interfaces Based on US Residential Window Installation Practice," by M.A. Lacasse et al." View the short article

Fenestration

"Windows" is a three-part article on windows, by Greg Zimmerman, Executive Editor, Building Operating Management , published in the July 2010 issue of that trade journal:

Part 1 is How Windows Help Meet Code. Three compliance options are well explained: prescriptive, trade-off, and compliance. Part 1

Part 2 is Windows and the New ASHRAE Standard 189.1. This ASHRAE (American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy) standard can be met using any of the three compliance methods explained in Part 1. Part 2

Part 3 is Windows and LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design]. LEED-NC (New Construction) certification addresses fenestration in several ways: for energy efficiency, for daylighting and views, for the reduction of light pollution, and operable windows in lieu of controls. Part 3

Health Care Facilities

"Targeting 100! Envisioning the High Performance Hospital: Implications for A New, Low Energy, High Performance Prototype," by Heather Burpee and Joel Loveland, published 2010, is an Executive Summary. The authors address the issue of developing designs that enable health care facilities to meet 60% energy reductions and, by 2030, to meet a net-zero energy goal. Read the informative paper

The August 2010 issue of ED+C (Environmental Design + Construction) includes the following four case studies:

1. "Cycles of Life," by Keith Davignon, AIA, founding principal, Vision 3 Architects, describes the sustainable repurposing of an abandoned 50,000ft.² building into a modern hospice. See this case study

2. "Foundations of Health" was authored by Kecia Wherry, MA, MPP, Vice President of Network Development and Community Relations, Baltimore Medical System, A healthcare center achieves LEED Platinum certification with a number of energy efficient and sustainable approaches including a reflective white roof. See this case study

3. "A Healing Oasis" was written by Janelle Myers, LEED AP, and Steve Van Dyke, Project Director, Rady Children’s Hospital Acute Care Pavilion. An expansion of a children's hospital is LEED certified and includes features such as an onsite cogeneration plant and sensor controls for ventilation rates. See this case study

4. "A Healthy Investment," was co-authored by Anita Rossen, Interior Designer and Medical Planner and Allyn Stellmacher, AIA, LEED AP, Design Partner; both of ZGF Architects LLP. The authors describe a hospital in Gig Harbor, Washington, designed to LEED guidelines that is a high performance building with an emphasis on being integrated into its natural surroundings. See this case study

Policy

The Recovery Act: Transforming the American Economy through Innovation is a 50-page, August 2010 report from the Obama administration. It describes the progress toward reaching energy-related goals such as for transportation, renewable energy, and the smart grid – as well as for broadband and healthcare. The goals include reducing the costs of renewables, increasing employment in the energy sector, and realizing an improved economy. Read the report, which includes an executive summary at the beginning.

Solar

"For Lean Budgets, a Plug-and-Play Solar Array,” by Jim Witkin, features a particular product (not yet commercially available), but, in the process, nicely describes and shows, in a video, how plug-and-play solar works and what its connection to the smart grid can be. This is a worthwhile introduction both to plug-and-play solar and to what it takes to get a product to market. See this article in the Green Blog of the New York Times, August 16, 2010

"A Solar Flare," by Andrew Glaser, is a case study of the Solar Settlement in Germany. The Solar Settlement is a group of nearly 60 solar-powered and highly energy-efficient homes that form a sustainable community. Inspired by the Heliotrope, the community was developed and financed through the genius and persistence Heliotrope designer Rolf Disch. See this case study in ED+C (Environmental Design + Construction) , August 2010

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