Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
6.1.6 Conclusions
From the aforementioned analyses, one may conclude the importance of
incorporating an energy performance directive as a standard in our region;
such a goal will aid energy savings in large buildings and will set regu-
lations for energy-efficient designs that are based on standard calculation
methods. The proposed standard would be largely based on international
standards and appropriately modified to suit local practices. Basically, the
proposal is to
1. Develop standardised tools for the calculation of the energy perfor-
mance of buildings.
2. Define system boundaries for the different building categories.
3. Prepare models for expressing requirements on indoor air quality,
thermal comfort in winter (and, when appropriate, in summer),
visual comfort and so forth.
4. Develop transparent systems to determine necessary input data for
the calculations, including default values on internal gains.
5. Define comparable energy-related key values (kWh/m
2
, kWh per
person, kWh per apartment, kWh per produced unit etc.). The areas/
volumes need to be defined.
6. Develop a method to translate net energy used in the building to
primary energy and carbon dioxide emissions.
7. Develop a common procedure for an 'energy performance certificate'.
8. Develop and compile relevant standards applicable for each indi-
vidual building category.
6.2 Indoor Environmental Quality
6.2.1 General
Indoor environmental quality
, as the name implies, simply refers to the quality
of the air in an office or in other building environments. Workers are often
concerned that they have symptoms or health conditions from exposure to
contaminants in the buildings where they work. One reason for this concern
is that their symptoms often get better when they are not in the building.
Although research has shown that some respiratory symptoms and illnesses
can be associated with damp buildings, it is still unclear what measurements
of indoor contaminants show that workers are at risk for disease. In most
instances, where a worker and his or her physician suspect that the building
environment is causing a specific health condition, the information available
