ENE3048 Energy and the Environment

ZERO ENERGY
DEMAND
BUILDING 36,
MONASH
UNIVERSITY

Adryane, Carlos, Misty

03/06/2014

Introduction
Nowadays, the correct use of the energies allied with the reduction of energy
uses and natural resources uses are being fundamental for the future of the
planet. The degradation of the environment and the raise of the population is
decreasing the supply of energy for the world and compromising the future
generations use.
As part of an assessment of the subject Energy and Environments of Monash
University Engineering, a new supply energy project should be design in order
to reduce electricity and gas consumption with selected upgrades. The building
in study is the 36 Engineering Building which is located at Monash University,
Clayton Campus, in Victoria, Australia.
This building accommodates Electrical and Computer Sciences Engineering
ECSE (Ground), Materials Engineering (First floor) and Chemical Engineering
(Second floor), with staff offices and labs on all levels.
The tables bellow shows the details about the building 36:
Rooms / Offices
Ground ECSE service room
38 offices room

Level 1

3 services rooms
33 offices room

Labs
Biomimetic Robots
laboratory
Digital Perception
laboratory
2 Materials
Engineering laboratory

Level 2

1 room
30 offices room

Bioproducts & Food

Engineering laboratory

Others
1 Male toilet
1 Female toilet
1 Male toilet
1 Express
computer

Based on quick scans done and documents provided in classes, the building
structure and resources was identified as well as the amount of energy used in
site. The current use of energy was calculated in almost 1,000 MWh per annum,
as shows the table and the respective graphic that follows.

Total Usage
Number of
equipments

End Use Groups

Air Conditioning
Plant
Air Handling
Equipment
Kitchen equipment
Lighting
Miscellaneous
Equipment
Office Equipment
Testing and
Laboratory
Equipment
Gas consuming
equipment
Total (kWh)

Peak

Off-Peak

kWh/year

kWh/year

Total Energy
Usage per End
use Group

A/C

23

208,442

77,848 286,290 30.6%

AHE

54

KE

28

LGT

552

91,013
23,442
73,674

58,984 149,997 16.0%

12,461
35,903
3.8%
5,995
79,669
8.5%

MISC

29

OE

139

142,682
41,804

50,197 192,879 20.6%

45,537
87,341
9.3%

TEST

35

85,381

18,391 103,772 11.1%

0

GAS

860

666438

269413

0.0%

935851

Total Energy Usage per End use Group

Building 36
A/C

AHE

11.1%

30.6%

9.3%

KE

20.6%

LGT
16.0%
8.5%

MISC

3.8%
OE
TEST

The impact in the environment is caused by the large use of energy. As much
more the building uses energy more resources to make this electricity is
needed, such as coal. One of the effect caused for the coal as resource of
energy is the launch of CO2 to the atmosphere, this gas is a greenhouse gas,
which increases the temperature of the Earth. With the new energy pattern the
building will use solar energy to generate electricity and heat, decreasing the
impact in the environment. The following report will present the current energy

use and establish new patterns of consumption of electricity and gas in the
building 36 by the redesigning and upgrading of the current pattern.

Audit findings
The solar potential
According with Sara Wilkinson (2009), in Melbourne region, the average of
generation of a solar PV system is 3.6 kWh/day in one year. For this project
was identified the opportunity to utilise solar energy in the roof area of the
building. A standard rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) panel used for this analysis
was assumed to be 1,665mm x 1,016mm in size, with a rated power of 250W.
The supposed rectangular panels were regularly spread on the non-shadowed
area on the aerial image obtained from Google street view, as shown in Figure
1.

Figure 1 - Building 36 Aerial view with a suitable solar PV system

The estimated system is composed by 454 solar cells, which correspond a
energy generation of approximately 150 MWh of energy per year, which is 16%
of the total energy demand on the building before implement the Zero Energy
Program.

Plug loads
The main plug loads verified in the studied building were office equipment, such
as basic desktop computers, monitors, printers, task lights and fax machines;
and testing and laboratory equipments which, beside those devices, have
equipments such as portable chillers and vacuum pumps. Also, some kitchen
(fridge, water heaters, microwaves, etc.) equipments were found in the offices.
In relation to the offices equipments, it was observed that many workstations
had their own single-user. In order to optimize the energy consumption is
suggested creating copy and print station wherever possible. In addition to that,
LED displays and low wattage PCs should place the older ones in order to
decrease the energy consumption.
For the laboratory equipments, it was assumed that they are handling by
students, researchers and staff members in a variety of times a day. For that
reason, it is recommended that these people switch off these equipments when
they are not in use for a long period, such as the lunch time. Friendly warning
close those devices would be a good form to remember the users to it. The
Reducing Energy Consumption section will detail better those issues.

Lighting
During visits on the building, it was possible verify that the majority of the lights
installed in the building are 36W fluorescent tubes, with each of the fittings
containing four or two tubes. In the corridors, those lights are controlled off a
single light switch, and probably the rooms have the same system. The building
has large laboratories with high demand of energy.
The efficiency of lighting system should be improved in order to reach lower
energy consumption at Building 36. As suggestion, a management plan was
created based on the usage of the described system. The main proposed
changes are listed:

Installation of daylight, with sensors daylight, where there is enough

daylight available;

Installation of motion sensors in corridors and toilets;

Replace all fluorescents tubes by halogen downlights with LED

alternatives.

That alternative more efficient system would reduce energy consumption and
energy wastage by improving light control. The result is reducing costs, as
discussed on the follow sections.
Building Envelope
Unshaded windows around the building should be affecting the occupants
comfort by solar heat gain and glare on the building during the summer months.
The movable prismatic panels that reflect the direct sunlight and allow diffuse
daylight into the space is recommended as a source of external shading. This
equipments increases daylight, external views and natural ventilation, at the
same time that reduce glare, and energy consumption associated to lighting
and air conditioning.
HVAC
According to an excel spreadsheet document provided during Energy and
Environments classes, the building 36 has a Central water cooled chiller with a
Coefficient of Performance (COP) equals 2.3, which is a bad performance.
That system should be replaced by system composed by an air cooled chiller
and a boiler with heat pump, both with COP~4, variable speed drives and
controls and night purge.

Reducing energy consumption

Recently, the energy consumption has represented major challenges
encountered by the humanity. In order to deal with these challenges, it is
recommended that measures such as advising building users, optimize lighting
use, encouraging the use of energy efficient computers and to turn off eligible
building equipment outside business hours.
Firstly, to reduce the energy consumption in any building, it is necessary to
implement rules and advices to the users. These advices need to instruct
students and staff to use the machinery existing in the building correctly. Simple

measures to be taken include: open windows when possible to reduce the

energy used by air conditioners, utilize fans that require less electricity energy
and implement exhausters at the upstairs lobby through the attic. All of these
options diminish the demand for air conditioning.
Secondly, the staffs and students should work together to save energy in the
lighting area, through a promotion encouraging the building users to turn off the
lights and equipment when they are not using them. Additionally, the best
solution to avoid energy loss in lighting is probably to remove light tubes from
places in which they are not really necessary. Moreover, the installment of
movement detectors would represent a great energy save, due to their
capability to turn on and off the lights in a determined room according to the
presence of people using it.
Furthermore, the users are recommended to use laptops instead of desktop
computers. This is because laptops are more energetically efficient than
desktop computers. According to the website of the company Energy Australia
(2014), laptops consume less than 50% of the energy that a desktop computer
consumes. However, the use of desktops in the university, especially in
laboratories, is necessary due to its increased memory capacity and others
requisites. To minimize their effects, the solution is to upgrade monitors using
LCD screens, which have a greater energy efficiency than the older tube ones.
Additionally, reducing the screen sizes is an alternative measure to help save
more energy. The users are advised to set all computers to automatically turn
off if they are not in use.
Finally, this building has great quantity of equipment and some of them do not
need to stay turned on overnight. In order to save energy, it is necessary to turn
off all equipment that is not used during the nighttime and also during the
weekend and public holydays. For example, equipment such as photocopiers,
some computers and printers do not require constant use. In the present time,
most of the equipment has been labeled as energy-saving equipment; it is
because they have the capability to save more energy than the conventional
ones so it is recommended to replace the equipment that does not have the
energy-saving competence.

Building energy balance

Based on the number and quality of the devices founded on the audit step, the
energy consumption in the building was calculated using assumptions of
operation hours. As mentioned before, the current use of energy was calculated
in almost 1,000 MWh per annum in the building.
The upgraded building with improvement in the original structure was estimated
by calculating the total surface area and the shading factor in each faade on
the building. A spreadsheet with the necessary data was provided in class, as
well as some factor assumptions for estimating the faade, leakage, ventilation
losses and gains for the existing and the modelling building. The results are
showed in the Graph below.

Energy losses and gains for the existing

and the upgrated building 36
1000
800
Faade loss

Energy (MWh/m)

600
400
200
0
-200

upgrade

base

Leakage
loss
Ventilation
loss
Ventilation
gain

-400
-600
-800

Through the proposed retrofitting of lights, space conditioning, building

enveloping and equipment improvement the energy consumption drops to less
than 600 MWh per year. The additional onsite energy generation through the
solar photovoltaic panel system provides an extra energy and economic
savings. The graph below shows modelling results for each step of the retrofit of
the building in study.

1400
1200

Cumulative energy use savings with selected

upgrates for Building 36

Energy consumption (MWh/a)

Solar
1000
800

lighting
Appliances
Ventilation

600
400

Cooling
Heating

200
0

-200

Economic Analysis
This topic is going to talk about the costs involved on the upgrade of the
building 36. The purpose of this topic is show how much will cost become this
building energetically more efficient and greener, in addition, to show the time
that the savings of energy caused by the upgrade will spend to equalize the
cost of the stuff installation.
Several changes on the buildings energy pattern can turn this one energetically
better, depending less about electricity energy. With the upgrade, it will use and
spend less energy. Furthermore, it will have another source of energy that is the
solar energy from the installation of the solar panels in the top of the building.
To calculate how many solar panels can be installed in the building 36, we
calculate the total space that is possible to arrange the panels seeing the area
using the Google Maps.
Although upgrade the building will get this building environmentally better, to put
new systems such as the solar energy, new machines efficiently better than the
current ones means costs. New costs. However, the new installations of the

building will modify the use of energy decreasing the kwh of usage of gas and
electricity a what will reduce the costs of the bills of this building. Whereas the
use of solar energy will aid to reduce the use of electricity as well. Therefore, in
the end the changes will equalize the price to change the building.
The upgrade on the building 36 consists in several activities to modify the
current installations. Within these activities in included the installation of
shading on window, the insulate opaque faade, insulate roof, insulate
oor, double glazing, installation of window lm, increase sealing, appliances
upgrade in the computers, lighting upgrade changing yellow lights for white and
efficient ones, hot water system upgrade, heat pump and chiller

upgrade,

heat pump and chiller tuning, solar panels installation.

The total cost of the upgrade will be $54782. Knowing that :

The price of the electricity is $0,142 per kwh and the gas is $0.045
per kwh

For 80% of the heating is used gas

Tthe existing spend with energy is 784,705.02 kwh pa.

The reduction of the use of electricity will be by 305,876.61 kwh

pa

The solar energy will reduce 60000 kwh per year in the use of
electricity.

Finally that the total savings per year in the gas and electricity bills
will be about $62569.

Therefore, the time that the Monash will need to equalize the cost will be around
10 months.

Conclusion
Some changes in the buildings structure such as the correct choice of lights,
space conditioning devices, as well as some structure changes in the faade
building by adding enveloping equipment and solar panels installation can
become the building more efficient and more ecologically correct. The upgrade
of the building 36 will cost for Monash around $55000, however with 10 months,

in this case, the Monash University will save the money in the gas and
electricity bills equalizing the costs involved in the upgrade.

References
Energyaustralia.com.au,. (2014). Energy saving tips - small business EnergyAustralia.

Retrieved

20

May

2014,

from

http://www.energyaustralia.com.au/small-business/energy-saving/energysaving-tips#computers
Wilkinson, S. J. Reed, R. Green roof retrot potentiall in the central business
district. Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0263-7472. pp 284-301. DOI
10.1108/0263747091099845.

Retrieved

02

Jun

2014,

from

http://www.academia.edu/212376/Green_Roof_Retrofit_Potential_in_the_Centr
al_Business_District