The energy consumed by a building throughout its lifetime has the biggest impact on the environment of any other aspect of design, construction or operations. It is also one of the biggest costs to a building owner. We believe that it is critically important to model the energy performance of a new building early in the design process: this is how high-performance
buildings are born.
Energy Modelling helps a project team understand the life-cycle impacts of architectural, mechanical and electrical design decisions on the projected energy performance of the building. Modelling essentially lets team members compare different design options by considering first cost, operating costs, and replacement costs.
Ultimately, Energy Modelling gives the owner the ability to create a building that performs better than similar buildings, which can be a competitive advantage in the market.
High-performance green buildings require close integration of building systems with a special focus on energy, daylighting, and material analysis during their design processes. Design process modelling and use of visualization tools can facilitate better communication and collaboration between team members; hence better integration in the design process.
We incorporate energy modelling in the design of new buildings, retrofitting of inefficient old buildings.
High-performance building modelling has several popular applications:
- Building heating/cooling load calculation
- Energy performance analysis for design and retrofitting
- Building Energy Management and Control System (EMCS) design
- Complying with building regulations, codes, and standards
- Cost analysis
- Studying passive energy saving options
Daylight Modelling and Analysis
Daylighting is the art and science of managing natural light to minimize the use of artificial lighting, reduce carbon emissions, and positively affect the performance, mood and wellbeing of occupants of any space. Designing, predicting, and planning for the impact of daylighting in a space is often misunderstood.
Daylight modelling removes the design mystery and reveals the determination of daylight on any building. By starting with the concept of using the building itself as a luminaire, efficient daylight design reduces the need for artificial/electric lighting, supplemental HVAC and improves the environment within for the occupants, both mentally & physically.
You can understand and quantify the amount of the sun’s light in your project with daylighting analysis. This can help you create comfortable and beautiful spaces, reduce lighting loads, and reduce cooling loads.
Thermal Comfort Analysis
A good performing building is one that provides the occupants and users with optimum comfort levels. Energy-efficient buildings are only effective when the occupants of the buildings are comfortable. If they are not comfortable, then they will take alternative means of heating or cooling a space such as space heaters or window-mounted air conditioners that could be substantially worse than typical Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems.
Thermal comfort is difficult to measure because it is highly subjective. It depends on the air temperature, humidity, radiant temperature, air velocity, metabolic rates, and clothing levels and each individual experiences these sensations a bit differently based on his or her physiology
According to the ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55-2010, thermal comfort is defined as “that condition of mind which expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment and is assessed by subjective evaluation.” Also known as human comfort, thermal comfort is the occupants’ satisfaction with the surrounding thermal conditions and is essential to consider when designing a structure that will be occupied by people.