Facility Design and Build,HVAC,Green Design

Hardly a day goes by where we don’t hear about the rising cost of energy, its scarcity, and the negative impacts of fossil fuels on the global environment. The media and the general public seem to focus primarily on vehicular and power plant energy consumption as our largest pollution concerns. On the other hand, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration¹ has revealed that the largest single energy consumer in the United States is the building sector at 48% of the total national consumption— a staggering 48.17 quadrillion BTU in the year 2000. Further, if electricity is separated from all other fuels, the operation of buildings consumed 76% of the total power generated in the U.S. in 2000.² A closer look at the energy consumption by most buildings reveals that heating, air conditioning, and ventilation top the list, followed by ancillary lighting and appliance power. The propensity of engineers and architects has been to seek energy savings through the easiest possible methods or the proverbial “low hanging fruit.”

Many believe that the green movement starting in the late 1990s has become the modern-day industrial revolution. The green movement is now well-engrained in politics through new laws, executive orders,³ and energy guidelines, as well as in the disciplines of engineering and architecture. This is best demonstrated through new and evolving ASHRAE guidelines, private sector groups such as the Green Building Council (LEED® program), and through new academic training; both collegiate and professional engineering.

Buildings in lab animal facilities tend to be high consumers of resources due to the unique constraints under which they operate. Because of the value of many species of lab animals, facility owners use more energy to provide the safe and stress-free environments for the animals. Many other constraints also contribute to the demand for higher energy consumption in this industry such as stringent government requirements for ethical treatment of animals, a certain degree of required barrier protection from outside pathogens, a prescribed amount of housing space, and a reasonable indoor air quality () for both animals and their caregivers. Other constraints may include the provision of comfortable working environments, the need for sufficient lighting, and the requirement for power intensive equipment necessary in research. When these constraints are compared to the demand for energy efficiency, the job of engineers and architects becomes much less tenable than in previous years.

One More Energy Saving Opportunity
In many cases, the majority of the “low hanging fruit” such as energy efficient lighting, occupancy sensor driven Variable Air Volume (VAV) ventilation, and highly efficient appliances have already been identified. The next easiest energy-saving item is the design of efficient room ventilation distribution.