ENERGY RATING SYSTEMS

FOR GREEN BUILDINGS.

Focus On Improved Awareness Of Professionals

B
By
F
Chukwujindu K.E (B.arch)
E M.Arch scholar, School of Architecture and Interior Design,
SRM University, Kattankulathur, Kancheepuram Dist. Tamil Nadu.
S
.
T
 1.0 INTRODUCTION

Mans activities (building, manufacturing, what mechanism is employed to ascertain how

transportation, planting, etc) depletes the much green or less green the Building is in
natural resources at a rate far greater than relation to others.
the rate of Recycling. Thus the need for energy ratings and
Thus the drive for creating sustainable cities energy rating systems arise. The aim of this
F and neighbourhoods has continued. paper is to intimate the relevant

According to the United states professionals on the various energy rating

A
Environmental Protection Agency(EPA)3, systems that obtain in the building circle
B Green building is the practice of creating today whilst emphasising on improved
structures and using processes that are awareness of professionals.
F environmentally responsible and resource-
efficient throughout a building's life-cycle from
E siting to design, construction, operation,
maintenance, renovation and deconstruction.
S When this is followed, we call the house
green or sustainable. The question then
T
becomes,
Energy Rating Systems For Green Buildings.
 ELEMENTS OF A GREEN BUILDING
The elements that make a Building green include;
1. Proper Siting
2. Energy Efficiency
3. Materials Efficiency
4. Water Efficiency
5. Safety and Security of Users

F 6. Efficient Maintenance System

A WHY DO WE NEED ENERGY RATING SYSTEMS (ENRS)?

We need Energy Rating systems for the following reasons;
B 1. Profit Margin Increase: increase in property demand due to acclaimed energy saving values of the
building.
F 2. Cost Management Benefit: It is a standardized means of evaluating a buildings energy efficiency and
expected energy costs.
E 3. Environmental Benefits: elimination of toxic substances and therefore reduced impact on human
health, reduction of waste, and effluent emissions to the environment leading to a cleaner and more
habitable surrounding.
S
4. Social Benefits: improved living conditions for the community and accommodation of physically
challenged persons.
T 5. Government Incentives: based on the level of certification obtained, the govt. gives grant funding and
tax breaks .
Energy Rating Systems For Green Buildings.
 THE RATING SYSTEMS

The first ENRS (BREEAM) was developed in UK in Some common ENRS that obtain today include; ENERGY

1990. STAR(United States), LEED(United States),

BREEAM(UK), THREE STAR(China), CASBEE(Japan),
In some cases, a designer might get a project certified
Green Globes(Canada), Green Star(Australia), HK-
by a rating system which is designed for use in a
BEAM(Hong Kong), Estidamas Pearl RS(Abu Dhabi),
different country because he is more conversant with
SBTool/iiSBE (Canada), GRIHA/LEED India etc.
that one or even because he thinks that particular
F
system carries a greater market cache in the given
locality. For the purpose of this paper, we shall discuss three
A

Foreign Rating Systems which are not indigenous to a main ENRS which have been selected on basis of their
B given country or region are sometimes required to International scope and acceptance in the construction
obtain an operation license in the country where it industry;
F seeks to operate; for example the Canadian, Green LEED
Globes was required to acquire a license to promote
E BREEAM
and develop Green Globes in the United States in
HK-BEAM
2004.
S
which represent the American, UK and Hong Kong
Whatever the case or country, It is expedient that a
construction Industries respectively.
T Reasonable Understanding of the system is
possessed by the design and construction professionals.
Energy Rating Systems For Green Buildings.
 (1)
BREEAM
F BUILDING RESEARCH ESTABLISHMENT ENVIRONMENTAL
ASSESMENT METHOD.
A

T
Energy Rating Systems For Green Buildings.
 The BREEAM rating system was launched in the UK in 1990 as the first ENRS.

It is administered by the Building Research Establishment(BRE) and its operation is

accredited under (ISO)9001.

It covers such building types as offices, Ecohomes, Courts, Offices, Healthcare, Prisons, Retail
and Education, BREEAM International.
F Assessment is based on the following categories; Management, Health and wellbeing, Energy,
Transport, Water materials, Land use and Ecology and Pollution.
A
Section scores are added together to produce a single overall score. Once the overall score
B for the building is known, this is translated into a rating on a scale of:
Pass
F Good
Very good
E
Excellent
Outstanding
S
A star rating from 1 to 5 stars is also provided: *****
T BREEAM offers energy certification for new constructions and Existing Buildings.
Energy Rating Systems For Green Buildings.
 THE PROCEEDURE
Assessments by Independent Auditors . The earlier an Assessor is involved in the design

Upon completion of the Assessment, the client process, the easier it is to gain a high rating in

is presented with a certificate confirming the the most of cost effective way.

BREEAM rating on BRE Globals behalf which

highlight how well a building and Organisation
are performing and ways to improve.

F CASE STUDY 1
The Lion House project in Alnwick,is the first office ever
A to achieve BREEAM Outstanding at Post Construction

B Review under the BREEAM 2008 offices category.

During construction the contractor confirmed

F
that 91.48% of waste from the project was
E recycled, and its three wind turbines, biomass

S boiler, solar collectors and PV panels are

predicted to save an incredible 48,000kg of CO2

T
every year.
Energy Rating Systems For Green Buildings.
(source: copyright frank shaw associates limited 2012)
 (2)
F LEED
LEADERSHIP IN ENERGY IN ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN.
A

T
Energy Rating Systems For Green Buildings.
 2. LEED (Leadership In Energy In Environmental Design)

Developed by the US Green Building Council in 1998 to encourage environmental awareness

amongst government agencies, Clients and professionals.
Presently certifications provided for include; LEED-New Construction, LEED for existing buildings:
Operations and Maintenance, LEED for Commercial Interiors, LEED for Core and Shell, LEED for
Retail, LEED for Healthcare, LEED for Homes, LEED for Neighbourhood Development.
Assesment is based on the following categories; Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy And
Atmosphere, Materials And Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, Innovation In Design And
Regional Priority.

LEED certification can be attained on four different levels, which are determined by a credit, or
point, system.
Certified (40-49points).
Silver (50-59 points).
Gold (60-79 points).
Platinum (80-above).

A total of 110 points may be obtained from the seven categories.

Energy Rating Systems For Green Buildings.
 THE PROCEDURE
Verify that your building is eligible for obtaining a Commit to providing whole building energy and
LEED certification in the first instance. Information water usage data to the GBCI (green building
on eligibility criteria is provided in the LEED certification institute) and the USGBC (US green
certification website. building council) for at least the first 5 years of
Get the project registered online and pay the occupancy.
applicable fees. Third party verification which involves an on-site
Choose which rating system is most appropriate inspection to confirm acclaimed energy standards
for your building type and fill out all necessary data usually performed by an independent consultant.
in the online questionnaire provided through the The Green Building Council issues LEED
project duration. certification upon satisfactory application, review
F Upon project completion, submit it for review and and compliance verification.
certification.
A
CASE STUDY 2
B Hearst Tower in Midtown Manhattan has achieved GOLD "green" status-
-The floor of the atrium is paved with heat conductive limestone.
F Polyethylene tubing is embedded under the floor and filled with
circulating water for cooling in the summer and heating in the winter.
E
Rain collected on the roof is stored in a tank in the basement for use in
the cooling system, to irrigate plants and for the water sculpture in the
S
main lobby. 85% of the building's structural steel contains recycled
T material. Overall, the building has been designed to use 26% less energy
than the minimum requirements for the city of New York
Energy Rating Systems For Green Buildings.
(source: www.tinygreenbubble.com 2012)
 (3)
HK-BEAM
F HONG KONG BUILDING ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESMENT
METHOD
A

T
Energy Rating Systems For Green Buildings.
3. HK-BEAM(Hong Kong Building Environmental Assessment Method
first launched in 1996 Using BREEAM as a Indoor environmental quality (thermal
Reference point. comfort, indoor air quality, lighting, noise and

It is the leading Green Standard in the far East vibrations).

around Hong Kong and China. Innovations (innovative techniques and

Two standards have been developed to appraise performance enhancements).

the environmental performance of residential and

office buildings:
F
HK-BEAM for New Building Developments and
A HK-BEAM for Existing building premises.
Four levels of certification may be achieved with
minimum requirements for the overall score and
B
HK-BEAM covers environmental issues under the Indoor Environmental quality (IEQ) score. The
following impact categories; levels are;
F
Site Aspects (location, planning and emissions) Bronze (above average-40% overall, 40% IEQ)
E Material aspects (selection, usage and waste Silver (good- 55% overall, 50% IEQ)
management) Gold (very good- 65% overall, 55% IEQ)
S
Energy use (system designs and management) Platinum (excellent- 75% overall, 65% IEQ)
T Water consumption (quality and
conservation) Energy Rating Systems For Green Buildings.
 THE PROCEDURE
Indication of interest by the client . reassessment free of charge.
He completes the assessment checklists to Assessor Evaluates the proposed
provide the required project information. improvements and undertakes construction
Building appraisal by approved assessor against site visits to verify adoption of the Agreed
HK -BEAM best practice criteria via standards.
Computer simulations using HTB2/BECON, The final assessment report and HK-BEAM
predicts energy and thermal performance. certificate is issued upon building completion
Provisional assessment report, is issued..
identifies which credits have been achieved
and how to improve performance.
F Clients Pursues additional credits through
refinements in building design, specification
A and management, submitting details for

B CASE STUDY 3
Bank of China (BOC) Tower was constructed over a
F period of four years and four months commencing in April
1985. Completed for occupancy in August 1989.
E
The BOC Tower has won many construction awards
S locally and globally including; 2002 "Excellent" Award of
Hong Kong Building Environmental Assessment Method;
T
Energy Rating Systems For Green Buildings.
(source: Wikimedia commons 2012)
 COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
carried out by W.L. Lee, J. Burnett (Department of Building Services Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University),
Item HK-BEAM LEED BREEAM
Assesment Method Mixture of performance- based Options of feature specific criteria Mixture of performance- based
and feature specific criteria and cost budget method and feature specific criteria

Simulation tool HTB2 + BECON or approved DOE-2 or BLAST or approved No specific requirements,actual
equivalent equivalent consumption figures may be used
where available.

Scope of assessment Annual energy use, Energy efficient design. Annual CO2 emissions.
Max. Electricity demand, Annual energy cost. Energy efficient design.
F Energy efficient design,
Envelope performance.

B
Max.credit level performance Reduction of 57% in annual Reduction of 60% in annual Zero emissions
F based criteria energy use over the baseline case energy cost over the budget

Min. Credit level performance 120kwh/sq.m/yr. Reduction of 15% in annual 160 kg CO2 / sq.m /yr
E based criteria energy cost over the budget

Baseline case/zero credit level Compliance with the minimum Compliance with ASHRAE/ Compliance with DETR (1998)
S requirements laid down by IESNA 90.1-1999 good practice guides
relevant
laws or codes of practice
T
Energy-related credits/points (%) 23 25 20
Energy Rating Systems For Green Buildings.
 COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS CHOOSING A SUITABLE ENRS

This research work revealed the following Factors To Be Considered Include:

facts; The Project location.
The nature of building/design i.e. home,
The performance levels of the baseline school, industry, office or healthcare.
buildings are comparable. Popularity of the ENRS i.e. how accepted it is
in the given region.
The simulation tools are both in compliance
F Ease of Registration and Evaluation processes
with ASHRAE Standard 140. i.e. how rigorous or stringent the procedure
of certification is.
A The market positions of the certified buildings
Cost of the Registration process.
are in the top 25%.
B
From these result we find that the three
F ENRS are favourably comparable and widely
accepted in the construction field. Yet there
E
are many other ENRS in operation globally,
S so the question becomes, how do we
choose the most suitable ENRS for a given
T
Project?
Energy Rating Systems For Green Buildings.
F
Conclusion
A

T
Energy Rating Systems For Green Buildings.
 TOWARDS AN ENRS-LITERATE DESIGN TEAM

It is evident from the afore going, that the success of a green building project, depends
largely on how learned the members of the building team, (mainly the Architect) are on the
subject of energy rating systems.

It is necessary to ensure that the members of the design team are all professional
practitioners with some degree of experience in green building. While this is ensured, the

F Architect would take his position as the head of the design team and should not fail to
remind the team members of the conduct required of them.
A
An orientation exercise at the beginning of the construction project and occasionally as
B deemed fit by the Architect, would suffice to educate the members of the unskilled labour
team on environmental best practices during the project life cycle.
F
The call therefore is for Architects in the new age practice to brace themselves with
E necessary knowledge of energy rating systems for green buildings as we have realised that

S the knowledge of the need for green building is not enough, one also needs to understand
how that is achieved and measured.
T
Energy Rating Systems For Green Buildings.