Energy efficiency measures - Institutional - Ventilation - Library / Canada
Case study assignment
A building is being converted into a library housing old documents. Due to the specific temperature and humidity requirements of the archive environment, the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system will have to function year round. A HVAC system comprising conventional centrifugal coolers, water tower and boiler with no heat recovery is considered.
Base case
Solution
The worked-out solution is the data file selected from within the RETScreen Project Database. The user automatically downloads the Project Database file while downloading the RETScreen software.
Similar project
In 1997, an old cigar factory in Montreal, Quebec, Canada was converted into the Bibliothèque nationale du Québec. A conventional HVAC system was recommended however the energy costs would be excessive in order to meet the specific needs of the archive environment. A series of design improvements such as recycling energy generated by the chillers brought significant reductions in energy consumption and reduced system installation costs.
Real project (55 KB)
Case study assignment
A building is being converted into a library housing old documents. Due to the specific temperature and humidity requirements of the archive environment, the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system will have to function year round. A HVAC system comprising conventional centrifugal coolers, water tower and boiler with no heat recovery is considered.
Base case
- Building heated by a natural gas boiler at 75% seasonal efficiency
- Building cooled by a chiller with COP of 5.5
- Building is four storeys high with sides 40 m by 90 m and height 12 m
- Long side of the building faces 45º west of north
- Walls are insulated to 5 m² - ºC/W, roof to 7 m² - ºC/W and floor to 3 m² - ºC/W
- Windows occupy 15% of each wall and have U-values of 2.2 (W/m²)/ºC
- Solar heat gain coefficient of windows is 0.65
- Solar shading is 25% during the winter and 15% in the summer on all windows except those on the north face. North windows have no solar shading
- Doors comprise 2% of each wall and are insulated to 2.5 m² - ºC/W
- Building is well sealed, with an air change rate of 0.5
- Administration section occupies two top floors, archives occupy the two first levels
- Administration section is occupied 12 h/d during the week and for 8 h on Saturday. Set point temperature for heating is 20 ºC and for cooling is 23 ºC. Temperature is allowed to vary by 2 ºC during unoccupied periods
- Ventilation flow rate to administration area is 60,000 m³/h with 25% fresh air and no heat recovery
- Archive section must maintain 17 ºC at all times
- Ventilation flow rate to archives is 100,000 m³/h with 50% fresh air with no heat recovery
- We assume that heat losses or gains between the floors are minimal
- Fuel rate: Electricity $0.05/kWh, natural gas $0.35/m³
- Allow heat recuperation from chillers and building exhaust air and use passive heat exchangers. This permits significantly reduced capacity for heating and cooling systems, for an overall cost reduction of $240,000
- Heat recovery efficiency in HVAC systems for both sections of the building is 50%
- Reduced cost for heating system $300,000
- Reduced cost for cooling system $200,000
- Cost for heat exchanger for administration area $100,000
- Cost for heat exchanger for archive area $160,000
Solution
The worked-out solution is the data file selected from within the RETScreen Project Database. The user automatically downloads the Project Database file while downloading the RETScreen software.
Similar project
In 1997, an old cigar factory in Montreal, Quebec, Canada was converted into the Bibliothèque nationale du Québec. A conventional HVAC system was recommended however the energy costs would be excessive in order to meet the specific needs of the archive environment. A series of design improvements such as recycling energy generated by the chillers brought significant reductions in energy consumption and reduced system installation costs.
Real project (55 KB)
