Author Archive
Florida Buildings Evolve
Florida's 2010 Energy Code Dramatically Changes New Buildings and Additions by Guy Van Meulebrouck PE (Lakeland, Florida) The 2010 Florida Building Code came into effect last March. Each new building code has more and more energy conservation measures. It is not uncommon now to see new buildings and additions having 30% less energy bills than buildings of 5 or 10 years ago. Where is it going to end? Believe it or not, the American Society of Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) rolled out a master plan that dares to discuss progressively more and more energy conserving buildings right up to the seeming impossible-zero energy buildings! Clearly, we won't be seeing too many zero energy buildings in the next years, but I hear 10 such buildings do exist right now. As technology marches on (maybe 15 years down the road) more and more buildings will achieving this zero energy goal (or close to it). For now let's look at this year's energy code. Just how does one come up with a net zero energy building? Well, to start with the building cannot ...
Florida’s new commercial energy codes
Florida's 2010 Energy Code-Part II Here are my notes from reviewing the new 2010 Florida Energy Code. Just like the new residential energy code, the commercial energy code for 2010 calls for significantly more energy efficient buildings. This trend will likely continue in subsequent codes as well. For new construction here are the values in Table 502.1.1.1: Roof insulation-R-40 Walls: R-30 (quite a jump from before!!!) Walls are required to have an absorptance of 0.3 or less. Floors above grade: R-30 Windows: U- value of 0.45 or better (the lower the U value, the better). This means quality double pane windows. Window Tinting (SHGC): 0.25 or less for 1% to 40% window/wall ratio (that is a high level of tint) 0.19 or better for 40% to 50% window to wall ration (examples of 0.19 tint would be dark tint or reflective tints) window to wall ratios above 50% are not allowed without specialized modeling to prove ...
Florida’s New Energy Code
Well, the 2010 Florida Building Code becomes active this March. Here is a look at the energy conservation requirements as they relate to architects. This first blog will address the Residential Code, the second will address the Energy Code for Commercial Buildings, the third blog will feature suggested drawing notes architectural drawings regarding the residential energy code, and last but not least, the fourth blog will include suggested drawing notes for commercial buildings. You can access the new Florida Energy Code at: www.ecodes.biz/ecodes_support/free_resources/2010Florida/Energy/10FL_Energy.html The general intent of the new code is to require Florida residential buildings to be 20% more energy efficient than previous dwellings. I suspect future codes will push for even more energy efficient homes from here on out until we can’t possibly offer better buildings (zero energy buildings are actually getting built in the US now and technology will likely make such things more affordable in the coming years). Once again, air handlers are not allowed in attics (402.1.2.2). If you look at the definition of attic, spray foam ” attics” are not counted as attics since they are within the air barrier and thermal barrier of the building. While there are exceptions, the basics ...
Protecting Buildings from Lightning
Just because we have building codes regarding protecting buildings from catching on fire from lighting strikes does not mean that sensitive electronics are protected from lighting. Data loss, if you are really unlucky, can really add up dollar wise. No doubt, having computers damaged by lighting is a serious setback to business. Come to think of it, what some people spend on large screen entertainment systems can make lighting a home and a business tragedy. Florida has more than it's share of lighting. I recall watching one lighting storm that lit the sky horizon to horizon for 12 minutes straight. It makes sense that practical technology on anticipating lighting would be common in Florida. Through the years, I have been able to talk with various Floridian electrical engineers, electricians and building owners about problems with lighting. I have even incurred some strikes myself. I personally am not an expert in electrical engineering, but someone has to spread the word a little faster (it took me 8 years to accumulate all of this article). So, here is a summary of what I have learned living in Florida about lightning protection. And folks if you have your own experience to add to ...
Advanced Energy Efficiency for Buildings
ASHRAE (the American Society of Heating and Refrigeration Engineers) is in the process of releasing booklets free to all interested people with practical step by step information that makes a building design save a projected 50% of the energy bills of conventional buildings being designed. To keep things simple, ASHRAE dedicates each booklet to a specific type of building: small offices/retail/warehouses/motels/educational/smaller healthcare facilities. These booklets are part of a long term commitment by ASHRAE to help create a world where buildings use dramatically less energy. The first stage was to release booklets that describe step by step information on how to save 30% on energy buildings being designed. I had mentioned these booklets on my home page. The new stage is 50% energy reductions. So far one free booklet is available in this category (for small offices). By the time you read this, there will probably more types of buildings available. In the future, expect guidelines for even higher energy targets. By the time 100% energy savings is a reality-buildings will likely need to be linked together with surrounding buildings in terms of energy features (like co-generation, waste heat recovery etc). ASHRAE (the American Society of Heating and Refrigeration Engineers) is in the ...
Questionaire for architects, contractors, and building owners
1. How many engineers have you hired? 2. What influenced your decision to hire them? 3. How do you feel about engineers? 4. Are there any services you wish engineers offered? 5. Are you a building owner? 6. Are you an architect? 7. Are you a contractor? Thank you for participating in this survey. This survey has been a worthwhile experience so far. I was fascinated how the survey results I have gotten so far were different that I would have guessed.
Using the ground for Geothermal in Florida
When the ground gets used for storing and discharging temperature, the whole energy transfer becomes pretty complex. Below is a great schematic I found on a NASA website describing global warming. Among other things, this illustration shows all the energy transfers that effect the upper surface of the ground. With respect to geothermal air conditioning, we would add to this energy diagram with our piping system of course. [caption id="attachment_150" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="Energy Transfer at earth's surface (from NASA)"][/caption] This illustration was produced to help explain global warming. Notice anything strange? As a mechanical engineer, we were taught in engineering school to define boundaries of whatever we are studying and include all energy within the boundary and crossing the boundary. So I am calling attention to energy transfer from the center of the earth the the earth's crust. It is not represented in the above illustration. I have not found any information on this subject that a non-astro-geophysicist type like me could understand, but that doesn't mean it isn't important. If any readers out there can enlighten us on the core of the earth's exact contribution to soil temperatures, please do. Anyway, ...
Green Gardens-pest control
Thanks for all the feedback on the Edible Garden blog. Today's blog follows up on the topic of edible landscapes and the concept of green buildings. FIRE ANTS IN FLORIDA Florida has an abundance of pests. Fire ants are a nuisance around buildings. Actually, I got bit by fire ants a few times in my bed, sleeping at night! The ants had gotten inside the house and considered the area below the carpet as a freeway system all around the house. At any given time, I can find about a dozen fire ant nests around my house and inside my garden. One has to admire their persistence. Did you know fire ants can communicate during the defense of their nests in such a way that all the ants bite at the same time? I found this out the hard way when I was brand new to Florida and didn't know what fire ants were. Out of curiosity, I have torn apart fire ant nests and found as many as 10 queen ants in the nest. I dug one nest out and found it was about 28" deep. I have never been able to eliminate fire ants for any length of time, ...
Reasons to let an engineer select your geothermal pump
I have seen well pumps get selected for geothermal for some pretty strange reasons. On one occasion, the well driller reportedly insisted that he had ample commercial well experience to select the pump. The commercial experience he was referring to turned out to be agriculture. The geothermal heating/cooling system did not work right. Sometimes well pumps get selected because the same exact pump got used successfully on another project. It would be a coincidence if the same pump conditions existed on two different projects. Since flow measurement is not always provided for on systems that aren't engineered, it is difficult to say if "working right" means doing the job without wasting energy. Once an owner asked me to use a pump he found on the internet and liked. The pump wasn't capable of sucking water high enough out of the ground to work in the Florida aquifer application. The owner reported that the well flowed artesian so it didn't matter. Conferring with the well driller confirmed that the artesian effect of the well was only seasonal. This meant the pump would only be able to draw water out of the well during rainy season. Well pumps are the heart of the system. Oversizing ...
Why hire an engineering consultant?
Lawyers, and doctors advertise to the general public. In turn people learn more about them as professions. For some reason, consulting engineers remain obscure in society. So here is my own advertisement for our profession: Engineers solve specific problems for people by combining science, business, and economics. Dictionaries don't even know this. Many college graduates with engineering degrees are left to figure this out for themselves. Now you know it! Building engineers work with architects and contractors in order to help create the environments that life takes place in. As much as people love the outdoors; most of life takes place indoors. Children are conceived indoors (for the most part), children are born indoors, children are schooled indoors, we eat and sleep indoors, etc, etc. You are probably indoors right now reading this. So, creating the environment that life takes place in is a pretty big deal. I consider it an honorable, rewarding, and valuble endeavor. What do consulting engineers do for you? We sell our time to you. It takes time to prepare blueprints, specifications etc. Something that comes packaged with our time is experience. Someone who has spent 4 or 5 years studying ...
