Thursday, 02 September 2010

Buildings

Retail Stores

Retail stores have diverse loads, long operating hours, and high occupancy in the evenings. Planning for energy-efficient retail buildings starts in the design stages and should involve careful consideration for lighting, refrigeration, cooking, and space-conditioning systems and how they integrate together.

Current Articles

Software & Tools: eQUEST®

published Thursday, August 26, 2010

eQUEST is a sophisticated, yet easy to use building energy use analysis tool which provides professional-level results with an affordable level of effort.

This freeware tool was designed to allow you to perform detailed analysis of today's state-of-the-art building design technologies using today's most sophisticated building energy use simulation techniques but without requiring extensive experience in the "art" of building performance modeling. This is accomplished by combining a building creation wizard, an energy efficiency measure (EEM) wizard and a graphical results display module with an enhanced DOE-2-derived building energy use simulation program.
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Design Brief: Cool Roofs

published Monday, January 12, 2009

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On a sunny summer day, a typical roof surface can reach temperatures that are nearly 100°F above the ambient temperature. A cool roof, by contrast, stays at or near the ambient temperature due to the characteristics of its outer layer.

Case Studies: A Retailer Makes a Commitment to Daylight

published Tuesday, April 01, 2003

HomeBase made a commitment to daylighting during a recent major remodeling campaign. Today, all 83 of this company’s home improvement warehouse stores use extensive skylights and photocontrols.

Design Briefs: Integrated Building Design

published Monday, September 02, 2002

Using the integrated energy design approach, designers can cost-effectively lower building operating costs while improving workers’ comfort and boosting productivity.

e-News #38: Battling the Big Box Energy Bite–Lessons for Large Retail Design

published Friday, June 07, 2002

There’s been a big explosion in big box retail buildings: In 1970, there were an estimated five square feet of retail space for each person in the U.S. By 2000,that figure had risen to 20 square feet per capita. Since the large retail (greater than 10,000 square feet) segment is the second greatest energy user of all commercial segments, the implications of this growth trend are significant.

Design Briefs: Options & Opportunities

published Saturday, February 02, 2002

Not all energy-efficiency measures are appropriate for all building types, but some are especially useful for particular buildings. This Design Brief reminds designers and builders of opportunities they should consider in each of their projects.

Design Briefs: Building Simulation

published Tuesday, January 01, 2002

A few building simulation runs early in a project can lead to design solutions that, though they appear simple, significantly improve building energy performance.