A reminder about two seminars next week.
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Smart Building Control 2.0: Understanding Occupancy to Find
Reductions in Energy Costs
By Stefan Storey, Ph.D.
Graduate from SBSP (Sustainable Building Science Program), UBC
& James Montgomery, Ph.D. Candidate,
Department of Mechanical Engineering, SBSP Trainee, UBC
Thursday, November 27th from 12-1:30pm
BCIT, NE1-318
ABSTRACT:
James Montgomery and Stefan Storey, co-founders of Sensible Building Science, have
developed a novel methodology to determine actual building occupancy at hourly intervals. This
methodology allows for a comparison of energy use and occupancy to optimize building systems
to only condition spaces that are occupied.
A case study was used to investigate the occupancy-energy relation for key buildings on UBC
campus between Nov. 2013 and June 2014. The results show that building systems generally
condition spaces for significant periods of time when they are unoccupied, even for buildings with
recent BC Hydro Continuous Optimization retrofits. This represents a potential 1-25% savings
when using occupancy to directly control building systems. These savings could potentially
amount to $400,000/yr savings if implemented in all campus buildings.
We also discuss a new ‘Smart Building’ pilot study at UBC where a large library is now being
controlled in real-time by the Sensible Building Science solution, the first institutional building in
Canada to be occupant controlled
BIOGRAPHY:
Stefan is recent Ph.D. graduate from the Sustainable Building Science Program at
the University of British Columbia. He holds a Master’s degree in Mechanical
Engineering and a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics. Stefan is a specialist
in building science including topics such as building performance evaluation,
occupancy analytics, life cycle costing and environmental analysis. Stefan has
recently co-founded Sensible Building Science, a company specializing in smart
building control, with James Montgomery.
James is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UBC.
He holds a B.A.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo
(2008) and an M.A.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from The University of British
Columbia (2010). His current research focuses on the impacts of filtration and
ventilation systems on indoor air quality and building energy consumption through
investigating systems at the macro and micro scale. Current projects include the
use of aerosol modelling to determine financial and health implications of filtration
systems in urban environments around the world and a micro scale study of the impact of relative
humidity on filter performance.
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The Development of Net-Positive Social Factors at CIRS:
From Pre- to Post-Occupancy Evaluation
By Sylvia Coleman, PhD Candidate, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability
(IRES), Sustainable Building Science Program (SBSP) Trainee, UBC
Friday, Nov 28th, 2014, 1-2pm in BC Hydro Theater, CIRS Building, 2260 West Mall
PIZZA WILL BE SERVED AT 12:45
ABSTRACT:
We know that green and regenerative buildings are designed to perform to certain environmental and
energy standards, but how do they affect the inhabitants inside? Can well-being, health and productivity
be enhanced by a building environment like the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS)?
Relying on Julia Reckermann’s Pre-Occupancy Evaluation data, provided by inhabitant participants prior
to their move into CIRS and used as a baseline, Sylvia attempted to assess change in several social
factors, by employing a Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) survey after the move. The results from the
POE, and from the statistical comparison of pre- and post-occupancy evaluation surveys will be
presented, and feedback invited. The presentation will touch on self-reported well-being, health and
productivity, satisfaction with workspace and building features, engagement with the building’s controls
and communities, expectations, and simple behavior change.
BIOGRAPHY:
Sylvia Coleman is a doctoral candidate at the University of British Columbia’s Institute for Resources,
Environment and Sustainability (IRES), under the supervision of Dr. John Robinson (IRES) and Dr. Ray
Cole (SALA).
She thinks that “environmental problems” are outcomes of human practices employed to achieve goals of
comfort and convenience, constrained and supported by a context of speed, systemic offerings, and
social norms. Sylvia was previously a sustainability researcher for Busby Perkins + Will, the architectural
firm that designed CIRS. She was also a co-founding partner of Recollective, a green building consulting
firm in Vancouver. In previous lives, Sylvia studied Analytical Biochem and Anthropology. For her Masters
in Advanced Studies in Architecture, she assessed the LEED rating system for socio-cultural values, and
capability for social transformation, and conducted a post-occupancy evaluation of the first LEED Gold
building in Canada (the VITP). In her spare time she dreams of taking the weekend off.