Table Of Content01_Front.fm Page ii Tuesday, October 3, 2006 4:13 PM
This publication was developed under the auspices of the GreenGuide Subcommittee of TC 1.10,
Energy Resources, and TC 2.8, Building Environmental Impacts and Sustainability. TC 1.10 and
TG 2 BIE, Buildings’ Impacts on the Environment, were merged in October 2002 to form TC 2.8.
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS
John M. Swift, Jr. E. Mitchell Swann
Cannon Design, Boston, MA MDC Systems Corp., LLC
Thomas Lawrence Ainul Abedin
University of Georgia, Athens, GA Past President, ASHRAE Pakistan Chapter
H. Jay Enck Brian A. Rock
Commissioning & Green Building Solutions, Buford, GA School of Architecture and Urban Design,
Malcolm Lewis The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
CTG Energetics, Irvine, CA
Amy Butterfield
David L. Grumman, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Editor of the first edition of the GreenGuide,
Michael Gallivan
Grumman/Butkus Associates, Evanston, IL
Turner Construction Co., Inc.
Neil Moiseev
Shen Milsom & Wilke, Inc., New York, NY Mark Hydemann and Glenn Friedman
Taylor Engineering, Alameda, CA
John Lane
Evapco, Inc., Taneytown, MD Ron Perkins
Supersymmetry USA, Navasota, TX
John Andrepont
The Cool Solutions Company, Lisle, IL Vikas Patnaik and Mick Schwedler
Trane, Co., LaCrosse, WI
Paul Torcellini and Michael Deru
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO Hal Levin
Wladyslaw Jan Kowalski Building Ecology Research Group, Santa Cruz, CA
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Krishnan Gowri
Steven Rosen Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, WA
Autodesk, Boston, MA
Gail S. Brager
Jerry Ackerman University of California, Berkely, CA
Clearwater Systems Corporation, Essex, CT
Dean Borges
Jordan L. Heiman University of Nevada, Reno, NV
St. Louis, MO
Paul McGregor
Mark Mendell, Michael Forth, and James Bones
McGregor & Associates, Lake Cove, Australia
Cannon Design, Boston, MA
Brad Jones
Len Damiano
Sebesta Blomberg, Boston, MA
Green Building Controls Subcommittee Chair,
ASHRAE TC 1.4, and Ebtron David Bearg
Kimberly Barker Life Energy Associates, Newton, MA
ASHRAE TC 1.4, and Siemens Kevin Cross
Bill Becker Honeywell, Ft. Collins, CO
Chicago ITT and Urban Wind Design, Chicago, IL
Karl Stum
Bion Howard Summit Building Engineering, LLC, Vancouver, WA
Building Environmental Science and Technology,
Guy S. Frankenfield
Hilton Head, SC
Natgun Corporation
Mark Hertel
ASHRAE TC 6.7, and SunEarth, Inc. Dean S. Borges
University of Nevada, Reno, NV
Constantinos A. Balaras
Institute for Environmental Research and Eddie Leonardi
Sustainable Development, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering,
National Observatory of Athens (NOA) The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
04_Foreword.fm Page xv Tuesday, October 3, 2006 10:06 AM
FOREWORD
by William Coad
Mechanical engineering has been defined as “the applied science of energy
conversion.” ASHRAE is the preeminent technical society, representing engineers
practicing in the fields of heating, refrigeration, and air conditioning, the technol-
ogy that utilizes approximately one-third of the global nonrenewable energy
consumed annually.
ASHRAE membership has actively pursued more effective means of utilizing
these precious nonrenewable resources for many decades from the standpoints of
source availability, efficiency of utilization, and technology of substituting with
renewable sources. One significant publication in ASHRAE Transactions is a paper
authored in 1951 by G.W. Gleason, Dean of Engineering at Oregon State University,
titled “Energy—Choose it Wisely Today for Safety Tomorrow.” The flip side of the
energy coin is the environment and, again, ASHRAE has historically dealt with the
impact that the practice of the HVAC&R sciences have had upon both the indoor and
the global environment.
However, the engineering community, to a great extent, serves the needs and
desires of accepted economic norms and the consuming public, a large majority of
whom have not embraced the energy/environmental ethic. As a result, much of the
technology in energy effectiveness and environmental sensitivity that ASHRAE
members have developed over this past century has had limited impact upon society.
In 1975, when ASHRAE published Standard 90-75, that standard served as our
initial outreach effort to develop an awareness of the energy ethic and to extend our
capabilities throughout society as a whole. Since that time updated revisions of Stan-
dard 90 have moved the science ahead. In 1993, the chapter on “Energy Resources”
was added to the ASHRAE Handbook—Fundamentals. In 2002 ASHRAE entered
into a Partnering Agreement with the US Green Building Council, and it is intended
that the second edition of this design guide will continue to assist the organization
in their efforts at promoting sustainable design, as well as the many other organiza-
tions that have advocated for high-performance building design.
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The consuming public and other representative groups of building professionals
continue to become more and more aware of the societal need to provide buildings
that are more energy resource effective and environmentally compatible. This publi-
cation, authored and edited by ASHRAE volunteers, is intended to complement
those efforts.
ASHRAE will continue to advance its leadership through initiatives such as
“The Sustainability Roadmap.” Information on this effort can be found on
ASHRAE’s Engineering for Sustainability Web site, www.engineeringfor
sustainability.org/.
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PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
by John Swift
When the first edition of the ASHRAE GreenGuide was developed, it was
intended that the Guide would be a continuous work in progress. This second edition
of the Guide fulfills that intent and represents ASHRAE’s continued commitment to
leadership in the areas of high-performance building design and operation.
The second edition of the ASHRAE GreenGuide includes a new chapter on
LEED Guidance for Mechanical Engineers and a new chapter on building systems’
impact on the local environment, both indoor and outdoor. There are 20 new
ASHRAE GreenTips, including a new version of the GreenTip that focuses on
specific building types. Some of the chapters from the first edition have been reor-
ganized in an attempt to more accurately mirror the path that an actual project would
take from pre-design to post-occupancy. Content has been added and edited in all
of the chapters, with significant updates in the subject areas of building automation
systems, renewable energy options, CHP and GSHP systems, and construction
issues. Dual units have been provided, as well as more international HVAC engi-
neering representation in the editorial process. Graphs, photographs, renderings,
and diagrams have been added where necessary to provide a more complete over-
view of specific subject matter. In addition, references have been added and updated
in order to make the second edition current as of its date of publication.
The ASHRAE GreenGuide is primarily for HVAC&R designers, but it will also
be a useful reference for architects, owners, building managers, operators, contrac-
tors, and others in the building industry who want to understand some of the tech-
nical issues regarding high-performance design from an integrated, buildings
systems perspective. Considerable emphasis is placed on teamwork and close coor-
dination between parties.
HOW TO USE THIS ASHRAE GREENGUIDE
The Guide is not intended to be “the last word” on the technical aspects of green
design nor, for that matter, a design guide proper. Throughout the Guide, numerous
techniques, processes, measures, or special systems are described succinctly in a
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modified outline or bullet form, always in the same format. These are called
ASHRAE GreenTips. Each GreenTip concludes with a listing of other sources—
books, magazine articles, research papers, organizations, Web sites—that may be
referenced for greater detail.
This document is intended to be used more as a reference than as something one
would read in sequence from beginning to end. The table of contents is the best place
for any reader to get an overall view of what is covered in this document. All readers
should take the time to read Chapter 1, “Green/Sustainable High-Performance
Design,” which provides some essential definitions and meanings of key terms.
Chapter 2, “Background and Fundamentals,” might well be skipped by the more
experienced designer-readers. This chapter covers the background of the green
design movement and what other organizations have done, and it reviews some engi-
neering fundamentals that govern the technical aspects of green design. Chapter 3
provides an introduction to the commissioning process, a critical component that
needs to be addressed from the beginning on all truly successful high-performance
building projects, and Chapter 4 covers “Architectural Design Impacts.” Chapter 5,
“The Design Process—Early Stages,” is essential reading for all who are interested
in how the green design process works. Chapter 6 provides an overview of the LEED
certification process for mechanical engineers.
The nitty-gritty engineering aspects start in Chapter 7 and run through
Chapter16. This is where the reader will find virtually all the practical suggestions
for possible incorporation in a green design, the ASHRAE GreenTips. Chapters 17–
18 cover what happens after the project’s design is done—that is, during construc-
tion and after. There are some sound advice and helpful tips in that section, and even
though it covers a post-design time frame, reading that section should not be put off
until construction begins.
The last section of the book, the Afterword, is the Preface to the First Edition
written by David Grumman, editor of the first edition. The hard work and leadership
that David Grumman, Sheila Hayter, Jordan Heiman, and many other ASHRAE
volunteers provided produced a solid foundation on which to build this and subse-
quent editions of the ASHRAE GreenGuide. Their commitment continues with the
new group of contributors to this second edition.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The following individuals provided written materials and editorial content and
formed the Senior Editorial Group of the ASHRAE TC 2.8 GreenGuide Subcom-
mittee for the second edition:
John M. Swift, Jr.
Cannon Design, Boston, MA
Thomas Lawrence
University of Georgia, Athens, GA
H. Jay Enck
Commissioning & Green Building Solutions, Buford, GA
Malcolm Lewis
CTG Energetics, Irvine, CA
The following individuals contributed written materials and/or editorial
comments on various topics for the second edition of the ASHRAE GreenGuide. All
or portions of these contributions have been incorporated, with editing.
David L. Grumman
Editor of the first edition of the GreenGuide,
Grumman/Butkus Associates, Evanston, IL
Neil Moiseev
Shen Milsom & Wilke, Inc., New York, NY
John Lane
Evapco, Inc., Taneytown, MD
John Andrepont
The Cool Solutions Company, Lisle, IL
Paul Torcellini and Michael Deru
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO
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Wladyslaw Jan Kowalski
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Steven Rosen
Autodesk, Boston, MA
Jerry Ackerman
Clearwater Systems Corporation, Essex, CT
Jordan L. Heiman
St. Louis, MO
Mark Mendell, Michael Forth, and James Bones
Cannon Design, Boston, MA
Len Damiano
Green Building Controls Subcommittee Chair, ASHRAE TC 1.4, and Ebtron
Kimberly Barker
ASHRAE TC 1.4, and Siemens
Bill Becker
Chicago ITT and Urban Wind Design, Chicago, IL
Bion Howard
Building Environmental Science and Technology, Hilton Head, SC
Mark Hertel
ASHRAE TC 6.7, and SunEarth, Inc.
Constantinos A. Balaras
Institute for Environmental Research & Sustainable Development,
National Observatory of Athens (NOA)
E. Mitchell Swann
MDC Systems Corp., LLC
Ainul Abedin
Past President, ASHRAE Pakistan Chapter
Brian A. Rock
School of Architecture and Urban Design, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Amy Butterfield
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Michael Gallivan
Turner Construction Co., Inc.
Mark Hydemann and Glenn Friedman
Taylor Engineering, Alameda, CA
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Ron Perkins
Supersymmetry USA, Navasota, TX
Vikas Patnaik and Mick Schwedler
Trane, Co., LaCrosse, WI
Hal Levin
Building Ecology Research Group, Santa Cruz, CA
Krishnan Gowri
Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, WA
Gail S. Brager
University of California, Berkely, CA
Dean Borges
University of Nevada, Reno, NV
Paul McGregor
McGregor & Associates, Lake Cove, Australia
Brad Jones
Sebesta Blomberg, Boston, MA
David Bearg
Life Energy Associates, Newton, MA
Kevin Cross
Honeywell, Ft. Collins, CO
Karl Stum
Summit Building Engineering, LLC, Vancouver, WA
Guy S. Frankenfield
Natgun Corporation
Dean S. Borges
University of Nevada, Reno, NV
The editorial staff of Special Publications at ASHRAE provided significant
contributions. Christina Helms, Cindy Michaels, Micki Geshwiler, and Steve
Comstock provided great support in this effort. In addition, the incoming president
of ASHRAE, Terry Townsend, championed the effort and provided motivation to all
ASHRAE members to contribute.
The GreenGuide Subcommittee of ASHRAE Technical Committee TC 1.10,
Energy Resources, was responsible for creating the first edition of this Guide. (Just
prior to its completion, TC 1.10 merged with Task Group BIE, Buildings’ Impact on
the Environment, to form TC 2.8, Building Environmental Impact and Sustainabil-
ity.) Members of that subcommittee were David L. Grumman, Fellow ASHRAE,
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Chair; Jordan L. Heiman, Fellow ASHRAE; and Sheila Hayter, Chair of TC 1.10.
Sheila Hayter created the subcommittee and initiated the initial discussions and
meetings. Jordan Heiman was responsible for identifying authors, carrying on most
communications with them, and creating the bibliography. David Grumman was
responsible for creating the topic format, assembling the various chapters, and edit-
ing the document.
Prior to approval by TC 2.8, the document was reviewed by a three-person panel
consisting of Theodore Pannkoke; William Coad, Fellow ASHRAE, Presidential
Member; and Thomas Cappellin—all members of TC 2.8.
The idea for this publication was initiated by 1999–2000 ASHRAE President
Jim Wolf and carried forward by then President-Elect (and, subsequently, President)
William J. Coad.
All work performed—by the authors, editors, developing subcommittee, review
panel, and TC participants—was voluntary.
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1
GREEN/SUSTAINABLE
HIGH-PERFORMANCE DESIGN
INTRODUCTION
In recent years, much information has been put forth about the impact of the
built environment (e.g., buildings) on the natural environment. This information has
been both written and spoken, and there have been conferences and seminars on the
subject and organizations have sprung up devoted specifically to this issue. Not only
have the messages contained in this outpouring of information attempted simply to
explain what this issue is, but they have variously promoted the concept of “green”
design, exhorted to action, strived to motivate, warned of consequences from ignor-
ing it, and instructed how to do it.
While this vast amount of promotion has often been helpful, much has been
either largely irrelevant or simply not useful to the practicing designer of HVAC&R
systems and equipment for buildings (i.e., to the ASHRAE member involved on a
day-to-day basis in the mechanical/electrical building system design process).
Based on input received from grassroots ASHRAE members, a need was felt for
guidance on the green-building concept specifically directed toward such practitio-
ners. A desire was also expressed that it contains information of direct practical use.
This Guide is an attempt to meet that need.
Green is one of those words that can have more than a half-dozen meanings,
depending on circumstances. One of these is the greenery of nature (grass, trees, and
leaves). It is this reference to nature—symbolic, if you will—that is the meaning this
term denotes in this publication. While not all things in nature are green, we believe
that the term green serves as a fitting verbal symbol of the concept and practices this
Guide strives to promote. While green is a fitting symbol, it does not completely
encompass the full meaning of sustainability, which is maintaining ecological
balance.
The difference between a green and sustainable design is the degree to which
the design helps to maintain this ecological balance. Some characteristics of green
design have no impact in terms of maintaining ecological balance, including indoor
environmental quality (IEQ), an important element of green design. Many green
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