Sustainable Buildings – Green Mark 2021 Energy Efficiency Analysis Assessment

Question 1

You have been engaged by a client to review an office building for a possible Green Mark certification. The office building, completed in 2016, has not previously obtained any Green Mark certification.

It is currently occupied by a single tenant, and the building management team has conducted an analysis of its energy performance using data extracted from various building systems.

Details of the current performance and system findings are provided in Appendix A.

The client is now considering retrofitting the building to enhance its overall energy performance. The target is to achieve Green Mark GoldPLUS certification under the Green Mark 2021 framework.

For part (a) below, you are to use Pathway 1: EUI for this.

• As part of the feasibility exercise, you are to interpret the current performance of the existing building based on the data available (Refer to Appendix A). You should then organise and present to the client how does the current building relate to the Energy Efficiency Section of GM: 2021.

With the information above, demonstrate your ability to identify and recommend areas for improvement to comply to the pre-requisites for the Energy Efficiency Section of GM: 2021 for the building.

For part (b) below, you are to use Pathway 2: Fixed Metrics for this.

• Similar to the feasibility exercise above, you are to evaluate the current performance and findings of the existing building based on the data available (Refer to Appendix A), You should then organise and present to the client how does the current building relate to the Energy Efficiency Section of GM: 2021.

Finally, demonstrate your ability to identify and recommend areas for improvement to comply to the pre-requisites for the Energy Efficiency Section of GM: 2021 for the building.

Question 2

In 200 words, share your reflections on Study Units 4 to 6. Specifically, what key insights or takeaways stood out to you, and how have these units influenced your understanding or approach to the subject?

Appendix A – Project Information and Current Building Performance Project information

Building name:                                   Martin Lockheed (SG) Inc

Year Built:                                          2016

Site Area:                                            6,850 m²

Gross Floor Area:                               30,500m²

Plot Ratio:                                          4.5

Block:                                                 Single block

Storey:                                                12-storey, with surface open car park Average cooling load (weekdays):      566 RT

Average Air-con system efficiency: 0.96 kW/RT

Information on current energy efficiency

• No permanent measuring instrumentation to monitor the chilled-water system
• 7 nos. lifts (which includes 2 nos. of fire/service lifts) with destination control system, sleep mode and variable frequency motor drive
• 1 set of escalators in the building (Level 1 to 2)
• 90% of the office areas are air-conditioned
• Others
  • Toilets and staircases:            Natural Ventilation
  • Pantries and lift lobbies:        Mechanical Ventilation
  • Carpark:                                  Mechanical ventilation with CO sensors

Monthly Electricity Consumption (kWh)

Air-conditioning equipment list

Air-distribution system

Existing lighting schedule

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Expert Answers on Above Question on Sustainable Building Analysis

Evaluation using pathway one

Analysis of the current building performance – the building is a 12 storey building that was built in 2016 having a gross floor area of 30500m2. The air conditioning efficiency is identified as.96kW/RT and the average cooling load is 566RT. This shows that the performance is average and it may not be enough in meeting out the expectations for Green Mark GoldPLUS. The analysis further indicates that proper instruments to perform the monitoring of chilled water systems are also missing which is an important requirement according to the energy efficiency section of Green Mark 2021. However, in terms of Energy Efficiency features, the building has a proper destination control lift system, lift sleep mode, variable frequency drives and mechanical ventilation.

Recommended improvements

The improvements that are necessary to meet green mark energy efficiency requirements are to perform installation of permanent chilled water system instrumentation, improve air conditioning efficiency, and perform upgradation of lighting system along with proper energy monitoring and management.

Evaluation using pathway 2

Current performance analysis – the system efficiency is identified as 0.96 kW/RT which is generally above the benchmark but not enough to meet GoldPLUS requirements. With respect to the lighting systems, there are inefficiencies identified when compared to the SS530 lighting power budget. The high power consumption is evident with respect to office and lobbies whereas corridors also exceed the standard threshold. This indicates that there is a need for upgradation to the lighting infrastructure. In terms of lift performance, it has destination control, sleep mode and VFD motors which are quite important for energy efficient operations. The ventilation system indicates natural ventilation for toilets and staircases and car parking makes use of controlled ventilation which are essential for positive energy efficiency.

Recommended improvements

The recommendations for meeting out fixed metrics efficiency are to upgrade the chiller plant efficiency, perform installation of permanent monitoring instruments and smart energy management system, and also consider variable speed drives for air handling units.

Reflective analysis

It has been a great learning with respect to the principles of sustainable building design and energy efficient evaluation, as the unit helped me in understanding the monitoring of performance through accurate data collection, identifying inefficiencies and making effective improvements. I also learnt about managing air conditioning systems, lighting and ventilation processes and strategies needed in maintaining sustainability standards according to the Green mark certification framework.

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