C A S E S T U D Y D E P A R T M E N T O F E N E R G Y S NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY RESEARCH SUPPORT FACILITY

NET ZERO
BLUEPRINT
BY TOM HOOTMAN, AIA;
D A V I D O K A D A , P. E . , M E M B E R A S H R A E ;
SHANTI PLESS, MEMBER ASHRAE;
M I C H A E L S H E P P Y, A S S O C I AT E M E M B E R A S H R A E ;
A N D PA U L T O R C E L L I N I , P H . D. , P. E . , M E M B E R A S H R A E

B U I L D I N G AT A G L A N C E

Name Department of Energys National

Renewable Energy Laboratory Research
Support Facility (RSF)

Location Golden, Colo.

(24 miles west of Denver)
WHE N TH E U .S. D E PA R T ME N T
Owner U.S. Department of Energy
and the National Renewable Energy
O F E N E R G Y S National Renewable Laboratory

Energy Laboratory (NREL) decided to Principal Use Headquarters Office

Includes Data Center

move 800 staff out of leased space into a Employees/Occupants822

Occupancy79%
new office building on its Golden, Colo., Gross Square Footage220,000

campus, it used that opportunity to build Distinctions/Awards

LEED-NC Platinum, 2011

a living lab for best practices in net zero Sustainable Sites Pilot
AIA COTE Top Ten Green Project, 2011
energy performance based on DOE and
GreenGov Presidential Award, Green
Courtesy of DOE/NRELDennis Schroeder
Innovation (RSF Data Center), 2011
NREL research. The Research Support

T
Facility (RSF) also provided a chance to his article presents the
process used for deliver-
develop and advance a replicable model ing the RSF as a repli-
cable blueprint to achieve
for the next generation of high performance a large reduction in building energy
use and to adopt a net zero energy
buildings. The result is a LEED Platinum
approach for large-scale commercial
facility built for $259/ft2 (comparable to buildings without increasing cost.
a performance-based design-build
approach to procurement.
The goals of this approach are un-
leashing the creativity of the design-
ers and builders, maximizing col-
laboration, and reducing overall risk
by shifting responsibility andcontrol
to the design build team. (See Key
McGraw Hill Construction Outstanding
Green Building, 2010
delivery process. The investment
NREL made in clearly and thoroughly American Institute of Steel
Construction IDEAS2 Award, 2011
defining its objectives was critical Design-Build Institute of America,
to simultaneously meet the aggres- Merit Award, 2011
sive performance, cost and schedule Total Construction Cost $57.4 million
requirements. (See Primary Project Cost Per Square Foot$259
Objectives and Requirements.) Substantial Completion/Occupancy
The design-build team realized
June 2010

Provisions Included.) that by focusing on net zero energy,

other government and institution office Net Zero Energy Procurement
The foundation to this blueprint is
construction costs) with an energy use
writing performance requirements
intensity (EUI) of 35.4 kBtu/ft2yr. into the contract. NREL developed
These provisions filtered into the
design-build teams contractual
relationships and reinforced a
performance-centered, integrated
many of the other objectives would
fall into place. The project is pursu-
ing three of NRELs four definitions
of net zero energy: site energy, source
Above The east courtyard of the RSF allows
the office wings to be daylit and naturally
ventilated. It also serves as the entrance to
the facility.

20 HIGH PERFORMING B U I L D I N G S Fa l l 2 0 1 2 Fa l l 2 0 1 2 H I G H PERFORMING BUILDINGS 21

This article was published in High Performing Buildings, Fall 2012. Copyright 2012 ASHRAE. Posted at www.hpbmagazine.org. This article may not be copied and/
or distributed electronically or in paper form without permission of ASHRAE. For more information about High Performing Buildings, visit www.hpbmagazine.org.

Net Zero Energy Procurement
KEY PROVISIONS INCLUDED
Firm fixed price and schedule
Complete and detailed energy
performance goals and requirements
No prescribed solutions (such as
bridging documents) provided for
meeting requirements
Full design-build team control of design
variables related to documented goals
Regular energy modeling checks to
substantiate the project was on track to
meet goals
Financial incentives for superior
performance
PRIMARY PROJECT OBJEC-
TIVES AND REQUIREMENTS
LEED Platinum
Absolute EUI target of 35.1 kBtu/ft2yr
Accommodate at least 800 staff
(822 accommodated)
High performance workplace
(support culture, collaboration,
amenities, flexibility, ergonomics)
Architectural quality and design to
enhance NRELs identity and mission
Net zero energy approach
Share process and lessons learned so
they can be replicated by the industry
$64.3 million firm fixed price
($57.4 million construction cost)
Substantial completion by June2010
energy, and energy emissions (net
zero energy cost was not pursued).
Meeting the net zero site energy
requirements was the most challeng-
ing and served as the basis for sizing
the renewable energy system.
With the final phase of the on-site
photovoltaic system installed dur-
ing summer 2012, the project is
meeting its demand-side energy use
targets, but is still a year away from
having a full net zero energy year.
22 HIGH PERFORMING B U I L D I N G S Fa l l 2 0 1 2
Climate Responsive Design
E N E R G Y AT A G L A N C E
The most cost-effective way to save
energy is to not need it. Building the Annual Energy Use Intensity
architectural concept around climate (Site, Not Including PV) 35.4 kBtu/ft2
Electricity (From Grid) 1.01 kBtu/ft2
responsive strategies reduces demand Electricity (From PV) 24.2 kBtu/ft2
on active lighting and HVAC systems.  Natural Gas for District Heated Water
9.68 kBtu/ft2
The primary building section Electricity for District Chilled Water
design addresses strategies such as 0.46 kBtu/ft2
a 100% daylit footprint, effective Annual Source Energy
cross ventilation and solar and glare (Including On-site PV)* 17 kBtu/ft2
control. The resulting section is 60 ft Annual Energy Cost Index (ECI)
deep. The narrow depth and campus Without PV$0.55/ft2
constraints led to the H-shaped plan Annual Net Energy Use Intensity
11.2 kBtu/ft2
that positions the office program in
long, thin, east-west-oriented wings. Annual Energy Use Intensity
(Site, Not Including PV or Data Center)
The building envelope also is 20.9 kBtu/ft2
key in integrating passive strate- ENERGY STAR Rating100
gies. The faades have low average
Heating Degree Days6,220
Cooling Degree Days1,154
Below Site walls and retaining walls use
large rocks that were found during the build- *On-site PV credited at electricity source factor
ing excavation and built into gabion cages. against total source energy
Bottom The punched windows on the south
faades provide solar control, daylighting, W AT E R AT A G L A N C E
views and natural ventilation with a low win-
dow to wall ratio. Annual Water Use
Irrigation 48,445 gallons (modeled)
Robb Williamson, courtesy of RNL
Building 742,757 gallons (modeled)
Note: Actual water use data unavailable due to
meter problems.
window-to-wall ratios of 27%, but
the design still provides a fully
daylitinterior.
The two primary exterior wall
assemblies include a precast con-
crete assembly and a steel stud
assembly. The precast concrete
walls include continuous rigid insu-
lation and use a low-conductivity
connector between the interior and
exterior concrete layers.
The steel stud wall uses a stud with
Frank Ooms, courtesy of RNL
stamped openings within the web,
which reduces the thermal bridging.
In addition to high R-value wall and
roof assemblies, careful attention was
HPB.hotims.com/38001-13
 Robb Williamson, courtesy of RNL
Courtesy of DOE/NRELDennis Schroeder

Left The open office environment and narrow

floor plate allow for effective cross ventilation
and daylighting.
Above The RSFs adjacent visitors parking
lot is shaded with a sawtooth roof supporting
one of the facilitys photovoltaic systems.

paid to the intersections of assem-
blies to reduce thermal bridging.
The primary windows repeated
across the south faade are the
workhorse of the climate responsive
architecture. This window has a dis-
tinct upper daylight section, which
is fixed, shade-free, has double
pane low-e glazing for daylight
performance and has a high visible
light transmittance. A reflective
daylighting device (louver system) shade provides solar and glare con-
redirects sunlight up onto the ceil- trol most of the year, so no interior
ing deep into the space. window covering is needed.
The south window also has a dis- The view portion of the window
tinct lower view window section, also has an operable window sec-
which has a low U-value, solar heat tion, with two-thirds of the operable
gain coefficient and visible transmit- windows being manual and one-
tance. This lower view sections tri- third automated. Occupants receive
ple pane, low-e glazing contributes to notifications on their computers
improved thermal performance. The when conditions are favorable for
view sections external three-sided opening the windows. The Colorado

BUILDING ENVELOPE E N E R GY US E OC T. 2 0 1 0 S EPT. 2 0 1 1

Roof
Type Photovoltaics on standing seam roof
Overall R-value33

Walls
Type Precast wall assembly
Overall R-value15
Glazing Percentage27%

Foundation
Grade Beam/Foundation R-valueR-10
Floor Over Crawl Space/Labyrinth
R-valueR-18

Windows
Typical View Window
U-value 0.17 center of glass
 Solar Heat Gain Coefficient
(SHGC)0.23
Visual Transmittance0.43
Typical Daylight Window
U-value 0.29 center of glass
Solar Heat Gain Coefficient
(SHGC)0.38
Courtesy of DOE/NREL

Visual Transmittance0.70

Location
Latitude 39 44' 28" N
OrientationEast-west

Note: The annual EUI values are demand side values and do not include the PV generation.

24 HIGH PERFORMING B U I L D I N G S Fa l l 2 0 1 2

HPB.hotims.com/38001-20
climate is well suited for natural
ventilation, particularly in spring
and fall.
During the summer, hot days are
followed by cooler nights. In this
scenario, the automated operable
low level view windows on the south
faade and high level automated
windows on the north faade open to
perform a night purge. The buildings
interior has a significant amount of
KEY SUSTAINABLE FEATURES
Water Conservation
Dual flush water closets
Waterless urinals
Low-flow lavatories and showers
Native and adaptive landscaping
Drip irrigation
Irrigation zones based on exposure
and water frequency
Satellite-based smart irrigation controller
Roof drainage irrigates rain gardens
Recycled Materials
34% recycled content for building
materials (per LEED)
Daylighting
92% of regularly occupied spaces daylit
(per LEED)
Narrow floor plate (60 ft)
Louvers designed for daylighting in
south facing daylight windows
Daylight controls
Individual Controls
Operable windows
Underfloor ventilation air
Individual task lights
Occupant accessible lighting control
Other Major Sustainable Features
Building massing and open plan for
passive energy optimization
Thermal mass interiors
Natural ventilation and night purging
Transpired solar collectors
Thermal labyrinth crawl space
Radiant heating and cooling
Green data center
75% of construction waste diverted
Reclaimed natural gas pipe used as
structural columns
Beetle kill pine harvested wood used
ininterior
59% certified wood
Office recycling/composting program
26 HIGH PERFORMING B U I L D I N G S Fa l l 2 0 1 2
exposed thermal mass, which can
absorb much of the internal summer
heat gains. The cool night air allows
the thermal mass to purge this heat.
The RSF includes additional archi-
tectural elements to capture and
store free heat when integrated with
the buildings ventilation system.
Perforated sheet metal attached to
the south faade functions as a solar
collector, capturing heat when air is
drawn through by fans located in the
buildings crawl space.
The heated air behind the dark
corrugated metal cladding of the
transpired solar collector is pulled
into the buildings crawl space
thermal mass labyrinth. The crawl
space functions as a thermal battery,
storing thermal energy and allowing
the ventilation air for the building to
be passively preheated later.
Plug Loads and
Occupancy Engagement
Even with close attention, plug
load equipment typically consumes
TRANSPIRED SOLAR COLLECTOR
Cold Air Drawn into Collector
Through Perforations
Sun Warms
Dark Colored
Metal Panel
Air is Passively Heated
in Cavity Between Metal
Panel and Precast Wall
more than half of the energy use in
BUILDING TEAM
a net zero energy building. The heat
released by this equipment must Building Owner/Representative
be removed by the HVAC system, Department of Energy/National
Ron Pollard, courtesy of RNL
Renewable Energy Laboratory
affecting cooling equipment size,
Architect, Interior Design, Landscape
cost and energyconsumption. Architect, Lighting DesignRNL
The data center accounts for more
General Contractor
than 40% of the RSFs total energy Haselden Construction
use. It runs continuously, but benefits Mechanical, Electrical Engineer; Energy
from energy-efficient equipment, ModelerStantec The balconies on the west end of the
office wing provide an outdoor staff ame-
consolidating and virtualizing serv- Structural EngineerKL&A The typical daytime plug load nity while also providing shading for the
ers, and best practices for power and Civil EngineerMartin/Martin
power density (not including the data faades electrochromic glazing, which tints
when the setting sun gets low enough to
cable management. center) is 0.35 W/ft2, significantly enter thebuilding.
LEED Consultant, Daylight ModelingAEC
Office plug loads represent over below the predicted 0.55 W/ft2.
one-quarter of the energy use when Night and weekend measured plug occupant training, feedback and the
excluding the data center energy. loads have been slightly higher than use of real-time energy displays.
Plug loads have been largely use best of class energy-efficient predicted due to challenges imple- The design was posted on NRELs
reduced compared to NRELs previ- equipment and keep equipment off menting robust computer power internal Web site and included
ous leased office and data center. when not in use. Based on the mea- management settings and surprise innewsletters.
NREL conducted a detailed inven- sured plug loads end uses, NREL is plug loads such as the backup diesel Since the open office environment
tory of existing plug loads and then saving approximately 50% in plug generator fuel tank heaters. was such a significant departure
a critical assessment of plug load load energy compared to its previ- Efforts to engage occupants in from the staffs previous work envi-
needs and policies. ous typical practices. energy efficiency began during ronment, the previous leased space
The agency implemented new design-build and have included was reconfigured to test-drive the
equipment standards for RSF that new open workstations and help
eliminate unneeded equipment, SOUTH WINDOW
build wider acceptance across all of
favor shared multi-function printers, NRELs staff.
Glazing
Light Reflected Up NREL developed a prototype
Toward Ceiling
Sunlight computer network-based applica-
Daylight Window Redirects Enters Daylighting Louver
Light Toward Ceiling for tion called Building Occupant
Deeper Daylight Distribution Agent to provide a two-way flow of
information and feedback between
Passively Heated
Air Stored in Thermal ENERGY USE BREAKDOWN
Labyrinth for Preheating O C T. 2 0 1 0 S E P T. 2 0 1 1
Ventilation Air ( K B T U / F T 2)
Light Shelf Shades View Window
and Reflects Light into Daylight Window
Cooling 0.46
View Window Allows Views, Heating 9.68
Controls Glare and Solar Gain
Courtesy of DOE/NREL and RNL
Courtesy of DOE/NREL and RNL
Mechanical Systems 2.19
Lighting 2.83
Automatic and Manual Operable
Windows Allow Natural Ventilation Plug Loads 5.76
Data Center 14.43
Insulated Precast Concrete Building Total 35.35
Thermal Mass Wall
Fa l l 2 0 1 2 H I G H PERFORMING BUILDINGS 27
occupants, facility management and Low Energy Active Systems Lighting
the building management system. Smart architecture and plug load The lighting design focuses on using
The lobby features two displays of choices set the stage for low energy controls to keep lights off when not
real-time and annual energy perfor- active systems. Lighting, HVAC and needed and minimizing lighting power
mance as a reminder that the build- plumbing systems all have opportu- density (LPD). The RSF is designed
ing is a living laboratory. nities for energy reduction. with daylighting as the primary

MECHANICAL POWER DENSITY D A I LY H E AT I N G E N E R G Y

A C T U A L V S . M O D E L O C T. 2 0 1 1 A C T U A L V S . M O D E L O C T. 2 0 1 0 O C T. 2 0 1 1
Power Density (W/ft2)

0.21 14000

Daily Heating Energy (kW)

0.18 12000
0.15 10000
0.12 8000
0.09 6000
0.06 4000
0.03 2000
0.00 0
0 6 12 18 24 -20 0 20 40 60 80 100
Time of Day Average Daily Outdoor Temperature (F)
RSF Hourly Mechanical RSF Average Mechanical Model Mechanical RSF Daily Heating Model Average Heating RSF Average Heating

LIGHTING POWER DENSITY D A I LY C O O L I N G E N E R G Y

A C T U A L V S . M O D E L O C T. 2 0 1 1 A C T U A L V S . M O D E L O C T. 2 0 1 0 O C T. 2 0 1 1
0.35 700
Power Density (W/ft2)

Daily Cooling Energy (kW)

0.30 600
0.25 500
0.20 400
0.15 300
0.10 200
0.05 100
0.00 0
0 6 12 18 24 20 30 80
Time of Day Average Daily Outdoor Temperature (F)
RSF Hourly Lighting RSF Average Lighting Model Lighting RSF Daily Cooling Model Average Cooling RSF Average Cooling

PLUG LOAD POWER DENSITY PV OUTPUT

A C T U A L V S . M O D E L O C T. 2 0 1 1 A C T U A L V S . M O D E L O C T. 2 0 1 1
800
Power Density (W/ft2)

Power (kW)

0.70
0.60 700
0.50 600

0.40 500
400
0.30
300
0.20
200
0.10 100
Courtesy of DOE/NREL

0.00 0
0 6 12 18 24
0 6 12 18 24
HPB.hotims.com/38001-2
Time of Day Time of Day
RSF Hourly Plug Loads RSF Average Plug Loads Model RSF Hourly PV Output RSF Average PV Output Model

28 HIGH PERFORMING B U I L D I N G S Fa l l 2 0 1 2

Porous paving, rain gardens and bioswales
are part of the facilitys integrated storm
water management strategies.
lighting source with an ambient light
level for office areas at 25 footcandles.
The primary fluorescent fixture, a
two lamp, 25-watt T-8, supplements
daylight levels. All workstations
include a 6-watt LED task lamp.
The control philosophy for lights
is: manual-on, manual-off, with
automatic-off backup. It is up to the
occupants to turn lights on as lights
do not turn on automatically.
When manually switched on,
lights are automatically dimmed
and turned off based on photosen-
sors and a time clock. In private
offices and conference rooms,
vacancy sensors also shut off lights
when the space is unoccupied.
The RSF is realizing up to 85%
savings in lighting energy use dur-
ing sunny midday hours. During a
typical sunny day, the LPD is often
at or below 0.15 W/ft2, a significant
savings compared to a typical code-
minimum office building with an
LPD of 1 W/ft2, and to the installed
LPD of 0.63 W/ft2.
HVAC
With heating and cooling loads
reduced by climate responsive
architecture, low energy HVAC
systems can condition the space
when needed. Strategies include
30 HIGH PERFORMING B U I L D I N G S Fa l l 2 0 1 2
decoupled ventilation and space
conditioning to reduce fan and
reheat energy, low pressure drop
design, equipment efficiency, and
leveraging free sources of heat-
ing (and cooling) like air-to-air
heat recovery and IT equipment.
Advanced controls can be the
Achilles heel of real-world HVAC
performance, and as such, should be
well developed.
HVAC system serving the major-
ity of the RSF decouples ventilation
air from temperature control using
hydronic radiant slab ceilings and
a dedicated outdoor air system for
ventilation and dehumidification.
The hydronic radiant tubing is cast
into the structural floor and roof
H I G H P E R F O R M A N C E B U I L D I N G S T R AT E G I E S
1 60 ft. Wide Office Wings
2 On-site Photovoltaic System
3 Electrochromic Glazing
4 Louvered Sunshade
10
3 Insulated spandrel panels on the north
The data centers dedicated cool- air temperature. Free cooling pro- utilization effectiveness (PUE) of
decks to condition the space below. ing system is built around free vided by either direct outside air or 1.1 to 1.15 and an average of 1.21
Robb Williamson, courtesy of RNL
Ventilation air is distributed via 12 cooling that exports useful heat to evaporative cooling can meet this during the summer months. The
in. raised access floors. This decou- the rest of the building. This sys- requirement most of the year. theoretical best possible PUE is 1.
pled approach eliminates reheat tem operates at room temperatures The hot air discharged from the The ventilation air for all parts of
energy and much of the fan power in the mid-70s (F), which is well server racks above 90F is used the building is tempered using a
associated with a more conventional within the limits of manufactur- directly as transfer air for ventilating variety of free sources. Ventilation
all-air variable air volume (VAV) ers recommendations and current other parts of the building when out- is heated by using air discharged
reheat system. industry standards, but higher than side conditions are cool. The data cen- from the data center, air warmed by
This system was selected to pair conventional industry practice. ter air handlers include chilled-water the transpired collector and thermal
well with the passive strategies for The cooling strategy also includes coils as backup to provide cooling for mass labyrinth, and more conven-
the building, including natural ven- containing the hot air discharged a handful of hours each summer. tional runaround loop heat recovery.
tilation and night purging. CO2 sen- from equipment so that waste heat The free cooling and IT efficiency Evaporative cooling is used to tem-
sors allow the active ventilation sys- can be removed from the space measures make the data center one per ventilation air most warm days.
tem to ramp down when occupancy without mixing with the cool air of the most efficient in the world. The remaining heating and cool-
is low or natural ventilation is in use. supplied to the space. These provi- During the cooler months, the data ing requirements for the building
Nonoffice spaces such as confer- sions allow a relatively warm supply center has been running a power are satisfied by drawing heated and
ence rooms are conditioned with a
more traditional VAV reheat system
to provide quick response to large LESSONS LEARNED
changes in occupancy and to accom-
NREL and the design-build team have Improved PV efficiency. As with most HVAC improvements. The radiant heating
modate high occupant densities.
applied lessons learned from the Research net zero energy projects, roof space for and cooling system has been successful
CO2-based demand control ventila- Support Facility (RSF) to the addition of a installation of photovoltaic systems is at from both an energy efficiency and thermal
tion is provided to minimize fan, third wing. The 138,000 ft2 RSF expansion a premium. The original RSF used a power comfort perspective. Another improvement
project began before construction was purchase agreement to procure the roof- comes with the HVAC system selection for
cooling and reheat energy. Hydronic complete on the original facility and was mounted PV. A variety of economic and conference room zones. The original facil-
radiant panels provide heat during occupied in late 2011. contractual issues resulted in the use of a ity used a VAV-reheat system. The third
By incorporating lessons learned, the mid-range efficiency PV with a module effi- wing addresses the need for high occupant
unoccupied hours without engaging
expansion project was built at a cost of ciency of about 13%. The additional PV sys- density and faster thermal response with
air handlers and reheat energy dur- $14/ft2 less than the original construction tems procured by NREL using ARRA funds a displacement ventilation system, which
ing periods of low use. cost and operates 11% more efficiently resulted in module efficiency of about 19%. provides greater ventilation effectiveness,
than the original RSF. The key lessons This difference in PV module efficiency while eliminating reheat.
learned include: adds up. For the same roof area, the RSF
A simpler thermal labyrinth. The thermal
could have had an additional 158 kW sys-
labyrinth plays a role in tempering ventilation
Windows and frames are the weak link. tem or 35% more energy generation com-
air. However, based on performance and
5 Operable Windows 9 Permeable Paving Studying the building with thermographic pared with the installed 449 kWsystem.
6 Daylight Windows 10 Fresh Air Inlet photography confirmed the project more refined analysis, the labyrinth structure
7 Radiant Heating and Cooling 11 Interior Thermal Mass Lighting and control improvements. itself can be much simpler. The crawl space
12 Thermal Storage Labyrinth
teams suspicions. Changes to the third
While the lighting system has been largely for the third wing still functions as a thermal
8 Decoupled Ventilation Air winginclude:
1
successful, room for improvement still battery, but is constructed as a more typical
A higher performance thermally broken existed. The lighting control system moved concrete crawl space. The exposed founda-
aluminum frame; from a relay system to a digitally address- tion walls and floors provide ample thermal
able system in the third wing, greatly mass without the additional staggered inte-
2 The window area was reduced by raising
the sill of the view windows 6 in.; enhancing the flexibility and zoning of the rior labyrinth walls.
system. While the two lamp T-8 fixtures
4 6
11
The operable window area was still provide the best overall efficiency for Domestic water from recovered heat.
increased, which resulted in less The reliability and energy efficiency of the
5 7 the primary office lighting, the third wing
framearea; hot water system in the third wing were
uses more LED fixtures (downlights and
8 enhanced by switching to a heat pump-style
Triple-pane glazing was extended to the wall washers) because of improved fixture
12 options and cost effectiveness available water heater for heating domestic water.
VStudios, courtesy of RNL
east and west curtain walls; and Though this approach introduces energy loss
at the time of design of the third wing.
from storage, distribution and recirculation
Daylight controls were expanded to some
faade were replaced with primary irregularly occupied spaces such as the pumping, the system provides heat three
9 wallconstruction. times as efficiently and provides free cooling
stairwells in the third wing.
to adjacent telecom and electrical rooms.
Fa l l 2 0 1 2 H I G H PERFORMING BUILDINGS 31

TA B L E 1 R S F P V I N S TA L L AT I O N S
PV System Modeled PV Energy Date of PV
PV Installations Size (kW) Generation (kWh/yr) Installation
RSF Roof 449
RSF Visitor 524
Parking
RSF Expansion 408
Roof
RSF Staff 1,156
Parking Garage
Totals 2,538
chilled water from the NREL central
plant loop. The campus district hot
water is heated with large condens-
ing boilers located in existing labo-
ratory facilities.
Chilled water for the air handlers
and radiant cooling system in the
RSF is provided from the campus
chilled water system, which consists
of a series of water-cooled centrifugal
chillers with water-side economizers.
The RSF peak chilled water use was
sized at approximately 1,000 ft2/ton
of campus chilled water. All RSF
heating and cooling modeled and
measured energy use data presented
in this article include delivered
campus utility efficiencies for these
central plantsystems.
Plumbing
The primary energy concerns for
plumbing systems are pumping and
domestic water heating. Efficient
equipment and fixtures reduce
demand. An early focus on the
location of plumbing fixtures and
equipment within the building mini-
mized distribution requirements,
reducing installation costs and
energyconsumption.
32 HIGH PERFORMING B U I L D I N G S Fa l l 2 0 1 2
Measured PV Energy
Generation (kWh)
606,150 Dec 2010 615,906
(12 months)
707,400 Jul 2011 679,086
(11 months)
550,800 Dec 2011 327,371
(7 months)
1,560,600 Aug 2012 TBD
3,424,950 1,622,363
(July 2011June 2012)
Water-conserving fixtures and equip-
ment include waterless urinals, dual
flush toilets, and low-flow faucets and
showers. The building uses point-of-
use electric water heaters to eliminate
distribution and standby heat losses.
Sufficient water pressure at the
site eliminated the need for domes-
tic water pumping. The foundation
drainage system uses a pump, but
this is not a significant energy use.
On-Site Renewable Energy
With efficiency measures noted pre-
viously, the upfront cost of renew-
able energy systems is likely to be
8% of the total project cost before
incentives and other funding mech-
anisms are considered.
The RSFs three on-site photovoltaic
systems total more than 1.6 MW
(Table 1). A 449 kW system on the
roof of the RSF was installed shortly
after the building was complete.
This system was procured using a
power purchase agreement (PPA)
with a third-party owner.
A second 524 kW system installed
over the visitor parking lot in the
form of shade canopies began operat-
ing in July 2011. The third system
buffer, based on a site energy defi- After one year of operation, the achieving large energy savings with-
nition of net zero. measured EUI is 35.4 kBtu/ft2 com- out additional cost is repeatable and
pared to the energy target of 35.1 can serve as a blueprint for taking
Aligning Performance kBtu/ft2. Of the total 35.4 kBtu/ft2, net zero energy to scale.
No building can be expected to the data center uses 14 kBtu/ft2 and
Frank Ooms, courtesy of RNL
operate at its potential without the building without the data center ABOUT THE AUTHORS
paying attention to performance is at 21.4 kBtu/ft2.
Tom Hootman, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, is
and addressing issues that arise. For the RSF operations team, director of sustainability at RNL in Denver.
The operation of the RSF building evaluating the measured end use David Okada, P.E., Member ASHRAE,
includes a thorough measurement profiles against the predictions has LEED AP, is an associate principal for
Integral Group in Seattle. He worked on
and verification process. been critical in aligning operational
The lobby features a multistory wall faced the NREL RSF project while at Stantec
All energy end uses and on-site deficiencies with the energy model
with pine, which was milled from wood Consulting.
killed by a beetle infestation that has devas- renewable energy systems are sub- end use budgets. Shanti Pless, Member ASHRAE, is a
tated forests in the Rocky Mountain region. metered. A rich set of actual energy senior energy efficiency research engi-
neer in the NREL Commercial Buildings
use data has been gathered, ana- Conclusion Research Group in Golden, Colo.,
is a 706 kW array installed over the lyzed and compared to the predicted NRELs RSF is successfully pursu- Michael Sheppy, Associate Member
staff parking structure that began performance from the final as-built ing its objective of being a next ASHRAE, is a research engineer in the
operating during summer 2012. The energy model. Accounting for mod- generation high performance com- NREL Commercial Buildings Research
Group in Golden, Colo.
second and third systems were est differences in weather and actual mercial building. While the specific
Paul Torcellini, Ph.D., P.E., Member
funded by the American Recovery building use, overall building energy strategies implemented on the RSF ASHRAE, is the line manager of the
and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). use and end use energy consumption will vary in applicability to other NREL Commercial Buildings Research
Group in Golden, Colo.
An additional 450 kW of PV were has tracked closely with predictions. projects, the overall approach to
added to the third system to provide
on-site renewable energy for an RSF
expansion (the expansion also has a
408 kW roof mounted array) and to
provide a small energy contingency.
The three PV systems are
designed to meet the RSFs energy
target of 35 kBtu/ft2yr with a small
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Request For Proposalswww.nrel.gov/rsf
Performance-based Design-Build Process
http://tinyurl.com/nrel-performance
Controlling Costs In High Performance
Office Buildings
http://tinyurl.com/nrel-costs
Plug Load Management
http://tinyurl.com/plug-loads
Reducing Data Center Loads
http://tinyurl.com/nrel-datactr
Full Set Of Predicted Vs. Actual
Performance
http://tinyurl/rsf-update
HPB.hotims.com/38001-3