NEW YORK - According to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), when it comes to high-performance buildings, the proof is performance. Measuring actual energy performance, however, can be challenging due to inadequate modeling practices, failure to include operations staff in goal setting, and lack of adequate budgets for commissioning, evaluations, and ongoing benchmarking.

“As more actual energy performance data becomes available on high-performing buildings, clearer and more realistic expectations will help establish confidence within the building design and construction industry about costs and savings,” said Donald Winston, The Durst Organization, New York.

Winston is one of three speakers who will provide a look at the role of performance measurement in high-performing buildings presented in a seminar at ASHRAE’s 2008 Winter Meeting, Jan. 19-23, New York. The seminar, Green Building Energy Performance: Some Experience and Data from the Field, takes place from 9:15-10:45 a.m., Jan. 23, at the New York Hilton.

Winston will focus on his experiences with Class A office space in midtown Manhattan, including the Conde Nast Building at 4 Times Square, and recent high-rise green residential buildings.

“Energy cost savings are often cited as offsetting any additional first costs of green buildings,” said Adam Hinge, a member of ASHRAE’s Technical Committee TC 7.6, Systems Energy Utilization, which is sponsoring the seminar.

“Many times the cited energy benefits are based on predicted, not measured, savings. In some cases, actual energy performance can be quite different from predicted performance. Accurate reporting of the actual performance of green buildings is important, as sharing operating results and lessons learned earlier rather than later can avoid repeating potential mistakes as the green buildings movement proceeds. This seminar presents experience and data on several high-profile projects.”

Other sessions in the ASHRAE seminar include High-Rise Residential Buildings: What Works and What Doesn’t, From Energy Model to Ongoing Operation: A Portfolio Wide Approach to Greening Schools, and Lessons Learned in Operation High-Performance Green Buildings.

For more information, visit www.ashrae.org.

Publication Date:01/28/2008