Can you guarantee that the completed building will match the performance predicted by the analysis in its day-to-day operations?
It cannot be guaranteed that the completed building will match the performance predicted by the analysis. There are always certain levels of uncertainty due to building usage behavior and environmental impacts that cannot be predicted no matter how in-depth of an analysis is conducted. Weather condition patterns continue to change and worsen as climate change is further exacerbated, and these unprecedented weather events can cause significant fluctuations in building performance. Furthermore, we removed the topography prior to conducting our analysis, and thus our results to not take into account the interactions between our building and the surrounding site. If these factors were taken into account, our model would better imitate real-world conditions and most likely produce different results.
When choosing settings for each of the building performance factors, should you always choose the setting that gives the absolute lowest predicted energy use?
When choosing settings for each of the building performance factors, you should not always choose the setting that gives the absolute lowest predicted energy use for various reasons:
- It may not be financially feasible given the constraints of a project. Many energy-saving technologies are expensive to adopt because they are novel and not yet the industry standard.
- It may result in a design that compromises building occupant comfort.
Ultimately, energy consumption is only one of the many factors that affect the performance of a building. Indoor air quality and circulation and heating/lighting are other factors that must be considered. Selecting the setting that gives the absolute lowest predicted energy use may result in poorer performance in these other aspects that are equally important.
How can you use Insight feedback to make design choices regarding materials, lighting, PV, etc.?
The feedback provided by Insight allows us to visualize different aspects that contribute to the building’s energy usage by order of importance. This helps us identify the factors that contribute the most and will therefore optimize performance the most if they are changed. We are also able to see how the building is affected when different materials, lighting options, and PV panel efficiencies are used. It is helpful to have this information when designing a structure because it provides provable, data-based metrics that can support our design decisions.