Can you guarantee that the completed building will match the performance predicted by the analysis in its day-to-day operations?
Of course, we can’t guarantee the analysis will match with the actual product. Nothing is perfect, so there will be mistakes or deficiencies with the manufactured product that lead to less than optimal energy efficiency at the end of the day. Also, the day-to-day operation depends on maintenance, and if they don’t do the optimal activities (such as turning off the lights before leaving the building), the energy metrics won’t be ideal.
When choosing settings for each of the building performance factors, should you always choose the setting that gives the absolute lowest predicted energy use?
Don’t always choose the most energy-efficient option because sometimes the marginal benefit doesn’t outweigh the marginal cost. For example, looking at my project, when I increased the energy efficiency of the windows, it led to a change of less than 1 kBtu / ft^2 / yr. Therefore, it wouldn’t make sense to go over budget for that negligent benefit. It’s a game of finding the optimal decision.
How can you use Insight feedback to make design choices regarding materials, lighting, PV, etc.?
The Insight feedback is critical because we can easily visualize the aspects of the building contributing to the most energy loads. It helps us decide what to change when constructing the building. It’s helpful to know what to optimize before constructing the buildings, hence why Insights is so useful. Also, we can put a value on the amount of gain one would receive by changing different energy efficiency metrics.