Designing for Energy Efficient Operation
White Paper
Bryon Price
February, 2003
To state the obvious, the energy efficiency of a building and its air conditioning system is an ongoing issue. Even the “greenest“ buildings must be commissioned correctly and appropriately maintained and operated to achieve their potential. Decisions made during design can help underpin long term energy efficient operation or act as significant barriers to the realisation of the energy efficiency promise.
The requirement to produce energy efficient outcomes necessarily causes designers of air conditioning and ventilating systems to embrace a longer term responsibility for their designs. Designers need to recognise and act on their ability to influence the ongoing energy efficiency, not only through the actual design, its installation and commissioning, but also on into building operation, maintenance and even future modifications.
About the Author
Bryon Price is a Mechanical Engineer and a Registered Building Practitioner in Victoria. He is Business Development Manager for the A.G.Coombs Group of companies. A.G Coombs is a leading specialist provider of building services. Bryon is also responsible for A.G.Coombs Advisory. This provides technical advice and services to building owners and managers. Prior to joining A.G.Coombs he was a Director of a large international Consulting Engineer and responsible for a range of national energy and environmental management projects. Bryon was a founding Director of the Australian Building Energy Council and a Member of the Australian Greenhouse Office Steering Committee for the Scoping Study of Minimum Energy Performance Requirements for Incorporation into the Building Code of Australia. He was a member of the Institution of Engineers National Sustainability Framework Taskforce on Building and Construction and is the Institution of Engineers Australia Representative on Standards Australia Committee EN/3 "Energy Efficiency in Buildings". A member of the Judging Panel for the Master Builders Association National Energy Awards in 1999 and 2000 he was also principal contributor to the 1994 BOMA Energy Guidelines and was similarly involved in the preparation of the 2001 Property Council of Australia Energy Guidelines. Bryon was a member of the Victorian Governments Sustainable Energy Authority's Industry Advisory Panel and is a co-author of the SEAV Building Energy Brief.