by Brianna Crandall — August 25, 2014—Global building technology society ASHRAE is introducing a new course through the ASHRAE Learning Institute, “Building Demand Response and the Coming Smart Grid,” that addresses new technologies and design concepts that are leading the way to how buildings and their systems will interact with a coming smart electrical grid.
According to ASHRAE, peak demand management and response is a critical factor as most developed countries move toward a national smart grid, which will help provide a reliable and secure infrastructure that can meet future demand growth as well as more effectively integrate distributed renewable energy systems from photovoltaics and wind power.
“Peak demand management and response are becoming more important in building systems and their control,” says Tom Lawrence, course instructor. “While demand management may not have much impact on the individual building total energy use, it may well be an effective tool for cost savings on electric utility bills. It also is vital for overall societal energy and environmental management. Thus, the considerations go beyond just one building’s energy cost and utilization.”
According to ASHRAE, demand response is the process a building, industry or residential electric consumer would use to reduce electricity use during peak demand periods on the electric grid. Lawrence points out that examples for demand response measures include changing set points for building air conditioning or chilled water systems, reduction in unnecessary lighting, selectively shutting off plug loads not currently in use, etc.
Lawrence also notes that ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1-2011, Standard for the Design of High-Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, includes a requirement that the building be designed to have the capability of reducing peak electrical demand through active controls or other load-shifting measures by 10 percent of the building’s projected peak demand. Similar requirements or incentives for demand response management are contained in the International Green Construction Code (IgCC) and with the latest version of the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) program.
The course, which takes place September 29, is part of the ALI Fall Online series, which provides professional development through in-depth information that is timely, practical and targeted to provide engineers in consulting practices, facilities management or supplier support with instruction on applying ASHRAE standards and employing new technologies essential for advanced building performance.
The 2014 Fall Online Courses are:
- High-Performance Building Design: Applications and Future Trends, Sept. 8
- Air-to-Air Energy Recovery Applications: Best Practices, Sept. 10
- Complying with Standard 90.1-2013, Sept. 15
- Evaluation Methods for High-Performance Green Buildings, Sept. 22
- Fundamental Requirements of Standard 62.1-2013, Sept. 24
- Building Demand Response and the Coming Smart Grid, Sept. 29
- District Cooling and Heating Systems: Central Plants, Oct. 6
- Healthcare Facilities: Best Practices for Design and Applications, Oct. 8
- Maximizing Customer Benefits Using Key Electric Utility Products, Oct. 13
- Combined Heat and Power: Creating Efficiency through Design and Operations, Oct. 20
- Design of Commercial Ground Source Heat Pumps, Oct. 22
- Energy Efficiency in Data Centers, Nov. 3
- Commissioning for High-Performance Buildings, Nov. 5
- Exceeding Standard 90.1-2013 to Meet LEED Requirements, Nov. 12
