Active Chilled Beams Come of Age

摘要

Building energy efficiency, sustainability, and interior aesthetics are concepts that may often appear to be at odds. Yet designers must balance these concepts within budget restrictions and energy code requirements-a feat, say industry experts, that will be increasingly hard to achieve. The "Annual Energy Outlook 2014" published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that between 2012 and 2040, commercial building energy consumption will grow by 0.6 percent annually, while the growth of commercial floor space averages 1.0 percent per year and the energy intensity, or energy use per square foot, will decrease by 0.4 percent per year. This decrease is expected to come from federally mandated gains in equipment efficiency and reduced consumption by space heating, cooling, lighting, and plug loads. The key takeaway here is that, again, over time, it will become increasingly difficult to balance the energy code requirement, budget restrictions, and interior aesthetics.