Thermally efficient building envelopes

Thermally Efficient Building Envelopes: Visualizing the Pathway to Low Energy Buildings
March 2015 SABMag ConEd Article
GBCI: 0920003660

Overview
Thermally efficient building envelopes have long been recognized as a necessity for low energy buildings in heating dominated climates. This article looks at how architects and designers can improve overall energy performance by looking at thermal efficient building envelopes and interface details and resources available.

Learning Outcomes
On completion of this learning unit, the reader will be able to:

Identify the resources that are available to practitioners to help design better building envelopes.
Understand how interface details affect overall energy performance.
Understand how the BETB Guide can help architects and designers.
Identify problematic interface details in building design.
Understand the roles that different factors play in overall building envelope performance.

Assessment
All articles offered by SABMag are GBCI approved. To qualify for continuing education learning hours, practitioners must first read the technical article below, and then proceed to complete the short quiz at the end. You must receive 80% on the quiz to record the activity as part of your continuing education. An email will be sent to you and will act as your certificate of completion once you have successfully completed the requirements.

In order to obtain your CEU Certificate of Completion for this course (1h CE):

STEP 1 : Read the article Thermally Efficient Building Envelopes: Visualizing the Pathway to Low Energy Buildings (PDF format)

STEP 2 : Take the quiz and get a minimum of 8 out of 10 correct answers to receive your Certificate of Completion.

Quiz by: SABMagazine

1.

Unmitigated thermal bridging can undermine other strategies to improve building envelope thermal performance. True or False?

a. True

b. False

2.

Traditionally, which of the following has not been a long-standing strategy to improve building envelope thermal performance?

a. Adding more insulation

b. Minimizing glazing area

c. Mitigating thermal bridging

d. Maximizing glazing performance

3.

Thermal bridging has not typically received as much attention because of which of the following?

a. Methods to assess thermal bridging were complicated

b. The impacts at interface details was assumed to be low

c. There was a lack of generic data to assess thermal bridging

d. Energy standards and codes did not effectively address thermal bridging

e. All of the above

4.

Which of the following ASHRAE standards starts to address thermal bridging at interface details?

a. ASHRAE 90.1

b. ASHRAE 55.1

c. ASHRAE 62.1

d. ASHRAE 1365-RP

5.

The BETB Guide is a valuable reference tool. BETB stands for what?

a. Better Efficient Thermal Bridging Guide

b. Better Envelope Thermal Bridging Guide

c. Building Efficient Thermal Buildings Guide

d. Building Envelope Thermal Bridging Guide

6.

Thermal bridging at interface details is important, but not as important as Assembly ‘effective’ R-Values or Assembly U-Values. True or False?

a. True

b. False

7.

The performance of windows and walls are typically evaluated separately because?

a. Windows and walls are never evaluated separately

b. Walls affect energy consumption in more ways than windows

c. Windows affect energy consumption in more ways than opaque walls

d. Walls also have typically higher assembly U-values than window assemblies

8.

An un-insulated balcony is an example of what?

a. Good thermal bridging mitigation strategy

b. A major conductive bypass with poor performance

c. A major conductive bypass with efficient performance

d. Best practice when it comes to balconies in larger buildings

9.

The BETB Guide is ____________________.

a. A highly visual tool developed by ASHRAE for architects and designers

b. Meant to replace calculations and whole building energy modelling

c. A highly visual tool developed by Passive House to certify residential buildings

d. A highly visual tool that allows architects and designers to make informed decisions

10.

Which of the following is not an example of thermal bridging at interface details?

a. Parapets

b. Intermediate floor slabs

c. Continuous insulation stud wall

d. Interfaces between windows and walls

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