Student Project Showcase
Third-year SEE students in the project-based course titled, “SEE 310 – Integrated Energy Solution II” are tasked to use modeling to measure the impact of sustainable building technologies.
2021
Energy Demand of Electrified Residential and Personal Transportation Sectors in Surrey, B.C.
Team: Hannah Chan, Emma Hannaford, Clara (Yoonsoo) Park
As Surrey moves towards electrifying its residential and personal transportation sectors, the electric grid may require changes to accommodate rising demands. This project models electricity demand after electrification of townhouses, condominiums, single-family homes, and personal vehicles. An eQUEST model is generated to forecast electricity demands by simulating annual building operations. A spreadsheet is used to combine the building and home electric vehicle charging profiles. The results show large increases in electricity demand when comparing the baseline and electrified scenarios, especially throughout winter. The demand profiles can be used to address grid development. However, policy-making and city planning requires further research.
Comparison Between Conventional and Passive House Certified Apartment Buildings in Metro Vancouver
Team: Danielle Arciaga, Kaylee Meschke, Isaac Yoon
The eQUEST building energy modelling software was used to model a five-story apartment building constructed between 1980 and 1990 in Metro Vancouver, and a Passive House certified retrofit of the same building. Comparisons of electricity and gas consumption showed that retrofitting the building led to an increase in electricity consumption and a decrease in gas consumption. Discovering these results is important because of the increase in population and the COVID-19 pandemic. With more people staying home, the energy consumption of the residential sector will increase and could impede the 2050 net-zero emission target in place within Metro Vancouver.
Investigating the Energy Consumption, Carbon Emissions and Cost Savings of Retrofitting a Multi-Unit Low-Rise Residential Building in Surrey, B.C.
Team: Taryn Chang, Simran Pandher, Tayme Stewart
In line with the City of Surrey’s climate action plan, our project investigated changes in energy usage, emissions and costs of retrofitting and electrifying a 1990 low-rise multi-unit residential building. By comparing ‘original’ and ‘retrofitted’ models, we found that electrifying building systems and improving the building envelope can reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. However, the building envelope upgrade is acheived at a relatively high cost. Finally, our analysis on installing electric vehicle charging stations may help promote the technology in retrofitted buildings. Expanding the steps to meet newer building energy standards is essential to support retrofitting and electrification.