| CODE | ENR5014 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Sustainability in Building Services | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Faculty of Engineering | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will deal with sustainability aspects of building services by focusing on two main pillars: energy auditing and green energy technologies. Energy auditing procedures applicable to mechanical and electrical systems will be introduced. Energy audit survey instrumentation and data analysis techniques for evaluating the energy consumption profiles of buildings will be presented. This will be followed by the presentation of two practical energy audit case studies: one dealing with heat, ventilation and air conditioning plants and another involving electrical power systems. The unit will then focus on the application of green energy technologies aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of buildings. Focus will be made on the Maltese solar and wind potential for micro-scale energy generation in buildings and best practices associated with related installations. Study-unit Aims: The main aim of this study-unit is to provide essential knowledge and skills to save energy, reduce operational costs and carbon footprint of buildings and to meet organisational targets through the: - application of sustainability principles and associated criteria; - conduct of energy audits and preparation of action plans to improve building sustainability; - implementation of renewable energy technologies. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - discuss environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainability in building services; - formulate strategies to raise awareness and motivate building occupants to implement measures to improve the sustainability of building systems; - assess the impact of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies in achieve sustainability targets in buildings; - distinguish between the different types of energy auditing processes applicable to building mechanical and electrical systems; - discuss the measurement techniques used for energy consumption monitoring in buildings; - explain reporting formats and self-evaluation checklists used in energy audit process; - identify feasible measures to reduce electricity bills and carbon footprint of buildings; - explain standards and regulations related to energy auditing and implementation of green technologies in buildings. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - apply fundamental sustainability principles and associated criteria in the design of building services; - perform energy accounting calculations as part of an audit process; - derive energy consumption trends in buildings through utility bills and measurements of energy consumption; - conduct an energy audit on mechanical and electrical building systems; - estimate the energy yield potential and carbon foot print reduction resulting from the implementation of solar photo-voltaic, solar thermal and micro wind turbine systems in buildings; - apply best practices in the preparation of energy audits and installation of renewable energy systems; - evaluate the economic feasibility of measures to improve the sustainability of buildings. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Thumann, A., Niehus, T. & Younger, W. J. (2013). Handbook of energy audits Lilburn, GA: Fairmont Press. - Tymkow, P. (2013). Building services design for energy efficient buildings. London: Routledge. - Smith, P. F. (2007). Sustainability at the cutting edge: emerging technologies for low energy buildings. Amsterdam: Elsevier. - Tester, J. W. (2012). Sustainable energy: choosing among options. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Independent Study and Project | |||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Robert N. Farrugia Luciano Mule' Stagno Paul Refalo Christopher Sammut Charles Emile I. Yousif |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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