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Energy and environmental standards, like ISO 50001 and ISO 14001, have a significant influence on the sustainable performance of companies worldwide, while international sustainable building rating systems are often the chosen method to quantify and benchmark performance. This research aims to comprehensively evaluate and assess the performance of these standards in relation to both the LEED and BREEAM assessments. Based on a clearly defined methodology, each standard topic and assessment criteria are comprehensively evaluated and discussed in detail. The main outcome of this research is that through a combination of these standards, a minimum of a LEED Gold or a very good, four-star BREEAM certification is achievable. Furthermore, the highest potential areas for improvement in companies with mature standards are highlighted as well as recommendations for companies with less mature standards and projects in the design and planning phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution of buildings towards total worldwide energy consumption in developed countries is between 20 and 40 %. This is expected to rise by an average rate of 1.5 % per annum over the next 20 years. Heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and more specifically air handling units (AHUs) energy consumption accounts on average for 40 % of an industrial site's energy consumption. Building systems rarely perform as well in practice as anticipated during design due to improper equipment selection or installation, lack of commissioning, or improper maintenance to cite but a few reasons. Studies have indicated that 20-30 % energy savings are achievable by recommissioning HVAC systems, and more specifically AHU operations, to rectify faulty operation. Automated Fault Detection and Diagnosis (AFDD) is a process concerned with potentially automating the commissioning process through the detection of faults. This paper seeks to illustrate the effectiveness of a new rule-based expert system developed for AHUs known as 'AHU InFO' when compared to the Air Handling Unit Performance Assessment Rules (APAR). AHU InFO has proven to be more effective than APAR in tests against both derived and field test data on a variety of AHU types. In tests against 52 derived faults, AHU InFO identified all 52 issues whereas the APAR identified just ten primarily due to a lack of instrumentation negating the use of many of its constituent rules. In comparisons against field test data, the comparison sought to highlight the developments implemented in AHU InFO with these tests showing that the AHU InFO outperformed APAR in each category tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have indicated that 20-30 % HVAC system energy savings are achievable by recommissioning air handling units (AHU) to rectify faulty operation. Studies have also demonstrated that on-going commissioning of building systems for optimum efficiency can yield savings of an average of over 20 % of total energy cost. Automated fault detection and diagnosis (AFDD) is a process concerned with automating the detection of faults and their causes in physical systems. AFDD can be used to assist the commissioning process at multiple stages. This article presents a review of the research work that has been carried out on the use of AFDD tools in improving the efficiency of AHUs. This updates and expands upon the most recent literature review in this area, published in 2005. The article offers a comparative analysis of the FDD techniques currently in use and offers an opinion as to which show most potential for widespread adoption as part of the on-going commissioning process. It then details the issues which have impeded the adoption of existing AFDD tools for AHUs to date before concluding with an appraisal of current and recommended areas for future research to overcome the barriers to the widespread adoption of AFDD tools in AHUs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]