OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS WITH
COMPLETE ANSWERS
Why ffdoes ffsustainability ffin ffbuilding ffoperations ffand ffmaintenance ffmatter? ff- ffAnswer
ffSince ffbuildings ffconsume ffmore ffthan ff40% ffof ffenergy ffand ff12% ffof ffwater,
ffachieving ffmore ffsustainable ffbuilding ffoperations ffcan ffcontribute fftoward ffsignificant
ffenvironmental ffimprovements. ffWhen ffproperly ffoperated fffor ffefficiency, ffwell-
maintained ffbuildings ffcan ffhave ff20-50% fflower ffoperating ffcosts ffwhile ffdrastically
ffreducing ffenvironmental ffimpact. ffIn ffaddition ffto ffenergy ffsavings, ffindoor ffair ffquality
ff(IAQ) ffis ffa ffprimary ffsustainability ffconcern fffor ffbuilding ffoccupants, ffoperators, ffand
ffengineers ff- ffgiven ffthe ffprofound ffimpact ffit ffcan ffhave ffon ffhuman ffhealth.
Why ffuse ffa ff"whole-building" ffapproach ffwhen ffthinking ffabout ffoperation ffof ffa
ffbuilding's fffacilities? ff- ffAnswer ffWhen ffthinking ffabout ffoperation ffof ffa ffbuilding's
fffacilities, ffuse ffa ff"whole-building" ffapproach ffrather ffthan ffaddressing ffeach ffsystem
ffindividually. ffThis ffapproach fffits ffboth ffas ffan ffunderlying ffsustainability ffconcept ffand
ffas ffa ffbasic ffprinciple ffof ffbuilding ffoperations ffscience. ffWe ffuse ffthis ffapproach ffto
ffexplore ffenergy ffand ffwater ffusage ffin ffbuildings ffand ffto ffdetermine ffhow ffto ffmake
ffour ffbuildings ffoperate ffmore ffefficiently.
Give ffan ffexample ffof ffhow ffthe ffoperation ffof ffone fffacility ffsystem ffin ffa ffbuilding
ffaffects ffanother ffof ffthe ffbuilding's ffsystems. ff- ffAnswer ffConsider ffthe fffact ffthat ffif ffyou
ffchange ffout ffall ffyour fflighting fffrom ffincandescent ffto fffluorescent ffyou ffwill ffsave
ffmoney ffon ffyour ffelectric ffbill, ffbut ffyou ffwill ffalso ffsee ffthe ffheating ffbill ffgo ffup ffslightly,
ffand ffthe ffair-conditioning ffbill ffgo ffdown. ffThe ffpower ffgoing ffto ffthe fflights, ffwhich ffis
ffreleased ffas ffheat ffto ffthe ffspace ffthe fflights ffare ffin, ffwill ffhave ffbeen ffreduced
ffdramatically. ffThis ffincreases ffthe ffheating ffload ffand ffdecreases ffthe ffcooling ffload.
When ffwould ffyou ffmeasure ffwater ffby ffcubic fffeet ffrather ffthan ffby ffgallons? ff- ffAnswer
ffThe ffterm ffcubic fffeet ff(cf) ffor ffhundred ffcubic fffeet ff(ccf ffor ffHCF) ffis ffused ffwhen
ffmeasuring fflarger ffamounts ffof ffwater
Why ffis ffit ffimportant ffto ffmeasure ffenergy ffand ffwater ffconsumption? ff- ffAnswer
ffKeeping fftrack ffof ffwater ffand ffenergy ffconsumption ffis ffan ffimportant ffcomponent ffin
ffachieving ffsustainability ffin ffyour ffbuilding ffoperations, ffas ffit ffallows ffyou ffto ffidentify
ffareas fffor ffimprovement ffand ffbenchmark ffprogress.
What ffis ffbenchmarking ffand ffhow ffdoes ffit ffhelp ffmanage ffenergy ffand ffwater
ffconsumption? ff- ffAnswer ffBenchmarking ffis ffestablishing ffa ffbaseline ffof ffenergy ffor
, ffwater ffuse ffover ffat ffleast ffa fffull-year ffperiod, fffor ffcomparison ffwith fffuture ffannual
ffpatterns ffof ffuse ffand ffto ffaverage ffbehavior fffor ffsimilar ffbuildings. ffBenchmarking
ffhelps ffmanage ffenergy ffand ffwater ffconsumption ffby ffusing ffmetrics ffto fftrack, ffmonitor,
ffand ffassess ffenergy ffand ffwater ffuse. ffThe ffprocess ffof ffbenchmarking ffidentifies
ffpotential ffsavings ffand ffprioritizes ffnecessary ffimprovements
Why ffpay ffclose ffattention ffto ffwater ffand ffenergy ffbills? ffWhat ffis ffan ffexample ffof
ffsomething ffthat ffcould ffcause ffa ffjump ffin ffyour ffbuilding's fffuel ffbill? ff- ffAnswer ffPaying
ffcareful ffattention ffto ffwater ffand ffenergy ffbills ffand fflearning ffhow ffto ffmake ffsense ffof
ffthe ffdata ffhelps ffyou ffidentify ffproblems ffthat ffneed ffimmediate ffattention ffand
ffimprovements. ffAn ffexample ffof ffsomething ffthat ffcould ffcause ffa ffjump ffin ffyour
ffbuilding's fffuel ffbill ffis ffequipment ffor ffcontrol fffailure, ffsince ffa ffpump ffcan ffbe ffrunning
fffull fftime ffwhen ffit ffis ffonly ffneeded ffa fffew ffhours ffper ffday
What ffis ffthe ffpurpose ffof ffthe ffbuilding ffenvelope ffand ffwhy ffis ffit ffimportant ffthat ffit
ffworks ffeffectively? ff- ffAnswer ffA ffproperly fffunctioning ffenvelope ffis ffessential ffto
ffthermal ffcomfort ffand ffthe ffefficient ffoperation ffof ffbuilding ffsystems. ffIf ffthe ffenvelope
ffdoes ffnot fflimit ffheat ffflow, ffcontrol ffair ffinfiltration, ffand ffmanage ffmoisture ffsufficiently,
ffthe ffbuilding ffcan ffhave ffserious ffproblems ffthat ffaffect ffthe ffhealth ffof ffbuilding
ffoccupants, ffrequire ffother ffbuilding ffsystems ffto ffwork ffharder, ffincrease ffenergy
ffconsumption, ffand ffeven ffreduce ffthe fflife ffof ffthe ffbuilding
What ffare ffthe ffthree fftypes ffof ffheat fftransfer ffand ffhow ffdoes ffthe ffbuilding ffenvelope
ffcontrol ffthem? ff- ffAnswer ffConduction: ffHeat ffis fftransferred ffthrough ffdirect ffmaterial
ffcontact. ffBuilding ffinsulation ffincreases ffthe ffthermal ffresistance ffof ffthe ffenvelope ffand
ffreduces ffconductive fflosses. ff
Convection: ffHeat ffis fftransferred ffthrough ffair ff(or ffwater) ffmovement. ffTight ffbuilding
ffconstruction, ffweather ffseals, ffand ffvapor ffbarriers ffreduce ffair ffinfiltration ffand ffheat
fflosses.
Radiation: ffHeat ffis fftransferred ffthrough ffdirect ffline-of-sight ffelectromagnetic ffwaves.
ffWall, ffglass, ffand ffroof ffcoatings ffor ffshade ffon ffthe ffbuilding ffcan ffinfluence ffthe
ffreflection ffand ffabsorption ffof ffsolar ffheat ffradiation
Explain ffthe ffstack ffeffect ffand fftwo ffmethods ffused ffto ffcontrol ffit. ff- ffAnswer ffThe ffstack
ffeffect ffoccurs ffwhen ffthe ffwarm ffair ffwithin ffa ffbuilding ffrises ffto ffthe fftop ffand ffescapes
ffthrough ffopenings ffat ffthe ffroof, ffpulling ffin ffnew, ffcooler ffair fffrom ffopenings ffat ffthe
ffbottom. ffThe ffimpact ffof ffstack ffeffect ffcan ffbe ffcontrolled ffby ffcompartmentalizing
ffinterior ffspaces ffand ffcoordinating ffuse ffof ffHVAC ffventilating ffsystems ffand ffoperable
ffwindows.
Describe ffthree ffthings ffbuilding ffmanagers ffcan ffdo ffto ffmaintain ffair ffbarrier ffintegrity
ffin ffa ffbuilding. ff- ffAnswer ffEnsure ffcareful ffsealing ffat ffwall ffpenetrations. ffRequest ffthat
fftenants ffnotify ffthe ffbuilding ffmanager ffor ffengineer ffif ffthe fftemperature ffis fftoo ffhot ffin
ffthe ffwinter, ffrather ffthan ffopening ffwindows. ffThis ffcould ffbe ffa ffsymptom ffof ffeither ffan
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS WITH
COMPLETE ANSWERS
Why ffdoes ffsustainability ffin ffbuilding ffoperations ffand ffmaintenance ffmatter? ff- ffAnswer
ffSince ffbuildings ffconsume ffmore ffthan ff40% ffof ffenergy ffand ff12% ffof ffwater,
ffachieving ffmore ffsustainable ffbuilding ffoperations ffcan ffcontribute fftoward ffsignificant
ffenvironmental ffimprovements. ffWhen ffproperly ffoperated fffor ffefficiency, ffwell-
maintained ffbuildings ffcan ffhave ff20-50% fflower ffoperating ffcosts ffwhile ffdrastically
ffreducing ffenvironmental ffimpact. ffIn ffaddition ffto ffenergy ffsavings, ffindoor ffair ffquality
ff(IAQ) ffis ffa ffprimary ffsustainability ffconcern fffor ffbuilding ffoccupants, ffoperators, ffand
ffengineers ff- ffgiven ffthe ffprofound ffimpact ffit ffcan ffhave ffon ffhuman ffhealth.
Why ffuse ffa ff"whole-building" ffapproach ffwhen ffthinking ffabout ffoperation ffof ffa
ffbuilding's fffacilities? ff- ffAnswer ffWhen ffthinking ffabout ffoperation ffof ffa ffbuilding's
fffacilities, ffuse ffa ff"whole-building" ffapproach ffrather ffthan ffaddressing ffeach ffsystem
ffindividually. ffThis ffapproach fffits ffboth ffas ffan ffunderlying ffsustainability ffconcept ffand
ffas ffa ffbasic ffprinciple ffof ffbuilding ffoperations ffscience. ffWe ffuse ffthis ffapproach ffto
ffexplore ffenergy ffand ffwater ffusage ffin ffbuildings ffand ffto ffdetermine ffhow ffto ffmake
ffour ffbuildings ffoperate ffmore ffefficiently.
Give ffan ffexample ffof ffhow ffthe ffoperation ffof ffone fffacility ffsystem ffin ffa ffbuilding
ffaffects ffanother ffof ffthe ffbuilding's ffsystems. ff- ffAnswer ffConsider ffthe fffact ffthat ffif ffyou
ffchange ffout ffall ffyour fflighting fffrom ffincandescent ffto fffluorescent ffyou ffwill ffsave
ffmoney ffon ffyour ffelectric ffbill, ffbut ffyou ffwill ffalso ffsee ffthe ffheating ffbill ffgo ffup ffslightly,
ffand ffthe ffair-conditioning ffbill ffgo ffdown. ffThe ffpower ffgoing ffto ffthe fflights, ffwhich ffis
ffreleased ffas ffheat ffto ffthe ffspace ffthe fflights ffare ffin, ffwill ffhave ffbeen ffreduced
ffdramatically. ffThis ffincreases ffthe ffheating ffload ffand ffdecreases ffthe ffcooling ffload.
When ffwould ffyou ffmeasure ffwater ffby ffcubic fffeet ffrather ffthan ffby ffgallons? ff- ffAnswer
ffThe ffterm ffcubic fffeet ff(cf) ffor ffhundred ffcubic fffeet ff(ccf ffor ffHCF) ffis ffused ffwhen
ffmeasuring fflarger ffamounts ffof ffwater
Why ffis ffit ffimportant ffto ffmeasure ffenergy ffand ffwater ffconsumption? ff- ffAnswer
ffKeeping fftrack ffof ffwater ffand ffenergy ffconsumption ffis ffan ffimportant ffcomponent ffin
ffachieving ffsustainability ffin ffyour ffbuilding ffoperations, ffas ffit ffallows ffyou ffto ffidentify
ffareas fffor ffimprovement ffand ffbenchmark ffprogress.
What ffis ffbenchmarking ffand ffhow ffdoes ffit ffhelp ffmanage ffenergy ffand ffwater
ffconsumption? ff- ffAnswer ffBenchmarking ffis ffestablishing ffa ffbaseline ffof ffenergy ffor
, ffwater ffuse ffover ffat ffleast ffa fffull-year ffperiod, fffor ffcomparison ffwith fffuture ffannual
ffpatterns ffof ffuse ffand ffto ffaverage ffbehavior fffor ffsimilar ffbuildings. ffBenchmarking
ffhelps ffmanage ffenergy ffand ffwater ffconsumption ffby ffusing ffmetrics ffto fftrack, ffmonitor,
ffand ffassess ffenergy ffand ffwater ffuse. ffThe ffprocess ffof ffbenchmarking ffidentifies
ffpotential ffsavings ffand ffprioritizes ffnecessary ffimprovements
Why ffpay ffclose ffattention ffto ffwater ffand ffenergy ffbills? ffWhat ffis ffan ffexample ffof
ffsomething ffthat ffcould ffcause ffa ffjump ffin ffyour ffbuilding's fffuel ffbill? ff- ffAnswer ffPaying
ffcareful ffattention ffto ffwater ffand ffenergy ffbills ffand fflearning ffhow ffto ffmake ffsense ffof
ffthe ffdata ffhelps ffyou ffidentify ffproblems ffthat ffneed ffimmediate ffattention ffand
ffimprovements. ffAn ffexample ffof ffsomething ffthat ffcould ffcause ffa ffjump ffin ffyour
ffbuilding's fffuel ffbill ffis ffequipment ffor ffcontrol fffailure, ffsince ffa ffpump ffcan ffbe ffrunning
fffull fftime ffwhen ffit ffis ffonly ffneeded ffa fffew ffhours ffper ffday
What ffis ffthe ffpurpose ffof ffthe ffbuilding ffenvelope ffand ffwhy ffis ffit ffimportant ffthat ffit
ffworks ffeffectively? ff- ffAnswer ffA ffproperly fffunctioning ffenvelope ffis ffessential ffto
ffthermal ffcomfort ffand ffthe ffefficient ffoperation ffof ffbuilding ffsystems. ffIf ffthe ffenvelope
ffdoes ffnot fflimit ffheat ffflow, ffcontrol ffair ffinfiltration, ffand ffmanage ffmoisture ffsufficiently,
ffthe ffbuilding ffcan ffhave ffserious ffproblems ffthat ffaffect ffthe ffhealth ffof ffbuilding
ffoccupants, ffrequire ffother ffbuilding ffsystems ffto ffwork ffharder, ffincrease ffenergy
ffconsumption, ffand ffeven ffreduce ffthe fflife ffof ffthe ffbuilding
What ffare ffthe ffthree fftypes ffof ffheat fftransfer ffand ffhow ffdoes ffthe ffbuilding ffenvelope
ffcontrol ffthem? ff- ffAnswer ffConduction: ffHeat ffis fftransferred ffthrough ffdirect ffmaterial
ffcontact. ffBuilding ffinsulation ffincreases ffthe ffthermal ffresistance ffof ffthe ffenvelope ffand
ffreduces ffconductive fflosses. ff
Convection: ffHeat ffis fftransferred ffthrough ffair ff(or ffwater) ffmovement. ffTight ffbuilding
ffconstruction, ffweather ffseals, ffand ffvapor ffbarriers ffreduce ffair ffinfiltration ffand ffheat
fflosses.
Radiation: ffHeat ffis fftransferred ffthrough ffdirect ffline-of-sight ffelectromagnetic ffwaves.
ffWall, ffglass, ffand ffroof ffcoatings ffor ffshade ffon ffthe ffbuilding ffcan ffinfluence ffthe
ffreflection ffand ffabsorption ffof ffsolar ffheat ffradiation
Explain ffthe ffstack ffeffect ffand fftwo ffmethods ffused ffto ffcontrol ffit. ff- ffAnswer ffThe ffstack
ffeffect ffoccurs ffwhen ffthe ffwarm ffair ffwithin ffa ffbuilding ffrises ffto ffthe fftop ffand ffescapes
ffthrough ffopenings ffat ffthe ffroof, ffpulling ffin ffnew, ffcooler ffair fffrom ffopenings ffat ffthe
ffbottom. ffThe ffimpact ffof ffstack ffeffect ffcan ffbe ffcontrolled ffby ffcompartmentalizing
ffinterior ffspaces ffand ffcoordinating ffuse ffof ffHVAC ffventilating ffsystems ffand ffoperable
ffwindows.
Describe ffthree ffthings ffbuilding ffmanagers ffcan ffdo ffto ffmaintain ffair ffbarrier ffintegrity
ffin ffa ffbuilding. ff- ffAnswer ffEnsure ffcareful ffsealing ffat ffwall ffpenetrations. ffRequest ffthat
fftenants ffnotify ffthe ffbuilding ffmanager ffor ffengineer ffif ffthe fftemperature ffis fftoo ffhot ffin
ffthe ffwinter, ffrather ffthan ffopening ffwindows. ffThis ffcould ffbe ffa ffsymptom ffof ffeither ffan
