Test questions and answers
Test Questions
Week 1
What are humanity’s top 4 problems (4 marks)
1. ENERGY
2. WATER
3. FOOD
4. ENVIRONMENT
Describe what is happening in the below graph with regards to GDP, GHG, consumption? (4 marks)
• Where GDP, is a measurement of Wealth, GDP the gross domestic product: the sum of the
monetary value of all goods and services produced in a country in a given year
• More GDP, more goods and service produced
• More energy consumption, more GHGS emitted
• Same GDP, more energy consumption means …
• Same energy consumption, less GDP means …
,What are other factors affecting per capita energy use (3marks)
• Climate
• Population density
• Types of industry
Describe Greenhouse Gas? (3 marks)
The main driver of climate change is the greenhouse effect. Some gases in the Earth's
atmosphere act a bit like the glass in a greenhouse, trapping the sun's heat and stopping it from
leaking back into space and causing global warming. Many of these greenhouse gases occur
naturally, but human activities are increasing the concentrations of some of them in the
atmosphere, in particular:
carbon dioxide (CO2)
methane
nitrous oxide
fluorinated gases
List what contributing factors could lead to failure of the Paris Accord? (3 marks)
Economy
Technology
Politics
Describe the difference between a Cap and Trade and Carbon Tax. (2 marks)
Cap and Trade is mandatory while Carbon Tax you have choice to purchase and pay the tax.
, Week 2
Define Standards and Codes ((2 marks)
o Standards are documents that establish the minimum requirements for a particular
aspect of construction.
o Typically, these documents are written in language that allows them to be legally
enforceable if adopted or referenced by local building authorities.
Certification System (2marks)
o The building design and related factors are assessed against various criteria to determine
if the building qualifies as high-performance.
o To attain certification, the building project must satisfy a minimum number of these
criteria. For example: LEED, WELL, BREEM et al
What was the original purpose for establishing a building code? (2 marks)
• Verify buildings were safe to occupy. - Profits
• Keep people safe – People
Name and describe the three main ASHRAE Codes & Standards (6 marks)
• Standard 55 - Covers thermal characteristics of a Building
• Standard 62 - Covers Ventilation characteristics of a Building – i.e. Indoor Air Quality
• Standard 90 - Covers Energy characteristics of a Building
What is the goal of the Ontario Building Code? (1 mark)
• The goal of the OBC is to promote public safety through the application of appropriate uniform
building standards
Describe the difference between the OBC and ASHRAE +50 (2 marks)
OBC is the base minimum for design and construction
ASHRAE +50 is better than code in regard to performance - provide recommendations for
achieving either a zero-energy building or energy savings over the minimum code requirements
in ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1.
Describe a Net Zero Building (1 mark)
• A zero-energy building is defined as a building that, on an annual basis, draws from outside
resources equal or less energy than it provides using on-site, renewable energy sources
Test Questions
Week 1
What are humanity’s top 4 problems (4 marks)
1. ENERGY
2. WATER
3. FOOD
4. ENVIRONMENT
Describe what is happening in the below graph with regards to GDP, GHG, consumption? (4 marks)
• Where GDP, is a measurement of Wealth, GDP the gross domestic product: the sum of the
monetary value of all goods and services produced in a country in a given year
• More GDP, more goods and service produced
• More energy consumption, more GHGS emitted
• Same GDP, more energy consumption means …
• Same energy consumption, less GDP means …
,What are other factors affecting per capita energy use (3marks)
• Climate
• Population density
• Types of industry
Describe Greenhouse Gas? (3 marks)
The main driver of climate change is the greenhouse effect. Some gases in the Earth's
atmosphere act a bit like the glass in a greenhouse, trapping the sun's heat and stopping it from
leaking back into space and causing global warming. Many of these greenhouse gases occur
naturally, but human activities are increasing the concentrations of some of them in the
atmosphere, in particular:
carbon dioxide (CO2)
methane
nitrous oxide
fluorinated gases
List what contributing factors could lead to failure of the Paris Accord? (3 marks)
Economy
Technology
Politics
Describe the difference between a Cap and Trade and Carbon Tax. (2 marks)
Cap and Trade is mandatory while Carbon Tax you have choice to purchase and pay the tax.
, Week 2
Define Standards and Codes ((2 marks)
o Standards are documents that establish the minimum requirements for a particular
aspect of construction.
o Typically, these documents are written in language that allows them to be legally
enforceable if adopted or referenced by local building authorities.
Certification System (2marks)
o The building design and related factors are assessed against various criteria to determine
if the building qualifies as high-performance.
o To attain certification, the building project must satisfy a minimum number of these
criteria. For example: LEED, WELL, BREEM et al
What was the original purpose for establishing a building code? (2 marks)
• Verify buildings were safe to occupy. - Profits
• Keep people safe – People
Name and describe the three main ASHRAE Codes & Standards (6 marks)
• Standard 55 - Covers thermal characteristics of a Building
• Standard 62 - Covers Ventilation characteristics of a Building – i.e. Indoor Air Quality
• Standard 90 - Covers Energy characteristics of a Building
What is the goal of the Ontario Building Code? (1 mark)
• The goal of the OBC is to promote public safety through the application of appropriate uniform
building standards
Describe the difference between the OBC and ASHRAE +50 (2 marks)
OBC is the base minimum for design and construction
ASHRAE +50 is better than code in regard to performance - provide recommendations for
achieving either a zero-energy building or energy savings over the minimum code requirements
in ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1.
Describe a Net Zero Building (1 mark)
• A zero-energy building is defined as a building that, on an annual basis, draws from outside
resources equal or less energy than it provides using on-site, renewable energy sources
