The construction industry in Vietnam currently accounts for significant energy consumption and carbon emissions, while the operational and system design costs are not yet optimized adequately. There remains a gap between design and actual operation, resulting in continuous building modifications to meet the more reasonable demands of investors or tenants, thereby wasting additional financial resources and increasing carbon emissions.
To accurately assess energy consumption, two factors are required. Firstly, specific loads must be identified early, such as equipment and specialized spaces like elevators, escalators, kitchens, IT rooms, etc. Secondly, the design team must accurately determine loads, the operations and maintenance team must work efficiently, and occupants must understand how to operate the building to achieve effective energy consumption.
Calculations of electrical power consumption for systems are currently handled by independent engineers, such as electrical and lighting systems by electrical engineers, HVAC systems by HVAC engineers, and hot water and plumbing systems by water engineers. These engineers work according to current standards and regulations, independently or in collaboration with electrical engineers to supply power for mechanical equipment at the level of manual calculation and coordinate conflicts between systems.
In thermodynamic calculations for buildings, the results primarily calculate thermal loads based on the basic conditions outlined in the current standards and regulations to provide a baseline, and from there select HVAC systems based on the experience of each design and/or construction unit.
When investors need to compare the energy efficiency options of the entire MEP system, calculations are generally preliminary and independent or, if combined, at a basic level. Comparison options stop at a certain proposal without a standard regulatory baseline system.
Green building assessment tools require referencing current laws when approaching projects. For instance, LEED relies on ASHRAE 90.1, and LOTUS relies on QCVN 09: 2017/BXD and additional standards.
Software for integrating energy assessment systems is not widely used in Vietnam, which is a barrier for engineers to collaborate on a design model.
While governments are still discussing policies related to electricity consumption from different sources in the future and building laws for Net Zero Carbon buildings, the authors believe that this book can directly support readers in building a specific baseline energy model to verify designs or retrofits to assess energy-saving potential.
The authors have compiled and provided explanations related to Appendix G of ASHRAE 90.1-2010 and Appendix D of the LOTUS Energy Performance Simulation Guide to assist project teams in effectively establishing and simulating baseline energy.
The compiled material may still have shortcomings, and readers are kindly asked to forgive and provide feedback to the following address:
