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TECHNICAL PAPERS
Supporting the industry with best practices.
In addition to conducting studies for federal and state agencies, utilities, developers, and property owners, Taitem provides quality assurance services to incentive providers to ensure projects meet program standards. Our engineers look closely at performance data from real buildings and provide best practices and insight into energy improvements, electrification strategies, and carbon reduction approaches—knowledge that directly strengthens our service offerings and benefits our clients.
Below is a selection of reports and best practices from this work.
BUILDING ENVELOPE
Proper characterization of the building envelope is critical to any energy reduction plan. This paper describes how to calculate the effective U-value of a building assembly and de-rating insulation.
Reducing over-ventilation in existing buildings is a powerful way to help meet your energy target. Many multifamily buildings have higher ventilation rates than required by current codes...
Looking beyond Energy Star ratings. There is no simple rule of thumb for selecting windows for multi-family buildings, although mid-rise and high-rise buildings normally require windows...
V-Strip windows
Windows are a major source of air leakage in buildings and replacement is expensive. Installing plastic self-adhering V-strip weatherstripping provides an opportunity for increasing ...
COMMISSIONING
This paper summarizes new Cx requirements according to Section C408 of the 2016 NYC ECC. NYS has established significant energy goals in its Reforming the Energy Vision strategy. In Oct 2016...
This paper summarizes new Cx requirements according to 2020 NYS ECC Section C408, and 2018 IECC for New Construction. NYS has established significant energy goals in its Reforming the Energy...
A summary with tables outlining the commissioning requirements and process for new construction and substantial renovation projects under the new commercial construction code...
HEATING, VENTILATION, AIR CONDITIONING
This paper gives best practices for preventing refrigerant leaks while installing heat pumps. Refrigerant charging and leak prevention are critical. Leaks contribute ...
Because heating is typically the highest single energy end use in multifamily buildings in New York State, the use of heat pumps is a primary electrification strategy. The decision to use VRFs...
An anecdotal report of high energy savings at a 12-unit apartment building, resulting from the replacement of an old steam boiler with a new hot water (hydronic) boiler, led to a survey of...
This paper provides terms to describe boiler systems and their heating system efficiency.
This FAQ is intended to help designers define ASHP systems for owners and project teams.
This paper provides insights that will support teams as they determine the best design for the buildings heat pump system.
This paper addresses some best practices for electrifying different types of spaces.
This FAQ is intended to lay out options to help with metering strategy for multifamily buildings and, conversely, how various options for metering might impact the decision of which type of heat pump to use.
How much insulation should we put on heat pump pipes? Where can we put them? We answered these and other questions in this guide that summarizes code language in plain English.
Choosing the right heat pump systems is complicated. Most heat pumps provide both heating and cooling, making billing complex...
Heat Pump Water Heaters (HPWHs) provide domestic hot water (DHW) in buildings. They are similar to “regular” hot water heaters using gas or oil but use highly efficient...
What is a room heat pump?
A room heat pump is a type of Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP), a high-efficiency electric appliance that provides heating and air conditioning. The components are modular, allowing a unit in each room.
LIGHTING
This tech tip is intended to help energy auditors avoid insufficient lighting in spaces.
This paper provides minimum standards and assumptions for energy savings when specifying LED lamps as replacements for general purpose screw-in A-shape incandescent...
Stairwell lighting offers opportunities for significant energy savings. Many stairwells have more illumination than is required for safety. Furthermore, many stairwells are illuminated continuously...
This paper discusses the concept of lighting power density as a means of evaluating potential savings and suggests potential design approaches for energy-saving corridor lighting.
OTHER
This paper focuses on how to use an Energy Management System to better control the run time of the boiler or the temperature of the water circulated through the building...
Energy improvement projects are construction projects, and successful scheduling is part of any successful construction project. If you cannot stay on schedule, then the owner ...
The Energy-Efficient Commercial Buildings 179D Tax Deduction is a tax incentive that aims to drive owners and designers of tax-exempt buildings to reduce their energy use by rewarding...
Leaking shower diverter valves
An overlooked energy conservation measure, a leaky diverter valve leaves unused water flowing out of the bathtub spout going straight down the drain, wasting water and energy...
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