Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Energy Costs in Canadian Buildings using Thermal Mass

In this thesis, two methods of using the thermal mass in Canadian buildings to reduce operational energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) are investigated. The first is cooling commercial buildings with night ventilation. By comparing the climates of Canadian cities to the climates of urban centres with existing night-ventilated buildings, Vancouver and Edmonton were found to have strong night ventilation potential. The second method investigated is shifting heating demand in electrically heated high-rise residential buildings by varying the thermostat setpoint in order to use less expensive and less GHG-intensive electricity. A representative high-rise residential building was modeled with 16 retrofits in order to evaluate the most important building parameters. Model results indicated annual electricity cost savings of up to $34,000 and GHG savings of 20 Tonnes eCO2 in a 300-unit building. Further, findings indicated financial savings would increase if residential users were charged for their peak electricity demand.M.A.S