Date of Award

3-21-2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Engineering Management

Department

Department of Systems Engineering and Management

First Advisor

Tay Johannes, PhD.

Abstract

The U.S. Government has issued numerous policies aimed at reducing federal facility energy consumption; the most recent, Executive Order 13514, requires that new construction designed after 2020 can achieve net-zero energy by 2030. The policy defines a Zero-Energy Building as one that is designed, constructed, and operated to reduce energy demand to a level which can be offset from sources of renewable energy. This research develops and evaluates a feasibility assessment model based on life-cycle cost. It incorporates geospatial analysis to calculate and summarize input values for all Air Force installations in the Contiguous U.S. A comparative analysis is then conducted to rank each installation in terms of the net-savings of constructing a Zero-Energy Building. The ranking is performed for three facility types and then utilized to prove that there is a significant and direct rank correlation between them. This conclusion allows follow-on feasibility assessments to be limited to those installations and facility types which will maximize the likelihood of achieving a cost-effective Zero-Energy Building. Finally, a strategy is recommended which will comply with federal net-zero energy policy, reduce facility operational costs, and ultimately allow for energy security and independence at Air Force installations.

AFIT Designator

AFIT-ENV-13-M-04

DTIC Accession Number

ADA579301

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