Browsing by Author "Zhao, Dong"
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- An Empirical Study on the Energy Consumption in Residential Buildings after Adopting Green Building StandardsZhao, Dong; McCoy, Andrew P.; Du, Jing (Elsevier, 2016)In the past decades, a tremendous effort has been put into research and development of improved building systems and technologies to reduce the building energy consumption and advance energy efficiency. However, there is little to no published quantifiable evidence that assesses the energy consumption and efficiency for residential buildings with a context of green building standards. To fill this gap of information, this paper reports an empirical study that investigates the green home energy efficiency and its interaction with resident behaviors. This work uses an integrated approach of energy simulation and multivariate regression modeling. The data are from a sample of more than 300 residential units which meet the green building standards. Findings identify 43% of the annual reduction in energy usage and energy expenditures for a typical American home. Findings also identify four energy-consumption-related resident behaviors depending on which the actual energy efficiency performance of green building technology may differ.
- Exploring Construction Safety and Control Measures through Electrical FatalitiesZhao, Dong (Virginia Tech, 2015-01-09)Globally, construction is considered a hazardous industry with a disproportionate amount of fatal and non-fatal injuries as compared to other industries. Electrocution is named as one of the "fatal four" causes for construction injuries by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In the United States, an average of 47.9% electrical fatalities occurred in the construction industry from 2003 to 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. These fatalities include both electrical workers and non-electrical workers. Such a disproportionate rate suggests a need of research to improve construction safety and reduce injuries due to electrocution. However, there is a lack of understanding of causation mechanisms surrounding fatal accidents by electrocution using a systems approach; and there is a disconnection between the mechanism of fatal electrocution accidents and the associated control measures, which may lead to less effective prevention in construction. This dissertation has three objectives, including: (a) establishing a sociotechnical system model that reflects the electrocution occurrence in the U.S. construction industry and identify the associations among its internal subsystems; (b) determining specific electrocution patterns and associated mechanism constraints; and (c) examining hierarchy of control (HOC) measures and determining their appropriateness. Findings from his research include: (a) the identification of three system patterns of electrocution in construction work systems and the associations between personnel, technological, organizational/managerial subsystems, and the internal and external environment for each of the three patterns, using a macroergonomics framework; (b) the identification of five features of work, and map out their decision-making chains, critical decision-making points and constraints, as an interpretation of electrocution mechanisms in the workplace; and (c) revealing that behavioral controls remain prevalent in electrical hazard mitigation even though the knowledge of construction safety and health has increased in the past decades, and that the effectiveness of controls is not statistically different by construction type nor occupation. Based on these findings, the research also suggests corresponding mitigation recommendations that construction managers shall strictly follow HOC rules by giving priority to higher level of controls and upgrading the industry's prevention strategy by introducing more technological innovations and encouraging prevention through design (PtD) strategies.
- The Impact of Energy Efficient Design and Construction on LIHTC Housing in VirginiaMcCoy, Andrew P. (Housing Virginia, 2015)The purpose of this report is to identify and verify possible benefits of the shift in housing policy by the Virginia Housing development Authority (VHDA) to encourage energy efficiency (EE) in the affordable rental stock in Virginia through the LIHTC program. The research addresses key issues related to Energy Efficiency and affordable housing through a rigorous measurement of economic impacts for low-income residents, distinguishing the effects of design, construction, technologies and behavior per unit. In addition, the research addresses how the policy to use EE might impact developers and owners in terms of property capital and operating costs. Data, analysis and findings focus specifically on facilities constructed to the EarthCraft MultiFamily standard in Virginia, one of the only datasets currently available that allows for this type of inquiry.