Mar 2014
Using the unique Colt Piatra software, we can predict how much energy a building will consume and how much carbon it will produce when different types of ventilation, heating, cooling and shading equipment are installed.
Increasingly, our customers – be they architects, developers, owners or occupiers – want to design or reside in energy-efficient buildings and they want to reduce their carbon footprint. This may be because they need to meet the regulations being introduced around the world, or because they want to reduce their operating costs, or both.
Anticipating this demand, we are introducing a new generation of products that are more air tight and better insulated, which in turn results in a reduction of energy usage.
We are now able to build on this by being able to show our customers how effective our products are and what a difference they can make to their building’s energy performance and carbon footprint.
To achieve this we have developed a software package, called Piatra, to show our customers how much energy their building will use and how much CO2 it will produce when different Colt systems are installed. With Piatra our customers can see how much these higher performance products can reduce their running costs and how quickly these savings will offset their initial investment.
Having selected the location of the building from a database of 500 options, the user can view average data on temperature, global radiation, wind speed, humidity and barometric pressure at that location for every hour of the year. Next the building information is provided, such as the dimensions, orientation and average U value or age of the building, which will indicate how well insulated it is likely to be, and the desired day and night temperatures and working hours are chosen.
Next, details relating to the type and size of the heating, ventilation and cooling systems are inputted. It is possible to include solar shading systems in the model, showing how they will reduce solar heat gains. Piatra can produce various scenarios and the user is able to compare overall building performance using different Colt systems. If the energy mix data is provided, which shows where the electricity comes from, Piatra will also calculate the CO2emissions.
With Piatra, our customers are able to see calculations showing the impact of using different Colt systems. They are able to compare the initial and running costs for each, getting a clear idea of the relative payback periods. And they are able to include the Colt systems in their calculations of the building’s carbon footprint.
