The amount of exergy contained by a

substance varies with its temperature &

also with its environmental temperature.
The air has a certain amount of exergy

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 Primary Energy – Is the raw fuel that is burned to create heat and electricity such
as natural gas or oil used in onsite generation (e.g. furnace, boiler).
 Secondary Energy – Is the energy product (heat or electricity) created from the
raw fuel (e.g. coal, nuclear), such as electricity purchased from the grid or heat
received from a district steam system (i.e. converted fuel).
 Source Energy – The total amount of raw fuel (primary &/or secondary) that is
required to operate a building.
 Site Energy – The amount of heat and electricity consumed by a building as
reflected in utility bills. May include a combination of primary & secondary forms
of energy.
 In order to assess the relative efficiencies of buildings with varying proportions of
primary and secondary energy consumption, it is necessary to convert these two
types of energy into equivalent units of raw fuel (source energy) consumed to
generate that one unit of energy consumed on-site.

SITE ENERGY: PRIMARY & SECONDARY ENERGY

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 When primary energy is consumed on site, the conversion to source energy must
account for losses that are incurred in the storage, transport and delivery of fuel
to the building.
 When secondary energy is consumed on site, the conversion must account for
losses incurred in the production, transmission, and delivery to the site.
 Source energy conversions are needed to account for the fact that buildings use
different mixes of fuels, and primary and secondary energy cannot be compared
directly.
 The purpose of the conversion from site energy to source energy is to provide an
equitable assessment of building-level energy efficiency.
 A comparison using site energy does not provide an equivalent thermodynamic
assessment for buildings with different fuel mixes.
 Source energy will correctly recognize the use of various fuel mixes, and the
efficiency of heating systems, as well as production, delivery, and transmission
losses.

SITE ENERGY: PRIMARY & SECONDARY ENERGY

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[US-EPA: ENERGY STAR Performance Ratings Methodology for Incorporating Source Energy Use]

EXAMPLE

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 Due to the large amount of primary fuel required to generate the electricity for resistance heating, it
is considered to be the least efficient form of electric heat based on a complete thermodynamic
assessment.
[US-EPA: ENERGY STAR Performance Ratings Methodology for Incorporating Source Energy Use]

EXAMPLE

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 Exergy is energy, which is entirely convertible into other types of energy.
High valued energy such as electricity & mechanical workload consists of
pure exergy
 Exergy is high quality energy. Exergy efficiency allows focusing only on the
high quality part of the energy and disposing of or re-using (heat recovery)
the low quality part
 Exergy is the concept to articulate “what is consumed”
 Entropy is “what is disposed of”
 Exergy is the concept, which quantifies the potential of energy & matter to
disperse in the course of their diffusion into their environment
 Entropy is the concept which quantifies the state of dispersion, to what
extent the energy & matter in question are dispersed.

CONCEPTS & DEFINITIONS

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 The first and second laws of thermodynamics may be combined to develop a
new relation which governs a new quantity Exergy.
 Exergy is a measure of the potential of a thermodynamic system to do work.
 Unlike energy, exergy can be destroyed.
 Exergy analysis, sometimes called availability analysis, is used quite
frequently in the design and analysis of thermal systems.
 First Law of thermodynamics:
 Energy in = Energy out
Energy: to be conserved
 Energy cannot disappear
Exergy: to be consumed
 Second law of thermodynamics:
Entropy: to be disposed of
 Exergy in > Exergy out
 Real processes result in loss of energy
due to the generation of entropy

CONCEPTS & DEFINITIONS

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Low-Exergy (LowEx) Systems:
 Low exergy (or LowEx) systems are defined as heating or cooling systems that
allow the use of low valued energy as the energy source. In practice, this
means systems that provide heating or cooling energy at a temperature close
to room temperature. (IEA-Annex 37)
 Low temperature heating systems are a kind of “active” heating systems that
should fit the built environment to be conditioned primarily by “passive”
heating systems.
 The energy close to the room temperature represents the low value energy
with very limited convertibility potential.
 Low exergy heating & cooling systems use low value energy, which could also
easily be delivered by sustainable energy sources (e.g. by using heat pumps,
solar collectors or others)
 By using low temperature (radiant) heating systems the room temperature can
be decreased by a few degrees, which is more energy efficient and healthier
for occupants
 Low energy is generally a precondition for low exergy

CONCEPTS & DEFINITIONS

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Low-Exergy (LowEx) Systems:
The exergy demand in buildings can be minimize in these stages:
 Using high insulation standards, controlled ventilation with heat recovery &
high ventilation effectiveness to decrease exergy transfer through the
building envelope
 With an integrated building envelope that is able to use low exergy
renewable resources for heating and cooling
 Using (low temperature, radiant) floor, wall, & ceiling heating & cooling, an
increase of the efficiency of boilers and chillers (COP) is achieved.
 Large emitting surface - For a surface that operates with water
temperature very close to the room temperature (i.e. low temperature
heating / high temperature cooling) the radiant exergy transfer plays a
more important role
 It has been demonstrated that a low temperature heating system,
combined with a heat pump (HP) give the best total performance regarding
both energy and exergy evaluations

CONCEPTS & DEFINITIONS

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Low-Exergy (LowEx) Systems:
 Radiant delivery of space conditioning is attractive because of its inherent
transport efficiency & because of its space efficiency
 Because of the greater specific heat & density of water, heat can be
transported using water with between 10% and 20% of the amount of
transport energy required when using air as the medium for moving heat
 The heat capacity of air is very low, about four times lower than water.
Therefore a big amount is needed
 Similarly, the space requirements for hydronic transport of heat are
significantly less than those for transporting air through ductwork
 For hydronic transport to be successful, the coupling between the transport
medium, and the space must be maximized, often using the most extensive
surfaces (floors and ceilings)
 Because the slab system provides no ventilation or dehumidification, it is
almost always accompanied by a DOAS (Dedicated Outdoor Air System)
 The temperature requirements for the floor system are typically less extreme
than those for DOAS, thus making it easier to match sources with uses

CONCEPTS & DEFINITIONS

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Low-Exergy (LowEx) Systems:

 Moral: bringing the heat engine temperature closer to that of the

environment increases its efficiency (e.g. ground-source heat pump)

CONCEPTS & DEFINITIONS

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Low-Exergy (LowEx) Systems:
 Design Principles:
• The system relies upon floor temperature variation within a very narrow
range adjacent to the comfort zone, precise modulation of floor
temperature is not required for comfort maintenance
• The system has high thermal capacitance, so control sequences should
avoid any requirements for rapid modulation
• The DOAS (ventilating) & the floor system (heating/cooling) operate
independently (master/slave), so their control sequences must be
coordinated to avoid “fighting”
• Batiment isotherme refers to a design strategy developed in Europe that
uses a super-insulated envelope in concert with controlled interior
thermal mass to create constant comfort conditions with a minimum
expenditure of energy

CONCEPTS & DEFINITIONS

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 A certain amount of entropy is
generated due to exergy consumption
within the building envelope system
 The energy flowing out the building
envelope is accompanied with not
only a decreased amount of exergy
but also an increased amount of
entropy
 Disposing of the generated entropy
from the system makes room for
feeding on exergy and consuming it
again
4 Steps:
 This generated entropy must be 1. Feed on exergy
discarded into the surrounding, 2. Consume exergy
namely outdoors, from the building 3. Generate entropy
envelope system 4. Dispose of entropy

EXERGY/ENTROPY PROCESS
& THE BUILDING ENVELOPE
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Energy = Exergy + Anergy
Usable mechanical work
Exergy = Energy - Anergy

Anergy = Entropy x Environment Temperature

Heating System
Exergy

Energy
Anergy Heat loss
Through
exhaust
plume

ANERGY & EXERGY BALANCE

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Conservation of energy (energy: J, rate: W):
• Energy input = energy stored + energy output
Steady-state:
• Energy input = energy output
Entropy balance equation (entropy: J/K, rate: W/K):
• Entropy input + entropy generated = entropy stored + entropy output
Steady-state:
• Entropy input + entropy generated = entropy output
Anergy balance equation (anergy J, rate: W):
• (entropy input)xTe + (entropy generated)xTe = (entropy output)*Te
• Anergy input + Anergy Generated = Anergy output
• Te: reference temperature = environmental temperature

ANERGY & EXERGY BALANCE

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 Energy consists of two parts: the dispersed part, and the part, which can
disperse (exergy)
 [(Energy input)-(Anergy input)] – (Anergy generated) = [(Energy output) –
(Anergy Output)]
 “Anergy generated” is such energy that originally had an ability to
disperse & that has just dispersed. In other words: exergy is consumed…
 Anergy generation is equivalent to exergy consumption
 (Exergy Input) – (Exergy consumed) = (Exergy Output)
 Exergy consumed, which is equivalent to anergy generated, is the product
of entropy generated and the environmental temperature
 (Exergy consumed) = (Environmental Temperature)x(Entropy Generated)
 Exergy consumed is exactly proportional to the entropy generated with
the proportional constant of environmental temperature

ANERGY & EXERGY BALANCE

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Equation of Exergy:

For a closed system the exergy balance yields:

system.

EQUATION OF EXERGY

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• Equation of Exergy:
• For an open system the exergy balance yields:

EQUATION OF EXERGY

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 Steady-state energy balance of a system:
(1) ⁄ is the rate at which energy is supplied to a system
⁄ is the rate at which energy leaves it
 Entropy balance of a system:

⁄ rate of entropy generation

(2)
temperature associated with the energy supplied
temperature associated with the energy that leaves
 Exergy Balance: Assuming a common environmental temperature,
 Exergy balance = 1 2 Rate of exergy consumed
Rate of exergy leaving the system
(3) 1 1

Rate of exergy entering the system

EQUATION OF EXERGY

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