GLOSSARY: GREEN BUILDING CODE AND GREEN TERMS FROM ID CODE (copy)

Air Conditioning

The process of treating air so as to control simultaneously its temperature, humidity, cleanliness, and distribution to meet the requirements of conditioned space

American Society of Heating,
Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning
Engineers (ASHRAE)

Global society founded in 1894, advancing human well-being through sustainable technology for the built environment with focus on building systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, refrigeration and sustainability
within the industry

Building Related Illness (BRI)

Diagnosable illness whose cause and symptoms can be directly attributed to a specific pollutant source within a building

Climate Change

Refers to any significant change in measures of climate, such as temperature, precipitation, or wind, lasting for an extended period

Climate Change Comission (CCC)

The lead policy-making body of the government tasked to coordinate, monitor and evaluate programs and action plans on climate change

Daylight Zone

Area substantially illuminated by daylight consistently receiving significant quantities of daylight during the day (ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2010 energy standard)

Door Assembly

Unit composed of a group of parts or components which make up a closure for an opening to control passageway through a wall which consists of the following parts: door; hinges; locking device or devices; operation contacts
(such as handles, knobs, push plates); miscellaneous hardware and closures; the frame, including the head, threshold and jambs plus the anchorage devices

Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER)

Energy efficiency rating for room air conditioners that lists how many Btu per hour are used for each watt of power it draws

Enthalpy Recovery Wheel

An energy recovery device that transfers outgoing temperature and humidity to the incoming outdoor air

Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS)

Second-hand smoke consisting of airborne particles emitted from the burning end of cigarettes, pipes, and cigars, exhaled by smokers containing about 4,000 compounds, up to 50 of which are known to cause cancer

Environmental Management Bureau (EMB)

National authority in the Philippines that sets air and water quality standards and monitors ambient and point source pollutants

Harmonics

Increased heating in equipment and conductors, the reduction of which is desirable

Heat Island Effect (HIE)

Describes built up areas that are hotter than nearby rural areas

Heating, Ventilating and Air
Conditioning (HVAC)

System that helps maintain good indoor air quality through adequate ventilation with filtration and provide thermal comfort

Illuminating Engineering Society of
North America (IESNA)

A non-profit learned society whose mission is to improve the lighted environment by bringing together those with lighting knowledge and translating that knowledge into actions that would benefit the public

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)

Conditions inside the building that includes air quality, access to daylight and views, pleasant acoustic conditions, and occupant control over lighting and thermal comfort

Light Monitor

Raised structure running along the ridge of a double-pitched roof, with its own roof running parallel with the main roof

Light Scoop

South-facing skylight that uses tilted panels of transparent glass to strategically bring daylight into an interior space.

Light Shelf

A horizontal surface that reflects daylight deep into a building, placed above eye-level with high-reflectance upper surfaces, which reflect daylight onto the ceiling and deeper into the space

Lighting Power Density (LPD)

Amount of electric lighting, usually measured in watts per square foot, being used to illuminate a given space

Material Recovery Facility (MRF)

A facility designed to receive, sort, process, and store compostable and recyclable materials efficiently and in an environmentally sound manner

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)

Data providing procedures for handling or working with a material or product in a safe manner, which includes information such as physical data, toxicity, health effects, first aid, reactivity, storage, disposal, protective equipment and spill handling procedures

Non-Recyclable Waste

Not able to be processed or treated for reuse in some form

Operable Window

A window unit with one or more sections that can be opened for ventilation

Overall Thermal Transfer Value (OTTV)

Measure of the energy consumption of a building envelope

Outside Supply Air (OSA)

Air containing at least the minimum volume of outside air filtered and conditioned to the required temperature and humidity

R-Value

Resistance value or the capacity to resist heat loss or its thermal resistance

Recyclable Waste

An item or material capable of being used again

Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER)

Energy efficiency rating for central air conditioners

Sewage Treatment Plant (STP)

An industrial structure designed to remove biological or chemical waste products from water, thereby permitting the treated water to be used for other purposes

Sick Building Syndrome (SBS)

Building whose occupants experience acute health and/or comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent therein, but where no specific illness or cause can be identified

Smoking Area

A designated area in which smoking is permitted

Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC)

Fraction of solar gain admitted through a window, expressed as a number between 0 and 1

Solar Reflectance Index (SRI)

A measure of a material's ability to reflect heat with white or light colors having high reflectance and dark or black surfaces with low or little reflectance thereby having higher temperatures

Special Waste

A class of waste that has unique regulatory requirements with potential environmental impacts that needs to be managed to minimize the risk of harm to the environment and human health

Sun breaker

Feature of a building commonly used as external shading devices, which reduces heat gain within that building by deflecting solar rays to reduce energy cooling loads

Toxic Materials

Substances that may cause harm to an individual if it enters the body through inhalation, skin contactor ingestion

U-Value

Describes how well a building element conducts heat, measuring the rate of heat transfer through a building element over a given area, under standardized conditions

Unpaved Surface Area (USA)

The portion of the lot that shall remain unpaved and reserved for softscaping/planting; expressed as a percentage (%) of the Total Lot Area or TLA and may be combined with the Impervious Surface Area (ISA) to satisfy the Total Open Space within Lot (TOSL), i.e., the total open space requirement for each type of use or occupancy

Urea formaldehyde

Combination of urea and formaldehyde used in some glues and adhesives, particularly in composite wood products, emitting formaldehyde at room temperature, which is a toxic and possibly carcinogenic gas

Ventilation

Process of supplying or removing air by natural or mechanical means to or from any space.

Volatile Organic Compound (VOC)

Organic chemicals with have a high vapor pressure at ordinary room temperature that are dangerous to human health or cause harm to the environment

Weather-Stripping

Narrow piece of material, such as plastic, rubber, felt, or metal, installed around doors and windows to protect an interior from external extremes in temperature. Window assembly - a unit, which includes a window and the anchorage between the window and the wall

Window to Wall Ratio (WWR)

Ratio of the total area of a building facade, which is occupied by windows (glass area and frame)

Biodegrable

A material or substance which, when left exposed to nature, will decompose without harmful effects to the environment.

Chlorofluocarbons (CFCs)

A group of volatile glasses believed to deplete the ozone layer of the earth's stratosphere. These gases have been discontinued from use as refrigerants and as blowing agents used to make them.

Energy-Efficient

Products and system that use less energy to perform as well or better than standard products. While some have higher up-front costs, energy-efficient products cost less to operate over their lifetime.

Environmentally Friendly

A term that refers to the degree to which a product may harm the environment, including the biosphere, soil, water and air.

Environmental psychology

An interdisciplinary field focused on the interplay between humans and their surroundings.

Environmentally Preferable Product (EPP)

A product or service that has a lesser or reduced impact on human health and the environment when compared with competing products or services that serve the same purpose. Such products or services may include, but are not limited to those which contain recycled content, minimize waste, conserve energy or water, and reduce the amount of toxics either disposed of or consumed.

Gray water

Refers to wastewater coming from sinks, showers and laundry that can be collected and treated for some reuse, such as the flushing of toilets or watering of landscape.

Hazardous Waste

by-products of society with physical, chemical, or infectious characteristics that pose hazards to the environment and human health when improperly handled

High-Performance Green Building

These buildings include design features that conserve water and energy; use space, materials and resources efficiently; minimize construction waste; and create healthy indoor environments.

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)

The supply and introduction of adequate air for ventilation and control of airborne contaminants, acceptable temperatures and relative humidity.

LEED

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. A building rating system sets industry standards for green building design.

Life-Cycle Assessment

The comprehensive examination of a product's environmental and economic effects throughout its lifetime, including raw material extraction, transportation, manufacturing, use and disposal.

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)

Informational fact sheets that identify hazardous chemicals and health and physical hazards

Recyclability

The ability of a product or material to be recovered or otherwise diverted from the solid waste stream for the purpose of recycling.

Recycled/Recovered Materials

Waste materials and by-products that have been recovered or diverted from solid waste but do not include those materials and by products generated from and commonly reused within an original manufacturing process.

recycling

A series of activities including collection, separation and processing by which products or materials are recovered from solid waste stream for use in the form of raw materials in the manufacture of new products other than fuel for producing heat or power by combustion

Resource Efficiency

A practice in which the primary consideration of materials use begins with the concept of "reduce- reuse-recycle - repair" stated in descending order of priority. This concept may be applied in everyday life to help promote a sustainable society. In design, begin by reducing the amount of material that is specified; find ways to reuse materials, recycle products or product waste; specify products made from recycled materials; and repair or restore products instead of replacing them.

Renewable Energy

energy from a source that is not depleted when used, typically causing very low environment impact, such as wind or solar power.

Remanufacturing

A recycling concept by which an existing product can have its useful life extended through a secondary manufacturing or refurbishing process.

Stick Building Syndrome (SBS)

Health complaints such as nasal congestion, headache, irritated eyes, lethargy and tiredness, which are difficult to medically diagnose but are present in individuals when they are within a building and disappear or diminish once they leave the building. The cause of this is suspected to be poor air quality and conditions within the building.

Thermal Comfort

The appropriate combination of temperatures, warm or cool, combined with air flow and humidity, which allows one to be comfortable within the confines of a building. This comfort is not usually achieved by the fixed setting of thermostats but through careful design and planning.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)

These substances are indoor air pollutants or chemical compounds that exist as vapor or gases at normal temperatures and are carbo-based molecules typically used as solvents in products such as household cleaners, paints, inks and dyes. Sources include formaldehyde (a suspected carcinogen), xylene, toluene, benzene (a known carcinogen) and acetone.

Waste Reduction

The is the process to eliminate the amount of waste generated at its source or to reduce the amount of toxicity from waste or the reuse of materials. The best way to reduce waste is not to create it in the first place

Waste Water

Water that has been used and contaminated