CEM - Certified Energy Manager HVAC and Building Envelope Questions and Answers

Question 1

A facility manager is conducting a heat loss calculation for a building's exterior wall.
The wall has an area of 2,000 ft², a U-factor of 0.1 BTU/hr·ft²·°F.
If the indoor temperature is 70°F and the outdoor temperature is 10°F, what is the rate of heat loss through the wall?

Accepted Answer

12,000 BTU/hr

Answer

6,000 BTU/hr

Answer

10,000 BTU/hr

Answer

14,000 BTU/hr

Question 2

Which of the following building envelope components is designed primarily to reduce heat loss due to air movement, such as drafts and uncontrolled ventilation?

Accepted Answer

Air barrier

Answer

Vapor barrier

Answer

Thermal insulation

Answer

Radiant barrier

Question 3

A commercial building in a hot, sunny climate (e.g., ASHRAE Climate Zone 2) is undergoing a window replacement project. To minimize cooling loads, which fenestration property should be prioritized?

Accepted Answer

Low Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC)

Answer

High U-factor

Answer

Low Visible Transmittance (VT)

Answer

High Condensation Resistance (CR)

Question 4

An energy audit of an office building reveals significant energy waste from 'thermal bridging'. This phenomenon most accurately describes:

Accepted Answer

Increased heat transfer through conductive elements of the building envelope, such as metal studs or concrete slabs, that bypass the insulation.

Answer

Heat loss through unintentional gaps and cracks around windows and doors.

Answer

The transfer of heat through the ground and into the building foundation.

Answer

The stratification of air, where warmer air rises to the ceiling and cooler air settles at the floor.

Question 5

Which HVAC efficiency metric is a ratio of the annual heating and cooling load of a building to the annual energy consumed by the building's HVAC system, providing a whole-system performance view?

Accepted Answer

Total System Performance Ratio (TSPR)

Answer

Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER)

Answer

Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE)

Answer

Coefficient of Performance (COP)

Question 6

A building owner wants to reduce both fabric heat loss and ventilation heat loss. Which combination of strategies would be most effective?

Accepted Answer

Adding continuous exterior insulation and performing comprehensive air sealing.

Answer

Installing a cool roof and upgrading to a higher SEER air conditioner.

Answer

Replacing lighting with LEDs and installing occupancy sensors.

Answer

Implementing a building automation system and installing a variable frequency drive (VFD) on the chiller.

A facility manager is conducting a heat loss calculation for a building's exterior wall.The wall has an area of 2,000 ft², a U-factor of 0.1 BTU/hr·ft²·°F.If the indoor temperature is 70°F and the outdoor temperature is 10°F, what is the rate of heat loss through the wall?

A facility manager is conducting a heat loss calculation for a building's exterior wall.
The wall has an area of 2,000 ft², a U-factor of 0.1 BTU/hr·ft²·°F.
If the indoor temperature is 70°F and the outdoor temperature is 10°F, what is the rate of heat loss through the wall?