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Local Social Services (LSS): Energy Analysis (DRAFT)
Initial Contact Date: Sept 25th 2014
Report Submission Date: Dec 8th 2014
Professor: Mike Erdman
Name
Kyle Brennan
Joseph Giordiano
Ali Al Moulah
Wesley Schwarz
TA: Heather Bernstein
Phone Number
(215) 847-0901
(610) 737-8949
(646) 671-1383
(484) 753-1567
Email
krb5256@psu.edu
jdg5403@psu.edu
aoa5554@psu.edu
wms5099@psu.edu
Abstract:
The Local Social Services team is motivated to aid and help out a local non-profit
organization in order to benefit the State College community as a whole. The team
decided that the aiding Alpha Fire Company, who match up with our vision and values,
was an important project because they are a vital service to State College. Our focus is to
reduce their energy cost expenditures by increasing system efficiencies. We came to the
conclusion that the most effective way to address this issue is by upgrading their lighting
systems to a more modern and energy efficient technology such as replacement LED
lights and fixtures.
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Table of Contents:
Page #
Abstract
(1)
Foreword
(3)
Introduction
(4)
Experimental Procedure
(5)
Results and Discussion
(6)
Conclusions and Recommendations
(7)
Acknowledgments and References
(7)
Appendix
(8)
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Foreword:
Why was this report written?
This report was written to document the project of the Local Social Services team
of ENGR 408 & 493 as well as to provide the Alpha Fire Company a plan with a good
solution to tackle their problem. This document and our research into the topic highlight
how Alpha Fire’s energy burden can be mitigated by improving their lighting systems.
Who authorized this project?
Mike Erdman, professor of ENGR 408 and ENGR 493, gave us the initiative to
form this team and search for a problem to solve in the local community. After meeting
with Alpha Fire Company staff, Tony Berrena, Second assistant chief, authorized this
project and acted as a mentor and liaison between the team and Alpha Fire.
How should this report be used?
The report can be used to help the Alpha Fire Company distinguish where best to
address their lighting system’s inefficiencies. In addition, this document allows the fire
company to move forward with being more energy conscious - saving money in their
current budget to allow for its future use in other important areas and improvements.
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Introduction:
Much of Alpha Fire Company’s fire station and systems are outdated, having been
built in the ‘70s. Because of the building’s age, it lacks proper and effective insulation on
many of its outer walls, which, when combined with State College’s harsh winters, are a
substantial heat-loss factor, wasting energy and driving up their energy consumption. On
top of that, the HVAC ventilation and roof units are over 30 years old while their
recommended life-span is a mere 11 years. Additionally, their fluorescent lighting
systems are pervasive throughout the station, from the heavily-lit engine bay to the
upstairs conference room and living quarters. These light fixtures need to be replaced
with more efficient LED lights in order to cut peak-energy demand and save Alpha Fire
Company thousands of dollars annually.
The LSS team focused on the energy issues associated with Alpha Fire’s lighting
systems because of the high return on investment as well as the speed by which our plan
can be adopted and implemented. Resurfacing the inner walls of the building to address
the insulation issue or replacing the ventilation ducts and multiple roof HVAC units pose
as expensive long-term projects for Alpha Fire Company which would take several years
to put into motion. Our team realized that replacing the current lighting systems with
high-efficiency LEDs is a project that can be carried out within the year and start saving
them money immediately.
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Procedure:
After examining local social services and choosing Alpha Fire Company, we
conducted a building evaluation to determine the extent of the structural inefficiencies
and other needs. The team meet with Tony Berrena who is in charge of the station’s
systems and its renovation plans. He has extensive knowledge of Alpha Fire’s existing
inadequacies and their plans to address these issues, such as: adding building insulation,
implementing a heat exchange system, replacing HVAC roof units, fixing the water
heater, installing energy efficient windows, and switching to LED lighting.
Mr. Berrena provided us with a digital copy of the building’s floor plan and energy
(gas/electricity) consumption bill. With this data we were able to identify the number of
light fixtures and bulbs that should be replaced which allows us to calculate the initial
replacement cost and long-term energy savings between fluorescent and LED lights.
After several more meetings and visits to the station we were able to determine the
current power usage, its price, and the number of light fixtures in the building. This
allowed us to calculate the power consumption of their current lighting system and by
using data gathered on LED power consumption for each different unit size. By
comparing the power consumption per unit of LEDs and Fluorescent bulbs, and using
Alpha Fire Company's current power billing rates, we were able to calculate their return
on investment and how long the savings would pay for the initial cost of materials. (See
Appendix A).
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Results and discussion:
Comparing the current fluorescent fixtures to the new LED system, we found that
it saves them approximately thirteen watts of power per tube (Appendix B). This power
savings alone should allow them to gross $1,733 after only two years and $10,708 in 5
years (Appendix A). This only takes into account the consistent power consumption of
twelve hours of daily use. However, because they are charged on an initial surge basis as
well, well it is likely that their savings will be a lot higher than estimated. To clarify, a
surge charge is an added charge on top of overall consumption that takes into account the
maximum amount of power being drawn at one time. Since the replacement bulbs use
close to half the original power and draw far less power upon start up, we expect this
number to be significantly greater than estimated. Also when refitting a large scale
system like this it is likely that they will contract a bulk deal for the necessary lights and
fixtures, instead of the unit price that we based our calculations on.
While there are still other systems that are on schedule for upgrade, the data and
plans we created should accelerate the installment process. We expect the project to be
passed by the township and up for bid within the next three months. We did encounter
several obstacles in trying to complete this construction plan. The electrical and
construction plans that we were giving to work with were not up to date, leaving us to
recreate a new document for future records. Being that everyone who worked there,
including the senior staff, were only there as part-time volunteers, we often faced
availability problems when trying to meet to discuss certain issues.
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Conclusions and Recommendations:
Our recommendation for Alpha Fire Company follows a consistent room-by-room
replacement plan in order to spread out the initial replacement costs over several months
if that is indeed necessary due to budget restrictions. Yet, if it is possible to complete the
process all at once it could benefit from bulk purchases and follow the energy savings
model we calculated (Appendix A). The most important area of the station to focus light
fixture and bulb replacements is the apparatus bay (also called the engine room) because
of it accounts for nearly 2/3’s of the fluorescent bulbs our plan seeks to remove. Also, by
replacing the apparatus bay first, which would remove a large factor in the amount of
energy surge they experience, lowing their billed rate in the following cycle. The next
most important area to address would be the upstairs conference room which has the next
largest concentration of light fixtures. Another way Alpha Fire Company would benefit
and save energy is installing new occupancy sensors that would ensure lights are only
turned on when the rooms are in use, reducing overhead costs.
Acknowledgements and References:
We would like to first and foremost thank professor Mike Erdmann for the guidance
and the keeping us on track with the weekly reports, as well as Heather for all her help
throughout the semester and answering our questions in every meeting. Also, a very
special thank you to Tony Berrena, the 2nd assistant chief at the Alpha Fire Company for
being patient, understanding and helpful throughout the semester.
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Appendix:
Table A:
Table B:
(https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/113414/FOREST-MT8W09.html#) (Table B)