CASE
STUDY
BD Biosciences
A BUILDING CHALLENGE
Savings Results:
156 kW peak demand reduction
207,000 annual kWh savings
223 annual therms savings
$46,000 PG&E project incentives
BD Biosciences is a segment of a global
medical technology company and a leading
manufacturer of high-tech biomedical
instruments. When this biotech leader needs
a new building for its employees in San Jose,
you can bet they need it to be clean.
But to project leaders George Paganini and
Andrea Maki, who were tasked with overseeing
the renovation of an 81,000 square-foot
building to house a growing workforce, “clean”
meant more than structurally sound and
dust-free. They were determined to make the
new space “as green as we possibly could.”
ENTER PG&E
Poor conditions including air-handling issues
and the need for seismic upgrades delayed
renovation of the existing building. Paganini
and Maki took advantage of the downtime to
consult with Pacific Gas and Electric Company
(PG&E) designers.
Paganini and Maki explained their desire
to minimize BD’s environmental impact,
conserve energy, water and other natural
resources, provide healthy workspaces for
the employees—and do it all while reducing
operating costs.
Collaborating with consultant Energy
Solutions and the architectural firm, DGA,
PG&E responded with a comprehensive
Savings By Design plan. The objective was
to provide BD Biosciences with a “Universal
and Flexible” design approach. This included
access to natural light in all parts of the
building, energy-saving infrastructure and
equipment that minimized operating costs
(qualifying BD Biosciences for incentives), and
the use of recycled and renewable materials
throughout.
Though an initial cost estimate of $150,000
for a beginning phase of the project raised
eyebrows, a PG&E incentive of $46,000
softened the blow. “In the end,” said Paganini,
“it was an easy sell.”
With everyone on board, three major phases
of development were set in motion: Building
Envelope, HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air
Conditioning) and Lighting.
All photos courtesy of ©Becton, Dickinson and Company
“Working with PG&E has been
terrific—they came in under
budget and ahead of time.
It was a very positive construction
management experience.”
Andrea Maki, Project Leader
BUILDING ENVELOPE
RESULTS
Even though BD’s new space was being built
into an existing building, the project included
improvements to the building envelope to
boost its energy performance, including:
• A "cool roof” to reflect solar energy rather
than absorb it.
• Skylights with a low heat-conductivity
factor.
In the end, both PG&E and BD Biosciences
were elated with the new building.
Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning
Every aspect of the HVAC system was
tailored for maximum savings in San Jose’s
mild, dry climate. Energy efficiency measures
incorporated into the design included:
• Evaporative-cooled condensers (effectively
30% more efficient than standard
air-cooled condenser) on large rooftop
package units.
• Variable air volume (VAV) supply fans on
large rooftop package units, with VAV
boxes for air distribution control.
• Airside economizers for "free" cooling.
• 85% efficient boilers for space heating.
• Premium efficiency motors on all
equipment.
• Small supplemental cooling systems with
a seasonal efficiency energy rating (SEER)
between 14.1 and 15.2.
• Direct Digital Controls (DDC), a control
system that allows precise monitoring and
trending of equipment energy use which
enables energy-saving features such as
supply air reset.
With approximately 275 new office spaces
and a 12,000-square foot state-of-the-art
customer training center, the facility will
allow BD Biosciences customers to learn
how to operate BD’s advanced flow cytometry
systems, which are the instruments of choice
in research laboratories worldwide.
It cost $27 million and took nearly 12 months
to reengineer and refurbish. And thanks to
help from PG&E’s Savings by Design team,
it’s as clean and green as possible.
Project Savings Summary
• 81,500 square feet building that beats
California energy efficiency standards
(Title 24) by more than 22 percent.
• 156 kW peak demand reduction, a
31 percent reduction.
• 207,000 annual kWh savings, a 19 percent
reduction.
• $46,000 PG&E project incentives.
• 223 annual therms savings.
YOUR NEXT STEPS
To learn more about PG&E’s energy audits,
technical assistance and energy management
incentives for commercial buildings, call your
account representative or the PG&E Business
Customer Service Center at 1-800-468-4743,
or visit www.pge.com/mybusiness.
Lighting
The lighting design included several elements
to reduce both lighting power and the
associated HVAC cooling power:
• Energy efficient lighting systems
(15 percent more efficient than California
energy standards) using high efficiency
lamps and ballasts.
• Sensor-controlled lighting which
automatically shuts off when rooms are
unoccupied, or during non-business hours.
• Sensor-controlled lighting at individual
workstations.
"PG&E" refers to Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation. ©2009 Pacific Gas and Electric Company. All rights reserved.
These offerings are funded by California utility customers and administered by PG&E under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.
July 2009 CTM-0709-0062