Identifying Energy Conservation Measures.
Tailoring Retro-commissioning to meet your
needs
Environmental System Science
November 18, 2009
Overview
- What is an Energy Conservation
Measure (ECM)
- Developing your Scope of Work for a
Retro-commissioning
- Energy Audits – the basics
- When to use an audit or a
retrocommissioning
- How to achieve your desired outcome.
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What is an energy conservation measure?
• A defined action you can take that will reduce the
energy use in a building, examples:
– Using the BMS to put in schedules for major
equipment and lighting.
– Installing a variable frequency drive (VFD) on
electrical motors.
– Testing, Adjusting and Balancing (TAB) if
equipment found to be performing out of current
specifications.
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Example of findings from RCx
ECM: improve BMS in order to increase
ability to schedule equipment.
Est cost: $500,000
Est utility savings: $187,000/ year
Simple Payback: 2.67 years
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What will an RCxA look at?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Heating and cooling systems
Air handling/air distribution systems
Hydronics distribution systems
Ventilation and exhaust systems
Automatic temperature controls integrated with
the MEP Systems
6. Coordination and functionality with the Building
Management Controls System
7. Domestic Hot Water Heaters and distribution.
8. Switchgear
9. Electrical distribution
10. Lighting
*You may chose to not put all these systems in the
scope of work. You can tailor this process to the results
you want.
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Your RCx Scope of Work (SOW)?
Be specific about your deliverables.
Be specific about what you already know – SOPs,
current drawings, etc.
Make sure their submission matches your SOW and
expectations.
Beware of the additional costs- are you expecting
your consultant to make re-design
recommendations, provide energy models?
If you are not specific in your SOW of work you
are likely to get a proposal based on the
standard commissioning process, which probably
won’t give you the results you want.
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Energy Audits
Level I – one day walk through, quick review of energy bills, find low
hanging fruit.
Level II – walk through and system performance testing, also takes into
account the people factor and maintenance procedures. Results in a list
of ECMs for the owner and identifies capital projects that require a Level
III audit.
Level III – looks in detail, including possible risks, at any capital project
being considered for energy efficiency or conservation reasons. Results
in an intensive engineering and economic analysis of the project/.
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Audit or Retro-comminsioning?
Things to consider:
- cost
- complexity of the building
- desired outcomes: low hanging fruit versus
more complex solutions.
If you want to bring the whole building back into
operating specs and identify all building systems issues,
including total range of ECMS, go for the RCx.
If you want to quickly identify easily implemented ECMs
only or want to assess a proposed capital project, go for
the appropriate level of audit.
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Getting the results you want?
Prepare
Research
Question
React
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Questions and Discussion!
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