UIC Energy Management Pilot Study
Investigators: Andrew L. Sheaffer, MIE; Noel Corral, MIE; Michael Chimack, MIE
Prime Grant Support: University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Facilities Management
Problem Statement and Motivation
The UIC Energy Management Pilot Study is geared
towards identifying the level of energy consumption and
cost savings that can be captured through energy
efficiency upgrades and practices on the UIC campus.
Molecular Biology Research Building (MBRB) on the West Campus
Technical Approach
• A complete walk-through assessment of University Hall
(UH) and the Molecular Biology Research Building
(MBRB) identifying all energy users
• Simulation modeling of both buildings
• Identification of energy conservation opportunities
available for both buildings
• Development of detailed cost savings to determine
project paybacks
• Verification of energy consumption of major energy
systems through submetering
• Projection of potential campus-wide energy savings
using results from completed work
Key Achievements and Future Goals
The UIC Energy Management Pilot Study has been
completed successfully and has provided the following
results:
• $470,000/yr total energy cost savings potential
was identified for UH, corresponding to 47% of the
building’s total annual energy cost
• $525,000/yr total energy cost savings potential
was identified for MBRB, corresponding to 19% of
the building’s total annual energy cost
• $17,000,000/yr total energy cost savings was
projected for the UIC East and West campuses
with a simple payback of less than 10 years
Training Student Engineers Through Industrial Energy Conservation:
The UIC Industrial Assessment Center
Investigators: William M. Worek, MIE; Michael J. Chimack, MIE; Robert Miller, MIE
Prime Grant Support: U.S. Department of Energy
Problem Statement and Motivation
IAC Student Conducting a Flue-Gas Test on a Plant Boiler
Technical Approach
A team of faculty, academic professionals and
engineering students visits an industrial plant to conduct
a one-day assessment. Opportunities are identified,
quantified, analyzed, written-up and then presented to
the client in a comprehensive report. Each
recommendation is completely explained, with supporting
information provided that is justified by calculations,
measurements, industry information and vendor cost
quotes. Six to nine months after the assessment, followup contact is made to determine which recommendations
have been implemented, providing a measure of
program effectiveness and feedback to the students on
how they are impacting industry in a meaningful manner.
The UIC-IAC promotes the training of young engineers
in the understanding of the role of energy efficiency,
demand and supply side energy management, and
renewable energy practices in basic manufacturing
systems and operations. The goals of the program are
to provide engineering students with practical
experience and training in energy engineering and
assist small- and medium-sized manufacturers in
identifying opportunities to reduce their energy usage
with investment costs that reside inside their capital
investment guidelines.
Key Achievements and Future Goals
• Since September 2000, completed over 120
assessments
• Over 1,000 recommendations identified and quantified
• Over $5.6 million in implemented savings realized by
clients
• UIC-IAC students have been awarded a number of
university and engineering fellowships, scholarships
and honors, including a Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) Presidential Fellowship
• Students in the UIC-IAC program have a 100%
graduation and placement rate, with the vast majority
of students accepting positions with employers well
before graduation
Energy Conservation in U.S. Army Industrial Facilities
Investigators: William M. Worek, MIE; Michael J. Chimack, MIE; Robert Miller, MIE; Andrew
Sheaffer, MIE; Jonathan Aardsma, MIE; Noel Corral; MIE
Prime Grant Support: Construction Engineering Research Laboratory
Problem Statement and Motivation
Executive Order 13123 requires all Army industrial
facilities to reduce energy consumption by 25% from
their 1990 baselines by 2010. Many Army industrial
processes are unique and the installations are unable to
quantify, or control their energy consumption. Energy
consumption baselines for each process must be
established to measure efficiency improvements
Welding on an Armored Personnel Carrier in an Army Arsenal
Technical Approach
The project proceeded along three separate lines:
• An understanding of major Army industrial processes in
terms of how they operate and how they consume
energy was developed
• Through research, site visits, and consultations, a
consensus in defining the current state of the art of
technologies related to the Army processes was
developed
• Data collection and analysis of contaminant emissions
and ventilation within Army facilities was conducted in
order to develop a better understanding of building
process exhaust and thermodynamic principles
In addition, an overall understanding of material
demand and waste generation must be achieved in
order to meet the Federal mandate, maintain mission
readiness, and improve process efficiency.
Key Achievements and Future Goals
• A number of Army industrial processes were
benchmarked against similar state of the art processes
•Technologies for the Army processes were identified
and examined to determine the costs and benefits of
implementation
• A software tool was designed to provide strategies to
reduce harmful emissions in Army industrial buildings
• System optimization control strategies were developed
to optimize heating, cooling and ventilation loads
• Studies of four Army facilities were conducted to
demonstrate the benefits in efficiency improvements and
energy savings that can be realized by adopting the
technologies, tools, and strategies
Energy Reduction Through Practical
Scheduled Maintenance
Investigators: Michael J. Chimack, MIE; Jonathan Aardsma, MIE
Prime Grant Support: National Center for Energy Management and Building Technology and the Illinois Department
of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
Problem Statement and Motivation
Clean Boiler Tubes without Scale
• Commercial buildings spend $55 billion annually on
Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
• More than 55% of companies use a reactive
maintenance (RM) approach for equipment
maintenance; while less than 33% of companies use a
scheduled maintenance (SM) approach
Dirty Boiler Tubes with Scale
Technical Approach
• Advantages of programmed SM include increased
equipment life, improved indoor air quality and
productivity, and a potential energy savings of 15-20%
Key Achievements and Future Goals
• A literature review was conducted to determine the
status of the HVAC industry with respect to scheduled
maintenance (SM)
• Created a comprehensive literature review report.
Potential savings in commercial buildings are estimated
to be $8-$11 billion annually.
• Unstructured, open-ended interviews of industry
experts were conducted to determine the energy savings
and other financial benefits of a proper SM program, and
the reason why the clear benefits of proper scheduled
maintenance are overlooked
• Developed a Best Practices manual of SM protocols
• Retraining the market through Best Practices seminars
and webcasts will be conducted. Targeted attendees
include building owners and operators, design engineers,
HVAC contractors and apprentice tradesmen
• Seminars scheduled for meetings of the Chicago
Chapter of the American Society of Heating,
Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
• First seminar given to major international property
manager (responsible for 900 million square feet
worldwide)
Mechanical Systems Technology Evaluation
Investigators: Michael J. Chimack, MIE; Jonathan Aardsma, MIE
Prime Grant Support: National Center for Energy Management and Building Technology and the Illinois Department
of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
Problem Statement and Motivation
• Commercial buildings spend $55 billion annually on
Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
• Ventilation alone is estimated to consume 1.4 quads
(1.0 E15 Btu) of energy annually
• Conventional HVAC technologies can meet the needs
of buildings, but are unable to efficiently meet the needs
of higher ventilation air loads, humidity control, and
varying occupancy densities
Displacement Ventilation
Technical Approach
Key Achievements and Future Goals
• A literature review was conducted to compare existing
HVAC designs to the emerging generation of mechanical
systems technologies (MSTs)
• A literature review of 147 articles has been completed,
identifying the road blocks to MST selection and
implementation in HVAC specifications
• Building simulation and other quantitative modeling
tools will be utilized to identify proper applications for
MSTs and to quantify associated energy savings and
lifecycle costs
• Next generation MSTs will improve indoor air quality
and ventilation effectiveness, while reducing energy
consumption in buildings
• Educational materials will be developed to educate
building owners and operators, design engineers and
HVAC contractors on the costs and benefits of MSTs
• Educational materials will include recommended
actions to move next generations MSTs closer to
application
• Proper applications for MSTs will be determined by
building simulation (climate and building type)
• Educational materials and training seminar
presentations will be developed to educate the market on
the advantages and applications of MSTs including the
recommended actions determined through the literature
review and building simulations
Commissioning and Retrocommissioning
of Commercial Buildings
Investigators: Michael Chimack, MIE; Christine Walker, MIE
Prime Grant Support: National Center for Energy Management and Building Technology
Problem Statement and Motivation
• Though the benefits of commissioning (Cx) and
retrocommissioning (RCx) protocols in the literature are
numerous, they are principally anecdotal
• Commissioning a building or systems within a building
(e.g. decentralized heating, ventilating and air
conditioning systems) is a method of reducing risk by
ensuring that proper systems operation is achieved for
the building owner
• Quantification of the benefits of Cx is warranted
Technical Approach
Key Achievements and Future Goals
• A literature review was conducted to determine the
status of commissioning (Cx) and retrocommissioning
(RCx) within the building and HVAC industries
• The literature review is nearing completion
• Building simulation and other quantitative modeling
tools will be utilized to identify proper applications for Cx
and RCx and to quantify energy savings potential
• Educational materials and training seminar
presentations will be developed to educate the market on
the advantages and applications of Cx and RCx,
including the recommended actions determined through
the literature review and building simulations
• Educational materials will be developed to educate
building owners and operators, design engineers and
HVAC contractors on the direct costs and benefits of Cx
and RCx
• Building simulation protocols for this project are being
developed
Evaluation of LEED Certification Program for Buildings
A Case Study
Investigator: Michael Chimack, MIE
Prime Grant Support: National Center for Energy Management and Building Technology
Problem Statement and Motivation
LEED Buildings
180
160
140
Number of Projects
120
100
Certified
Silver
Gold
Platinum
80
60
40
• The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design) Green Building Rating System® is a voluntary,
consensus-based national standard for developing highperformance, sustainable buildings
• Very little empirical data exists that demonstrate the
short- and long-term benefits of constructing a LEED
building
20
0
USA
India
Canada
Mexico
China
Current LEED Projects Worldwide
Spain
Technical Approach
Select two identical or nearly identical buildings, one
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
rated and one non-LEED rated, to monitor the following
variables for a period of one year:
•Temperature, Humidity, Carbon Dioxide
concentration, Lighting levels and Power
consumption of all pertinent heating, ventilating
and air conditioning subsystems
• Use building simulation software to normalize data for
differences in building orientation, occupancy, equipment
scheduling, etc.
Key Achievements and Future Goals
• Two City of Chicago buildings have been selected for
the case studies
• Preliminary building equipment assessments are
complete
• Monitoring equipment has been ordered. Monitoring of
buildings should commence in August 2006.