Existing Building Assessment
Building energy performance tends to decline as much as 15-25% over time as equipment, staffing, and operations change. Additionally new, more efficient building systems (lighting, HVAC, controls, envelope, etc.) come to the market that could substantially reduce the energy and water operating costs.
A building energy and water assessment will review building utility rate structures, operations, and systems for improvement opportunities. The assessment will detail implementation costs and expected utility savings. Many of these savings can be realized in three months to a year, for current budget-year operational and rate improvements.
Steps to pursuing an energy and water assessment:
- Set up or purchase a system to track utilities for each facility. See detail for this in associated action item
- Target the facilities using the most energy per square foot and have the largest energy costs. An Energy Star rating from Portfolio Manager (or Energy Star Target Finder) allow ranking the local building against thousands of other buildings of the same type.
- Internally or externally engage assessment services to start from the worst performing buildings and work up to the more efficient buildings. In essence, go for the low-hanging fruit.
- Designate responsible parties and a budget to implement low and no cost opportunities found in the assessment
- Track the specific savings associated with any changes. Retain external audit team if necessary or appropriate.
- Regularly track facility usage and report back to facility operations on progress.
Try the associated Off Hour Usage Finder to see how much electric usage is happening outside operating hours. Results may be surprising.
RATIONALE
In the U.S. buildings use approximately 40% of all energy and 70% of the electricity. Using a range of 10-25% of operational improvements that are available at low to no cost, there is a substantial opportunity to economically reduce energy consumption in the building sector. Energy and water-use efficiency should be the first step in any program to reduce overall energy usage. Many of the audit results are fed back to the building operations staff and can help them more sustainably manage their facilities to maintain best possible performance.
EFFORT REQUIRED
Using outside consultants this is a relatively easy process. Consultants can handle the data gathering, utility and building analysis, and publication and discussion of results. The main effort lies in the actual implementation of specific energy efficiency opportunities, which can be simple or substantial depending on the facility staff and budgets.
Qualified internal staff can be used, and the decision should be made based on adequate staff time allocated and internal staff experience at evaluating the building systems, operations, and building envelopes.
BENEFIT
- Energy and water savings: Once addressed building systems will operate more efficiently and only when needed. This saves energy and maintenance costs through reduced run times.
- Improved building comfort: Wasted energy in building HVAC systems often leads to comfort problems (too hot, too cold, overly humid air), and addressing these problems can lead to a more comfortable environment.
- Better informed facility staff through audit results: Results on how building systems can best operate can educate facility staff on new and more efficient ways to operate their buildings.
RISKS
The biggest risk with audits is that the results are not implemented in the facility; often due to a lack of specific effort to implement and track the results of the opportunities.
ACTION AGENTS
- Facilities director: To ensure that the proper priority and resources have been put in place to take action on the assessment results.
- Facility staff: So their specific facility knowledge is captured during the audit process, and they are informed on the findings and action plans for implementation.
- Utility manager: To track the results where assessment findings were implemented.
COST
Ten to 40 cents per square foot, which is very dependent on the size and type of the building.
A measure of a building's or product's energy performance compared with that of similar buildings or products, as determined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency / U.S. Department of Energy's ENERGY STARŪ Portfolio Manager. Energy efficiency is the process of using less energy to produce the same or increased functions. Often used mistakenly as a synonym for ENERGY CONSERVATION. Mechanisms that allow occupants to direct power to devices or adjust devices or systems so that they function within in a pre-determined range (e.g., brightness, temperature).The ability or potential of a physical body to do work. The most common forms of energy are heat, light, mechanical (moving parts), and electrical.
