The 250,000 sf World Wildlife Fund headquarters in DC is about to complete retro-commissioning and is applying for LEED-EB (Existing Building) certification. I managed and documented an “enhanced commissioning process” and have helped complete an application to the US Green Building Council for LEED certification that should land them the highest rating, Platinum. Also completed and finalized the commissioning of a LEED Commercial Interiors renovation project for the building. Lastly, I have just validated their U.S. Department of Energy – Energy Star application for the entire building, with a rating of 86 (based on 100).

Another recently completed commissioning job included 80,000 sf of new interiors for the European Commission in DC.

I am providing this service as a contractor to CPM Scheduling, LLC. CPM is a highly respected and growing LEED commissioning consultant that has successful work in over a dozen states from Colorado to the East Coast. I currently act as Senior Commissioning Authority on their behalf.

I have a half dozen other projects, encompassing at least another 600,000 sf, in various stages, and as they are completed, I will tell about them here.

Building Commissioning: A Golden Opportunity for Reducing Energy Costs and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
By Evan Mills, Ph.D.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for: CEC (PIER) July 21, 2009

This white paper contains some compelling arguments in favor of re-commissioning. Money and energy are two items. A building is a kind of organism. We tend to forget that nature and behavior tend to tear and break things down. The passage of time wears things out and we have to maintain our buildings, and just like cars, they need to be tuned up regularly. It’s amazing how much money is being lost by neglecting to do a tuneup. Government and institutional buildings are especially prone to this benign neglect. In government, its often a case of out of sight, out of mind.

Here is a flow chart that I like. Charts are great for reducing complicated processes down to one glance… I like a good flow chart because they are visual, and I tend to be visual, maybe because of my defective ears.

This chart was borrowed from ASHRAE by the National Institute for Building Sciences (NIBS), and is posted on their Whole Building Design Guide web site. Click on the thumbnail to see the full size version.

An excellent commentary in this months Engineered Systems magazine, entitled Tomorrow’s Environment: A Failure to Plan Is A Plan To Fail by Howard McKew, exposes the weak link in the chain between energy efficient design and the long term operation and maintenance of said design. How do we know they are getting what they paid for?

Too often, we don’t know. McKew explains that measurement and verification is often left out of the design due to budget constraints. I think operations often falls under the radar for lack of understanding the need for verifying. And CMMS software, intended to help rectify this problem by making it easier to manage and maintain the many moving parts of a building, apparently doesn’t get used!

I have mentioned ACCOUNTABILITY in previous posts, and here is another sample of what I am talking about. My worrying is well-founded. Filters need to be changed, pump bearings need lubricating, dampers need to be observed in operation, temperature sensors need to be calibrated and so on. HVAC, even when it is designed to be as simple as possible, is still complicated in practice.

I am not interested in casting shame on anybody, but now I feel compelled to say something. We Americans have to have an opinion, even if we don’t have all the facts. We are watching too much news television and listening to too many talk radio shows: Take FoxNews and their talk shows. They work extra hard to convince us that scientific evidence is being manipulated for political reasons. They draw a specious connection between the Democratic Party, (supposedly led by Al Gore), and scientists as proof of a vast left wing conspiracy. These popular so-called news programs cast global warming warnings as a “plot”, to increase the size and power of government, raise taxes, and so on.

I am not convinced. It worries me that they are unable to present scientific evidence for what it is, EVIDENCE. They question scientific method at the same time. Why do these folks struggle with high school science concepts of data collection and drawing reasonable conclusions? (Bill O’Reilly is so dishonest on this score, it amazes me how many people watch him.)

We Americans have to have an opinion on everything and anything, whether we are knowledgable or not!

Back to reality and engineering. Here is a tidbit about engineering economics that would be construed as leftist by FoxNews. (Of course, they would attack it as propaganda because it is from the Washington Post. Not because they have the facts to contradict it).

quote from Washington Post January 1, 2010

Jack Beuttell, global sustainability manager with Hines (Partnership) , a property management firm that manages 10 buildings in the District, said that questions about a property’s energy consumption have become increasingly important to his company’s potential tenants.

Beuttell said that a building with a “95″ rating from the EPA’s “Energy Star” program, a rank that some of his company’s properties have earned, would typically save a tenant about $1.30 per square foot in annual energy bills over the national average for a similar building. That’s an “incredibly meaningful” figure to tenants, he said.

I like it. And not because I might benefit personally (Full disclosure: I helped engineer HVAC on a Hines project recently). It is just plain simple common sense to cut costs. It might even pump up your profits! Some left-wing conspiracy that is.

Some of the 2009 stats HVAC designs that I have incorporated recently into my office building projects are expected to use 30% less than the levels allowed by the local and state building codes. (ASHRAE Energy code 90.1-2004).

Consider that more than 70 percent of existing commercial buildings in the country were constructed prior to 1980 (according to floor area, see this 2001 study) . It is very likely that most of these older buildings consume well over the present building code allowable.

There are no laws requiring them to retrofit. The financial incentive to retrofit is all that exists, and unfortunately, this is another example of out-of sight, out-of-mind ignorance. (and HVAC and building energy use in general getting no respect).

These buildings should be retrofitted to reduce energy use a minimum of 30% and more. Up to $48-60 billion per year is being simply wasted. Wow! That is $200 a year for every man woman and child in the US. Almost half as much as we throw away on the war in Iraq. ($130 billion in 2007)

Hey, what are you waiting for, lets find out where the energy is going!

Lighting… I did not mention lighting: higher efficiency lighting and optimal daylighting could save ANOTHER $20 billion /year easy.

If you still a skeptic, please read: “Working Toward the Very Low Energy Consumption Building of the Future”

]]> http://www.noelsusskind.com/blog/archives/982/feed 0 http://www.noelsusskind.com/blog/archives/945 http://www.noelsusskind.com/blog/archives/945#comments Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:58:13 +0000 noel http://www.noelsusskind.com/blog/?p=945 Trends: Read the chart on your buildings energy usage. Monthly charts can usually be found on the monthly utility bills. Usually, your utility company can provide a history of usage. The hourly or daily usage charts can reveal patterns of usage which can be reveal whether your building is running at its best.

What does a trend chart look like?

An example of a daily building trend chart

The US Department of Energy has a gather and track data process listing the following steps.

STEP 2: Assess Performance
* 2.1 Gather Data
* 2.2 Establish Baselines
* 2.3 Benchmark
* 2.4 Analyze Data
* 2.5 Technical Assessments & Audits

Let’s look at Step 2.1, ‘Gather data’.

Daily and hourly charts are more detailed require additional metering devices. This is a deeper and more involved, as we will see.

If your building has a control center, it is very possible, that energy consumption patterns can be found in the computer logs. In many older buildings, this may be problematic. This is where upgrades to metering should start.

Deciding on what to measure and then installing the meters and using the data correctly is the key. By studying the building systems, and determining what wires or pipes are carrying the “energy in question”, we can be sure we are installing the meter(s) in the correct physical location.

Next, installing a communication link between these meters and a data collection center, such as a desktop computer, creates the basic data collection network. The cost of this approach is extremely reasonable. Wireless measuring devices are becoming very widespread. In fact, with IP networking, whether hard wired or wireless, it is an incredibly simple and cheap way to get a handle on this.

Having the data in hand will help the engineers and operators. But we want to understand how the building system in question is being controlled. The charts can be complicated. Decomposing the building systems down to their simple points will yield a lot of valuable information. once it is charted. Having your building engineer or an outside consulting engineer experienced in HVAC controls is often necessary.

More reading about energy measurement and metering and a prior article on measurement in Noels Green Blog.

What are we measuring?

Motors, lights and electric resistance heaters are the major electric energy consumers. Boilers, unit heaters and furnaces are the major gas/oil consumers.

Of course, a major component of electric use is the ‘plug loads’, which is equipment actually plugged in. These are usually in the control of the user/occupants themselves. They include computers, task lighting, televisions, refrigerators and so on.

Electric heaters are often being used by user/occupants who feel cold and do not get their complaints/needs heard or met. This is unfortunately, a ubiquitous problem in the USA, just now getting serious attention after years of ignoring.

The next wave

Now here is a very nice “downstream” application for building information modeling. It is not getting much attention. Yet.

The same Building Information Model which is being used to design and build with, can easily be re-used as a framework for the building control center! Metering and all other energy systems mapped in the BIM? You would have a ready-made view of the Building Energy Consumption!

This has been a theoretical possibility for many decades, but the cost and complexity of it was such that no one besides a NASA or a nuclear research lab could implement it. Now we have a chance to see the possibilities of such high powered data collection and analysis being done on a desktop computer. Hooray for IT!

]]> http://www.noelsusskind.com/blog/archives/945/feed 0 http://www.noelsusskind.com/blog/archives/763 http://www.noelsusskind.com/blog/archives/763#comments Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:14:12 +0000 noel http://www.noelsusskind.com/blog/?p=763 A recent article in ASHRAE Journal, “An Updated Look at DCV Approaches“, October 2009, page 82-84, covers an important component of building energy: HVAC ventilation control, also called “Demand Controlled Ventilation“. It is an overview of the reasons and logic behind one of the more cost-effective methods for controlling air quality while reducing energy usage.

Outside air – Opening a window
Comfortable and clean indoor breathing has always been associated with fresh air. You simply dilute inside air with conditioned outside air. Its the same as opening a window (albeit with more precision). Scientific observation reinforces the correlation between fresh air and a comfortable indoor breathing environment.

Formal design procedures and requirements for this have been part of the building codes for several generations. ASHRAE Standard 62, “Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)”, is usually the basis for these. In summary, ASHRAE 62 describes uses several methods which to determine the required volume of outside air. One common method relies on a “prescribed“ outside air quantity (volume/time) as determined by the maximum anticipated number of occupants. Outside air volumes often have a considerable impact on the HVAC energy load, therefore close attention is paid the precise control.

Controls – What is DCV?
There are several common methods for controlling outside air. The most common is the so-called “Demand Controlled Ventilation” whereby the addition of fresh air is only necessary according to the “demand” caused by occupancy. Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration is a reasonable proxy for overall air quality, and it has been shown that the concentration of CO2 correlates well to the quantity (concentration ) of people in the space.

The Brutal Reality

One point in the article that sticks out was:

…traditional DCV systems use carbon dioxide sensors to indicate per person outdoor airflow rates. To accurately correlate CO2 levels to per-person outdoor airflow rates, sensors need to be installed, calibrated, and maintained properly.
Recent studies indicate that one or more of these steps generally are not followed in buildings with DCV (Fisk) and (Shrestha and Maxwell). One study showed that 80% of CO2 sensors in buildings read high by an average of approximately 40%, resulting in higher-than-needed ventilation rates.
Anecdotal evidence also suggests that it is common for DCV systems to be disabled when not working properly or complaints are received about IAQ.

Statistics can often lie. We need to see details on these results. But if this fact is true, I can offer an observation. Building (HVAC et al) controls tend to be near the back cover of the contract specifications. Heck, out of 27 divisions of the specs, the CO2 sensors are in division 25. The toilet stall accessories come before them!

So for this reason, Division 25 subcontractors often are forced to make do with the absolute low bid. Too often, not enough commissioning and testing is budgeted to sure the controls are robust and reporting correctly. Calibration is always an issue. Hardware needs to be commissioned as well, specs need to be tighter. The new technology can be compromised by mass adoption/application. We professionals should avoid this trap by being careful what we accept.

Recommissioning easily finds Issues
If problems with the DCV are latent, or undetected, the issue should come up during an Energy Star Audit via the measured CO2 levels. The service contractor may discover that room CO2 levels reported by the building sensors are significantly different from his measurements.

Regular HVAC service personnel do not always deal with HVAC controls at this level, but perhaps they should. Management should hire service contractors who can check the controls at least twice a year. In any event, this points up a need for re-commissioning. Hiring a “commissioning” firm that regularly performs such work and can identify issues is a good start.

LEED-EB (Existing buildings) commissioning and Energy Star commissioning practices are becoming more common, and those provide a framework of expectations for the future. Commissioning is no longer a process confined to million square foot projects being done by the likes of AECOM and Turner.

Over-ventilating to be safe?
Over-ventilating wastes energy and costs the building owner money. This is the common result of the failures mentioned above.

Marketing
There is a large swathe of commercial real estate in this country which has not been partly or fully screened for energy conservation measures. Perhaps half of all commercial real estate is operated and maintained as it has for decades. Owners and tenants send a lot of money to the utility companies. I love utilities, I invest in them, but I don’t love them THAT much.

So I say to the owners and operators of these facilities:
“Let us engineers walkthrough your building and find you a way to save on your energy expenses”

If you would like to discuss what services I can provide you and your clients, please feel free to contact me at noel@noelsusskind.com

]]> http://www.noelsusskind.com/blog/archives/763/feed 0 http://www.noelsusskind.com/blog/archives/641 http://www.noelsusskind.com/blog/archives/641#comments Sat, 12 Sep 2009 05:13:04 +0000 noel http://www.noelsusskind.com/blog/?p=641 Noel Susskind, PE, LEED AP is an experienced mechanical engineer and building energy expert ready to
serve you. Commercial, government, educational and healthcare facilities are a focus.
He will:

1. Serve as a high level resource on the latest science and art of building, or introduce you to one. Knowledge includes minimizing building energy (carbon) footprint via energy recovery, advanced control approaches , daylighting design, indoor air quality, ventilation, cogeneration, photovoltaic systems, etc.
2. Recommend energy-efficient design solutions and technologies, including lighting, HVAC, building envelope measures and passive solar and ventilation measures.
3. Validate and summarize energy audits of existing facilities by third parties.
4. Identify various alternative energy conservation measures and predict energy usage based on energy modeling. Includes economic analysis and financial projections with payback.
5. Work with the design and construction teams, sharing and validating others energy models (compliant with DOE-2 and BIM GbXML) as third party reviewer.
6. Provide documents and regular verification required for obtaining LEED energy credits.
7. Work closely with you on alternative solutions for building and system energy usage.

]]> http://www.noelsusskind.com/blog/archives/641/feed 0 http://www.noelsusskind.com/blog/archives/617 http://www.noelsusskind.com/blog/archives/617#comments Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:39:35 +0000 noel http://www.noelsusskind.com/blog/?p=617 Concerns brought up by Howard McKew of Engineered Systems magazine in the July 2009 issue. He said “Owners, Please Demand More from your IPD team” (Integrated Project Delivery ) McKew cites the fact that the new IPD approach being promoted by the AIA is possibly a lawyers dream to make money in this economic downturn. But then he gets to the point I would like to emphasize.

“If we aren’t careful, the IPD process will be just another project delivery method where, in this case if things go well, the owner will have paid a premium in incentives to the designer and the builder for doing their jobs. What about the long-term benefits of the building systems meeting their operating budget? What about the facility group who should have been a partner in the process, rather than business as usual when it comes to turning over the job to the building operators?

He then goes on to list items that will make this process completely sustainable

* Establish an operating budget in the initial phase of the job as part of the OPR (owner’s project requirements) for utility costs and O&M costs;
* System training for the building operators early in the IPD process;
* Use of other “smart software” (programs with multiple applications) during the design and construction and continued use of these programs by the owner’s personnel in the years following the project completion;
* The implementation of building system monitoring, measuring, and benchmarking process in the performance phase (formally the warranty phase);
* The seamless integration of automatic controls system design with building system commissioning (HVAC, electric, plumbing, security, etc.);
* The integration of third-party TAB with the designer, similar to the designer and trade contractors working together with BIM.

In my opinion, this list is fairly sufficient!

Revit Family Library Screen

Let’s not pay lip service to sustainable and green building practices anymore. Why not do energy modeling on the design concept from the very beginning! We have the software (Revit, et al) now. Let’s use all of its capabilities!! Lets bring it into play in the early stages.

Owners should demand better results in the major operating costs: lighting and HVAC Energy usage. Achieve major improvements over the code baseline (ASHRAE 90.1, et al).

For so long, architects and builders have only thought about energy at 25% or 35% design. Owners, ask the AEC (architects/enginmeers/construction) team to look at the whole picture. (LEED GOLD? The highest Energy Star rating? )
A long standing design and construction rule is, “The earlier a change is made to design, the less expensive to incorporate it in the final product.” The incremental return on investment will be high, maybe infinite, in fact because the incremental cost of paying the designers to implement this upfront is very low. And the savings fall right to the bottom line!

Building information modeling and energy modeling do more than save initial building costs. In theory, BIM permits the architects engineers, contractors and construction managers to put ALL of the data into the “model” as they go. Read my report on BIM for more information.

We have the tools and the training, all we need is the will to do it.

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