Tune Up Your Building Through Retro-Commissioning

Imagine a car that was designed and built, but never road tested before being put into production. The malfunctions would be plenty, and recalls would be inevitable. Customer complaints would skyrocket, and whatever car company engaged in such a lousy business plan would soon go bankrupt. Sounds crazy right? In reality, that absurd scenario would never play out, yet that is exactly what happens every time a building is built, but not properly commissioned – a building’s equivalent of road testing and fine tuning

Even buildings that were properly commissioned need an occasional tune-up to be sure all the parts are working correctly and to prevent expensive repairs. But what do you do with a building that was never properly "road tested" or commissioned at all?  A simple tune up won’t work, and unlike a car, we can’t send it back under protection of the “lemon laws!"

The answer is what is commonly referred to as “retro-commissioning”, which is a process that addresses problems that have developed throughout the building’s life, or problems that were there from the very beginning. Many issues uncovered by the retro-commissioning process are a result of the design itself, not just the way systems were installed.  Whatever the culprit, even the smallest problems have big impact on performance. The ultimate result is uncomfortable buildings, unhappy tenants, and substantial energy and maintenance costs.

Get Your Building Running at Peak Performance
Through a simple, multi-step process, retro-commissioning provides for systematically evaluating all aspects of a building and its energy-using systems. Problems can range from simple to complicated, so it is important the team performing the retro-commissioning understands how the systems are supposed to work.

According to “A Practical Guide for Commissioning Existing Buildings,” by Haasl and Terry Sharp of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, some basic items often targeted for retro-commissioning include:

• Adjustable speed drives that may not be operating appropriately.
• Time clocks that may have been circumvented or set up improperly.
• Energy management systems that were not installed or programmed or that may have degraded.
• Equipment running more than necessary or inefficiently.
• Controls that are out of calibration or are improperly sequencing.

Entegral Solutions recently completed a $9.5 million energy efficiency project at Mercedes ISD, in which we upgraded equipment and lighting, added control systems, and other conservation measures. There were many instances, however, where equipment was relatively new and in good condition, yet comfort was lacking and energy use was high. In those cases, we used retro-commissioning to bring the systems into optimal performance, both for comfort and efficiency. The general idea is to understand how the system was designed and intended to operate, and then fix the issues preventing it from operating as intended. Sometimes, we find that the design intent is the problem, and we make adjustments or modifications to the design that will produce more optimal performance. In the end, the retro-commissioning effort alone accounted for $75,000 in annual utility cost reductions, all while making the buildings much more comfortable for students and teachers.  

Energy and Non-Energy Benefits of Retro-Commissioning

For existing commercial buildings, retro-commissioning is one of the most cost-effective means of improving energy efficiency. There are several energy and non-energy benefits resulting from retro-commissioning which include:

• Cost savings
• Energy savings
• Improved equipment performance
• Better occupant comfort and indoor air quality
• Increased O&M staff capabilities and expertise
• Increased asset value

If this wasn't enough of a case for retro-commissioning, it is reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration that if all existing U.S. commercial buildings were retro-commissioned and all new buildings were commissioned, their collective energy bill would be reduced by $18 billion a year! Although cars are mass produced, buildings are one-of-a-kind, which makes it even more important to "kick the tires" before signing on the dotted line. Don't get stuck with a lemon!

Texas Legislature Passes Bill, Not Buck, for Commercial Energy Conservation Projects

Commercial and industrial building owners in Texas who want to conserve energy (and save money) got a thumbs-up from the Texas legislature last month when both Houses unanimously passed a bill that will allow them to obtain low-cost, long-term private sector financing for water conservation and energy-efficiency improvements. Governor Perry signed the bill (S.B. 385) into law June 14.

The program, known nationally as Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) and spearheaded statewide by Keeping PACE in Texas, allows commercial and industrial  owners to access tax exempt, low interest financing for efficiency projects – something that has traditionally only been available to public schools, universities, and state and local governments. It may not seem like such a big deal, but the implications are huge.

Unlike public bodies such as schools and municipalities, commercial and industrial businesses exist to make a profit.  As such, they have typically been the early adopters of technologies that save money, because a penny saved is a penny earned. Yet when we look beyond the technologies that have a quick “payback," like certain types of lighting and digital HVAC control, we find that medium and long payback items don’t get done. Why? Because the returns generated by those capital intensive investments aren’t commensurate with the companies’ typical growth investments. In other words, if a company can make more money with their capital doing other things, they will.

Now, with PACE opening up and commercial and industrial business getting access to low interest financing, traditional investment hurdles go away. Major projects like combined heat and power (CHP) plants or replacement of central chilled and hot water systems don’t have to be evaluated by their return on investment (ROI), because no capital dollars are used. As long as the savings generated every year will cover the financing payment, these projects become neutral cash flow propositions.

This type of scenario has been in play for decades in the public sector, with much success, and we applaud the Texas Legislature for making this available to the private sector. The PACE statute will not only will boost the Texas economy, but it will reduce demand on the state's energy and water resources. As a member of Keeping PACE in Texas and one of the fastest growing energy efficiency and conservation design build contractor in Texas, we are once again proud to call the Lone Star State home.