Show Your Building Some Love with an Energy Audit

Although Valentine’s Day is over, it’s not too late to show your building some love and affection. Has it become unresponsive, non-communicative or giving you the cold shoulder? It may need some special attention and TLC to get its “motor running” again.

Like any relationship, the best way to fix a problem for the long-term is to find out what caused it. In this case, the best place to start is with a professional energy audit, which is a comprehensive review of energy costs and a building inspection to find out where things may have gone wrong. Once the problems are identified, solutions can be recommended to increase energy efficiency and restore the relationship.

How-to Conduct a Professional Energy Audit:

1.    Review utility bills for the past one or two years.

2.    Interview facilities personnel to identify how systems are being operated, regular maintenance performed and equipment repairs made.

3.    Inspect the building for any drafts, insulation problems, loose fittings or leaking pipes.

4.    Assess the building’s envelope, HVAC equipment, hot water systems, plug loads, lighting, process loads, and energy management system (if applicable).

5.    Perform an energy-consumption analysis to quantify base loads, seasonal variations, and effective energy costs. The analysis should include an evaluation of lighting, air quality, temperature, ventilation, humidity, and other conditions with the goal of providing a similar or better performance while using less energy and without sacrificing on comfort.

6.    Provide a detailed report to the owners and management team on the recommended priorities and the cost-benefit analysis associated with them.

7.    For energy retrofits that require a large capital investment, a whole building computer simulation may be needed to collect data while monitoring lighting, pumps, motors, etc. The data is then used to accurately model the actual brick and mortar building and how it would respond in varying environments. By varying the input, the system is able to test the performance of the recommendations before they are actually implemented.

Source: ASHRAE

For example, EntegralSolutions conducted an energy audit at Mercedes Independent School District and found several energy saving opportunities including lighting upgrades to classrooms and gyms, HVAC equipment replacement, ventilation optimization, and building automation system commissioning. Once implemented, MISD is now saving approximately $760,000 per year in energy costs. Now, that is what we call true love!

Maintaining a building is like any other relationship; it requires an ongoing commitment and dedication to “keep the fire burning.” If you show building some love, it will reciprocate with lower energy costs and increased comfort for tenants. 

New Year’s Resolutions to Reduce Energy Consumption

A new year brings new beginnings through commitments and promises to do things better or different. Although weight loss and working out are the top resolutions people make, we think these can also be applied to operating your business…perhaps you need to “trim down” your building’s energy use or “get it in shape” with new equipment. Here are a few New Year’s resolutions to make your business more environmentally friendly in 2014:

Energy Inspection
Why not buy your business a professional energy audit this year? Finding any drafts, insulation problems, loose fittings or leaking pipes can keep your energy usage low, along with your heating bill.

Upgrade Equipment

Although this may sound costly, installing energy efficient lighting will lower your energy bills and replacing a leaking water heater will save money in the long run by reduced maintenance costs.

Consider Your Energy Options
Considering your energy options will vary in complexity. Begin by looking at your energy provider and compare to others in the area; this may save you money. Also, if you have an electric water heater, consider switching to gas. Replacing an inefficient water heater with an efficient one can save a large amount of energy and money. Or consider a brand new type of energy, such as solar panels or a wind turbine.

Recycling Initiative
If your business does not already recycle paper, plastic, aluminum and electronic products, this is a no-brainer. Research local recycling centers and get your staff involved and enthusiastic about becoming a more energy efficient business.

Change Habits
If you are trying to improve the efficiency of your office, why not have a brainstorming session with your team and make a list of everything that uses energy and try to minimize its use. For example, shutting down computers every night instead of leaving on standby or hibernate can make a huge difference, particularly in a large office. Or, stop using disposable cups for water and coffee and instead, use a re-useable alternative.

It’s easy to come up with a New Year’s resolution, but the hard part is keeping the momentum going. The reward will be at the end of the year when you determine how much money you’ve saved in energy costs and maintenance repairs. You’ll be ready to tackle more energy efficient resolutions in 2015!

 

Don’t Get Left Out in the Cold: Winterize your Building

Much of Texas got its first glimpse of old man winter during the past few days, which may have taken maintenance personnel and operations staff by surprise. Freezing temperatures, sleet and snow flurries are rarely seen before Thanksgiving in Texas, but just like a house and car need extra attention to withstand the cold weather, so does a commercial building. Your occupants will thank you  ̶  after all, it’s difficult to type or write wearing gloves and teeth chattering!

It should come as no surprise the biggest energy users in commercial buildings are HVAC equipment and lighting, which account for approximately 70%. While this is true year-round, one of the biggest concerns during winter is frozen water pipes, which can burst and cause tremendous damage, not to mention a large expense to repair. Facility managers must be prepared in order to keep tenants warm and toasty, but still be energy efficient and avoid equipment failure.

How-to winterize your commercial building checklist:

1.   Have the heating plant/boilers inspected and cleaned, including furnace filters, oil bearings on pumps and motors, blower belt and making sure blower doors are replaced properly.

2.   Empty the condensation pan on all HVAC units to remove any excess water.

3.   Insulate exposed pipes and irrigation system lines.

4.   Inspect roof for any leaks.

5.   Check all exterior walls for leaks, stains, or cracks in brick and missing mortar. Seal these areas to keep warm, conditioned air inside and cold air out.

6.   Caulk around pipes where they enter the building to prevent warm air escaping.

7.   Clean gutters and downspouts to insure proper drainage and less ice build-up.

8.   Check mixed air and outside air temperature sensors, damper and actuator function to be sure your system is ready to capitalize on free cooling opportunities.

9.  Set thermostat at 68 degrees to keep tenants comfortable and minimize heating costs.

Although Texas winters are typically mild, facility managers must be ready for a winter blast…as the saying goes, “If you don’t like the weather in Texas, wait a minute and it will change!” Take care of your building and you won’t get left out in the cold!

How Smart is Your Building?

A "smart building" has become a common term in the energy efficiency and conservation industry. But, what exactly makes one building smarter than another? Is a new building smarter than an old building? Can an average building become smarter?

The Smart Buildings Institute, a non-profit organization in Austin that has developed a smart building certification process, provides a four-part definition of a smart building:

1. Provides actionable information regarding the performance of building systems and facilities.
2. Proactively monitors and detects errors or deficiencies in building systems.
3. Integrates systems to an enterprise business level for real-time reporting and management utilization of operations, energy and occupant comfort.
4. Incorporates the tools, technologies, resources and practices to contribute to energy conservation and environmental sustainability.

It seems that it takes a lot for a building to have smarts, the most important being automation  ̶  meaning a system(s) in place that makes things run smoothly. However, there is not one characteristic or component that makes a building smart, but rather it is a combination of technologies and skilled human management. While there are many measurements, we believe the best indicators of a building's performance are tenant comfort and the bottom line.

Give Your Building an I.Q. Test

To determine your building's intelligence, evaluate its performance in the following categories:

• Physical infrastructure
• Communication/data infrastructure
• Network and security
• System integration
• Energy management system
• HVAC
• Electrical
• Lighting controls
• Access control
• Audio and visual system
• Video surveillance
• Water usage monitoring
• Fire alarm
• Metering
• Wireless systems

Common myths about smart buildings are that they are more expensive, too complicated to operate, and can only be new buildings  ̶  all of which are false. Like smart people, smart buildings are innovative, productive, efficient and adept at avoiding failure. This translates into reduced costs, improved operations and greater tenant productivity. What grade does your building deserve?