Project Summary:

  • 1365,358 square feet of research laboratory space.
  • Expected utility savings per year of $63,124.
  • Reduction of electricity usage of 337,586 kwh
  • Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 343 metric tons CO2

Project Highlights:

  • Motion detectors installed to control lighting and temperature.
  • Converted radiant heat from pneumatic to DDC.
  • The existing pneumatic FCU’s are being replaced in phases with new DDC units. As that work is done, the new motion detectors will be used for occupancy set back control.​
  • Re-commissioned air & hydronic systems
  • Calculated energy reduction (using 2011 utility data as a baseline): electricity 8.2%; chilled water 5.5%; and steam 5.3%

Project Description and Approach:

The project consisted of a lighting systems upgrade, a conversion of radiant heat in common spaces from pneumatic to DDC control & re-commissioning of existing HVAC systems to maximize energy savings and improve overall operation. Project duration was August to December 2012.

The lighting upgrade included identification and replacement of all existing lower efficiency fixtures and a building wide installation of motion detectors for lighting control based on motion detection. The same motion detectors will be used in the future to provide optimization / unoccupied temperature set back control for all fan coils in the building as they are replaced with new DDC units over the next 5 years.

The HVAC infrastructure, including 9 CV and VAV air handling systems, lab exhaust systems, hot water radiation systems and hot & chilled water distribution systems were re-commissioned and optimized. The first step in the process involved a thorough point to point identification and repair of system components. After all required repairs were made, functional testing was performed and trend reports are being generated to review operation over time.

Our third party commissioning agent (CXA) maintained a log of all Action Items identified, and will re-verify subsequent repairs throughout the process. The CXA also performed functional testing and trending of all systems at the end of the project to verify that the new sequences are operating as intended.