Energy Optimization Strategies – Going Beyond the LED
Organizations today are becoming increasingly more aware of their carbon footprint and environmental impact stimulating the introduction of new corporate initiatives focused on achieving energy efficiency, sustainability and resiliency goals. These initiatives have spurred renewed interest and focus on behind-the-meter energy optimization strategies.
These onsite optimization strategies typically involve the renewal of infrastructure and targeted system retrofits designed to increase overall energy efficiency and operating performance through a holistic, system-based building analysis and approach. This approach allows organizations to optimize energy consumption and manage costs, while in turn embarking on a path to achieve sustainability goals.
The benefits of deep energy retrofits
Energy optimization strategies are implemented for a variety of reasons:
- to apply an integrated, life cycle approach to address the proactive renewal of all building systems.
- to meet internal sustainability and decarbonization targets.
- to comply with new mandates, regulations or codes.
- to mitigate the underlying losses, both economic and operational, associated with equipment failure and downtime; and
- to introduce cost-saving efforts to your overall building maintenance and operations spend.
Deep energy retrofits, while requiring extensive and coordinated planning, can provide greater than 50 percent energy savings, according to a study by the Rocky Mountain Institute.1 Additionally, they can put your facility on the path to net-zero path.
Deep energy retrofits, while requiring extensive and coordinated planning, can provide greater than 50 percent energy savings.
Some of the upgrades that comprise a deep energy retrofit may include:
- Installation of the right-sized high efficiency heating and cooling systems
- Implementation of enhanced building automation systems and technologies, known as smart building technologies, as well as advanced monitoring and metering to align the overall systems with building occupancy (e.g., dynamic scheduling, load sensing, occupancy sensors for lighting and HVAC)
- Evolving past the traditional lighting retrofit exploring the installation of intelligent lighting systems and incorporating day-light harvesting and advanced control strategies
- Building envelope upgrades such as roof insulation/radiant barrier/cool roof and wall insulation
Where to start
Appropriate timing with other capital expenditures, system replacements, or moving to a new building or occupancy type can help offset the cost into existing expense plans. Retrofits costs can also be integrated into existing energy agreements.
1. Determine if your facility should pursue deep energy retrofits
As the term retrofit denotes, Deep Energy Retrofits are focused on existing buildings. Not all facilities are the best candidates for a deep energy retrofit.
The best fit for a deep energy retrofit includes:
- Facilities facing escalating deferred maintenance challenges and system-related resiliency challenges that have budgeted upgrades or replacements,
- Facilities with high Energy Use Intensity (EUI) or higher-than-average energy costs, and
- Buildings faced with any governmental mandates are the best fit for a deep energy retrofit.
2. Identify your business’ needs and goals
If you are looking to implement a deep energy retrofit strategy for your facility, you will need to look at the entire scope of the situation. For example, deep energy retrofits should begin with the creation of a defined set of needs and goals to help you realize your intended design before researching any solutions. Additionally, understand the building as it currently exists, as well as the scope of the renovations that are critical before moving to product selection.
3. Consider the use of technologies to find areas of opportunity
Many facilities looking to implement significant “Deep Energy Retrofits” and that are committed to the holistic process should begin by first understanding their energy consumption profile and associated Energy Use Intensity (EUI), as well as where and when is energy being consumed and by what end-use systems. This is where data analytics, system modeling and technology meet. This holistic analysis will lead toward researching and selecting the technology, systems and analytics that would reduce energy consumption.
Finally, to ensure the execution and performance of a Deep Energy Retrofit, initiatives could leverage the allocation of internal capital in combination with traditional debt or one of many structured funding mechanisms like managed energy services agreements, as well as rebates, grants, financial incentives and various energy programs available to public and private entities, including the Energy Saving Performance Contract (ESPC) or Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE).
Given the breadth and complexities of a Deep Energy Retrofit, facility managers may want to look to a strategic partner like Constellation to assist in the deployment of a performance based, integrated delivery approach.
Constellation can connect you to the products, strategic relationships, and technology that can help you develop and execute your deep energy retrofit and meet your budgetary and sustainability goals. We provide the expertise and resources for a customized strategy unique to your business.
Learn more by getting in touch with us by visiting our website.
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