Web sites provide data on savings from OM&R measures
Editor's note: The Energy Services Bulletin features real answers to real questions posed to our staff at the Energy Services Power Line. We hope you find it useful.
Question: Our staff would like to research ways to capture energy savings and efficiency in commercial and industrial buildings through Operations, Maintenance and Repair. There are plenty of sites on how to do OM&R; however, we have been unable to find specific data related to potential savings and longevity for low-/no-cost OM&R measures. Also, we would like to know if there are benchmarks that different industries use to determine if OM&R is worth pursuing. Any information, Web sites or contacts that you could provide would greatly assist us in assessing whether to pursue an OM&R effort.
Answer: As you note, it is not easy to locate hard data on actual savings of specific energy-related OM&R measures. Although we did not find a specialized comprehensive database, we were able to locate several reports, studies and Web sites that deal with this issue.
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District sponsors an Energy & Technology Center that offers business customers technical seminars in various energy technologies. They may have access to specific cost recovery and energy savings data.
The Web site also features a reference library which encourages users to call or e-mail staff members for more information on specific topics.
You may also be interested in the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) newest program, LEED-EB (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design for Existing Buildings). This rating system for sustainable long-term operation of existing buildings applies to operations and system improvements that do not significantly change the interior or exterior of the buildings. For more information, contact Michael Arny, Co-chair, LEED for Existing Buildings Committee, Tel: 608-280-0255.
The Small Commercial HVAC O&M Service Pilot, from the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, may have data relevant to your concerns. The nonprofit alliance supports regional programs to make affordable, energy-efficient products and services available in the marketplace. The pilot effort is assessing market opportunities for enhanced operation and maintenance services for packaged heating and cooling systems in small commercial buildings.
Commissioning and O&M Resources on Portland Energy Conservation, Inc.'s Web site lists documents and organizations related to building commissioning and operation and maintenance. Under their O&M Best Practices Series, "Tuned Up for Success" includes costs, savings, and payback periods for five facilities in a 1999 PECI project.
Try Retrocommissioning's Greatest Hits, under Staff Articles, Papers and Presentations for cost savings in dollars from optimizing existing systems.
More on this topic can be found in Chapter 3, "Benefits and Costs of Commissioning," in A Practical Guide for Commissioning Existing Buildings by Haasl, T.; Sharp, T.
Continuous Commissioning In Energy Conservation Programs, by Charles H. Culp, W. Dan Turner, David E. Claridge, and Jeff S. Haberl, offers a similar approach. The paper discusses the advantages of incorporating continuous commissioning using independent hourly metering, monitoring and analysis for energy conservation.
Under separate cover, we are sending you a copy of Institutional Buildings Program in Washington State. The 1989 study by the Washington State Energy Office (prior to its closure) is an impact evaluation and cost analysis of the Bonneville Power Administration's Institutional Buildings Program in Washington state.
Most of the above resources deal with commercial and light industrial buildings. Energy saving techniques for various heavy industrial sectors can be found in a collection of on-line reports published by the DOE's Office of Industrial Technology. If you cannot find a particular industry included in this site, please call the Power Line at 1-800-769-3756.
