A new building is constructed, and the building HVAC systems are tuned and commissioned. Equipment schedules and temperature settings are adjusted to satisfy the specific needs of the employees, tenants, and customers. Everyone is happy…
Several years later, problems develop. Employees are too hot or too cold. Utility bills are on the rise. Equipment starts to break down. Facility Managers are on the phone with unhappy tenants and Building Engineers can’t sleep at night. What is going on!
The building operations have changed. Operational costs will naturally escalate throughout a building’s lifecycle. This could be due to poor equipment maintenance. HVAC settings may have been adjusted. Building Management System (BMS) points have been overridden. Some equipment may be reaching end-of-life status. Over time, buildings can also change from their original design and function. HVAC equipment and systems are added, modified or removed, walls are taken down, rooms are partitioned and occupant schedules can change. The requirements of the building operations will fluctuate over time and the performance of equipment drifts away from the design intent.
Some solutions to these problems are obvious. “My pump has failed” or “My boiler has reached its end-of-life and needs to be replaced with a more efficient model” or “switching my lighting off at night will reduce my utility bills”. Other solutions are not so obvious and will need a detective to perform an investigation. An Energy Detective.
The Energy Engineers at Burton Energy Group have a special set of skills to investigate building operational problems and find the best solutions. Our solutions usually increase comfort levels and reduce utility bills at the same time. We analyze utility bills and other data gathered by the BMS. During a building onsite visit, we uncover problems that are hidden and have gone unnoticed. We discover deviations that have taken place from normal equipment operations. Examples can include broken damper linkages, failed sensors, poor air distribution, non-functioning steam traps, discrepancies in valve and damper positioning, ineffective sequence of operations, and excess outside air usage. Like your vehicle, building systems do not improve with age, but decline in performance and require periodic performance “tune-ups”.
Our energy investigations can take on many forms. We recommend different types of investigations depending on the type of building and the goals of the investigation. A simple energy audit will uncover a high-level action plan to address problems. We may suggest taking advantage of a rebate program from the local utility or identifying capital improvement projects. We may recommend a deeper dive and perform a Retro-commissioning (RCx) project that will identify operational issues with your BMS and other mechanical deficiencies. These projects typically deliver savings of 10% to 20% with an average simple payback of slightly over one year. A sustainability study would address sustainability goals and ways to reduce your carbon footprint, consider renewable energy, or set up an Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) compliance reporting plan.
Contact Burton Energy Group if you have a building puzzle to solve. Our Energy Detectives will search for clues, collect the evidence, prepare a strong case for your defense and help you reach a winning verdict for what is causing your building problems.
