Fan and Pump VFD Subcommittee

Fan and Pump VFD Subcommittee Monday, June 10, 1 – 4pm

Agenda • Fan VFD Protocol • Review key findings from Estimate of Market Potential for Proposed Fan VFD Protocol by Cascade Energy • Discuss market potential findings and help decide path forward for this protocol • Pump VFD Protocol • Review and discuss key findings from Estimate of Market Potential for Proposed Pump VFD Protocol by Cascade Energy • Review Pump VFD Standard Protocol document, and discuss the following questions: • Does the technical approach make sense? • Can this approach be used effectively by practitioners? • Review Pump VFD Research Plan • Review Pump VFD Calculator, and discuss the following question: • Is calculator usable and reflective of protocol?

Fan VFD: Estimate of Market Potential

Fan VFD: Estimate of Market Potential (continued) • Potential limited due to requirement of constant system curve in pre/post case • Similar concern expressed by subcommittee • Industrial potential limited to about 2 projects per year in BPA territory • Not enough to prove out a protocol in a timely fashion • Larger projects would likely warrant a detailed custom analysis • Would not generate more projects beyond status quo

Fan VFD: Estimate of Market Potential (continued) • Commercial sector faces similar challenges • Dynamic system curve in post case • New construction market limited by code • Market potential small for CAV systems • Simplified method does not appear to provide practitioner with a better means of estimating savings reliably. • Engineering judgment likely to be needed

Fan VFD: Deciding on a Path Forward • Possible options: • Develop protocol and calculator to just do pre/post data entry and annualization • Essentially Best Practice approach, but a consistent method for the region to do annualization and length of time • Construct a Program Impact Evaluation for evaluating Fan VFDs in various applications • Separate protocols for other fan applications

Pump VFD: Estimate of Market Potential

Pump VFD: Estimate of Market Potential (continued) • In May 2013, Cascade Energy estimated the potential market for the proposed Pump VFD Standard Protocol • Overall Findings: • In general, the eligibility criteria will allow widespread use of the protocol, particularly in the industrial sector. • The protocol will have a lesser impact on the commercial and agricultural sectors due to eligibility constraints.

Pump VFD: Estimate of Market Potential (continued) • Examples of eligible projects: • Chilled and hot water pumps • Boiler feedwater pumps • Various process and transfer pumps • Many wastewater pumps • Examples of ineligible projects: • Pumps with different flow profiles in the baseline and post periods • E.g., transfer pumps that turn on/off in the baseline period, but operate constantly at low speed in the post period) • Pumps with changing system curves • E.g., pumps with diverse combinations of end-use loads, such as soaking vats at lumber mills

Pump VFD: Estimate of Market Potential (continued) • Question(s) to subcommittee: • Does the subcommittee agree on this characterization of the protocol’s potential market? • Does the current eligibility criteria capture enough pump VFD projects to make this research effort worthwhile?

Pump VFD: Proposed Standard Protocol

Pump VFD: Proposed Standard Protocol (continued) • A brief history: • Standard Savings Estimation Protocol document developed by SBW in 2012 • Protocol has been reviewed and continuously improved by the subcommittee during four separate meetings in 2012 (March 15, June 27, Nov. 16, Nov. 30) • General agreement in the proposed protocol at the Nov. 30th meeting

Pump VFD: Proposed Standard Protocol (continued) • Review of protocol: • “Best Practice” Method (BP) requires: • Pre-/Post-metering of kW or current. • Spot measurements at three speed levels, including full speed if logging current in post period • “Simplest Reliable” Method (SRM) requires: • Pump Operating Conditions • Pump curve • Motor HP, RPM, enclosure type • Pump annual operation schedule • OAT data (if pump schedule based on OAT) • Static head • Operating point • Recirculation (if any) • Post-metering of kW or current.

Pump VFD: Proposed Standard Protocol (continued) • Eligibility requirements: • The primary determinants of pump speed are either facility operations schedule or outside air temperature combined with operations schedule. • The flow profile must be the same for baseline and post periods. • The baseline control strategy must rely on throttling valves, with or without recirculation. The protocol is limited to a single pump. • The system curve remains constant in the post period; all control valves have been removed or are non-operational. This excludes many HVAC pump systems, in which operational valves continue to be part of the system after VFD installation. • Pump motors must be single speed motors. • Pumps must not be subject to a local energy code requirement for variable speed drive. This excludes many new construction HVAC pumps. • The cost of implementing this protocol must not make the project economically unattractive.

Pump VFD: Proposed Standard Protocol (continued) • Current status • Minor edits suggested by Cascade Energy and RTF staff during review (show edits). • Otherwise, ready for this group’s guidance on the questions below. • Question(s) to subcommittee : • Does this group agree on the proposed technical approach? • Do we think this approach can be used effectively by practitioners in the field?

Pump VFD: Proposed Research Plan • Research Plan Objectives • Accompanies standard protocol document and outlines steps required to move measure status from provisional to proven • Summarizes data collection requirements for both best practice and simplest reliable methods

Pump VFD: Proposed Research Plan (continued) • Sample Design • Two methods a sample can be designed to understand how BP and SRM compare: • Track A: • Collect data from representative number of projects. • Estimate from SRM should be with +- 20% of BP in each case • Track B: • Design a sample that will meet 90 % confidence, 10 % precision. • Combined sampling and measurement error should be less than +/- 10 %. • Staff recommends Track B. • Question for the subcommittee - What is a reasonable CV that should be assumed to calculate sample size?

Pump VFD: Proposed Research Plan (continued) • Collaboration Strategy • All programs using this protocol should collect the data specified in the Data Collection Requirements and Provisional Data Requirements sections, and provide this data to the Regional Technical Forum upon request • Analysis Plan • Calculate energy savings using SRM for each project in the sample • Calculate energy savings using BP for each project in the sample • Statistically compare BP and SRM savings results for the sample • If the calculated savings are found to be sufficiently reliable1 for the sample, then the SRM should be adopted for all future projects and measure category should be changed from provisional to proven 1 See RTF Guidelines for definition of sufficient reliability.

Pump VFD: Proposed Calculator Example screenshot from calculator

Pump VFD: Proposed Calculator (continued) • History of calculator development: • Calculator developed by Nexant in 2012 • Cascade Energy selected to perform QC of calculator • First round of QC performed in May 2013 • Second round of QC being performed by Cascade and RTF staff currently • Show calculator features

Pump VFD: Proposed Calculator (continued) • Current status • RTF staff implementing some suggested changes made by Cascade during QC review • Cascade and RTF staff performing second round of QC to have calculator ready by June RTF meeting • Question(s) to subcommittee: • Any feedback on the calculator? • Does this calculator seem like it could be used by a practitioner?

Fan and Pump VFD Subcommittee