Common Energy Mistakes

1. Common Energy Mistakes

2. Rick Kmiecik • Licensed professional mechanical engineer • Licensed professional architectural /building systems engineer • Director of Strategic Energy Initiatives at The University of Nebraska Medical Center • President of “Optimized Systems Engineering”

3. What is missing in our industry today • An organization that has the ability to combine good quality designs with energy efficiency, controls knowledge and a strong focus on equipment and systems that are maintainable and simple • An organization that understands both sides of the building systems perspective. The designers perspective and the owner / operators perspective • I am a believer that building efficiency can be achieved using good quality equipment and simple control strategies.

4. Optimized Systems Engineering • New and existing building commissioning and retro commissioning • Complete optimization of building systems and operations

5. Energy Consumption in the healthcare industry • Healthcare sector ranks close to the top for total energy consumption among commercial buildings. • According to Energy Star healthcare facilities spend an estimated $8.8 billion a year on energy consumption.

6. Possibilities • Assume we as an industry reduce energy consumption by just 10% we will save approximately $880 million a year in energy consumption. • Every $1 a non-profit healthcare organization saves on energy is equivalent to generating $20 in new revenues for hospitals and $10 for medical offices. • Think of the billions of dollars of equivalent revenue generating you as an industry can do by saving just 10% in energy consumption

7. Challenge Reduce your facilities energy consumption by 25% over the next 5 years.

8. Top Energy

9. Not knowing your facilities energy consumption • All facilities should be metered in some fashion • You cannot fix what you cannot see • Plenty of easy, quick and simple rating systems to serve as a barometer to see where a facilities energy strengths and weaknesses are.

10. Not understanding and taking advantage of your utility rate structure • Never use “averaged” electric rates when calculating savings • Understand your peak demand and what it means • Peak demand can account for 15%-50% of your total electric bill • Manage your peak demand just as much as you manage your consumption

11. Not taking advantage of your local utility provider’s rebate and incentive programs • OPPD – Innovative Energy Efficiency Project (IEEP) Incentive Program. • NPPD – Energy Wise Programs.

12. UNMC Annual Electric Usage (kwh’s) UNMC 20% Reduction

13. Energy Efficiencies

14. Not Educating your staff • Most energy mistakes are not done intentionally but instead are done due to the lack of education • Most individuals when given a choice want to do the correct and efficient thing and it is up us to make sure they know what the correct thing is • When implementing energy improvement projects staff “buy-in” is essential to the success of the project.

15. Not willing to spend money in order to save money • In every facility there is some low hanging fruit some “quick wins”, do NOT focus solely on these. • Use “quick win” money as an opportunity to tackle the real challenges of reducing energy dependency. • Combine “quick win” projects with longer return projects.

16. Mistaking Technology as the Solution • Use technology to compliment your system • The more complex a building becomes the more of a chance the owner is taking that the facility over time will become less efficient and less effective. • Avoid “black box” technologies. If you don’t understand it and cannot maintain it, do you really want to depend on it?

17. Lack of preventive maintenance • “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” • Are your coils clean? • Are strainers being cleaned? • Are belts tight? • Is everything aligned and balanced? • Are your steam traps regularly tested and maintained?

18. Lack of Dynamic Resets on Controls • The old days of picking a set point based on worst case system settings determined at the time of balancing need to end. • With today’s technologies we have the ability to see information and how systems are actually operating and performing and adjust accordingly.

19. Low Delta T Syndrome • Do you know what your chilled water delta T is for your facility? • Is it consistent year round? • Buildings need to operate at the maximum delta T that the equipment will allow. • Maximum delta T will increase chiller efficiency, reduce fan and pump horsepower consumed and increase equipment life.

20. Lack of Proper System Controls • You cannot be efficient or effective if you cannot properly control your system. • Need to be able to see the entire system to see how it reacts to different conditions. • Need to see and react to Occupied and Unoccupied settings

22. #10 Lack of proper System Controls #9 Low Delta T Syndrome #8 Lack of Dynamic Resets on System Controls #7 Lack of Proper Preventive Maintenance #6 Mistaking Technology as the Solution #5 Not Willing to Spend Money in order to save Money

23. #4 Not Educating your Staff #3 Not Taking Advantage of Utility Rebate and Incentive Programs #2 Not Understanding and Taking Advantage of Your Rate Structure #1 Not Knowing Where Your Facility is From an Energy Perspective

24. OSE Recommended Energy Savings Process • Perform an Energy Study / Audit of the Facility • Review the Study with the Facilities Staff • Develop a Facility Energy Master Plan • Go Through the Entire Facilities Equipment • Develop System Deficiencies List • “Clean-up” System programming and deficiencies • “Optimize” Existing Equipment and Controls • Finalize Standards, Graphics • Project Closeout – EDUCATE the Staff

25. 25% Energy Savings in Next 5 Years

26. Questions? Rick Kmiecik rkmiecik@optimized-engineering.com Optimized-Engineering.com