A review of our net zero operations at NREL

1. Phoenix Convention Center • Phoenix, Arizona
Session 3:
Building Management and Operations for Performance and Efficiency
Track 3: Energy Technologies
Shanti Pless, Senior Energy Efficiency Research Engineer
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
August 11, 2015

2. Lets Review
• I have a new net zero energy building that
meets the Executive Orders – now what?
– Year 3 in our own net zero operations efforts in
the Research Support Facility at NREL
– Real Performance for Real Buildings

3. Our Net Zero Effort

4. NREL/DOE Research Support Facility
Location: Golden, CO
Primary Use: Office
Size: 360,000 ft2
Occupants: Approximately 1,325
LEED Rating: Platinum
Construction Cost: $254/ft2
Energy Budget: 35 kBtu/ft2/yr
Site Net Zero Energy Goal:
Offices, datacenter, and parking with
on-site PV and campus wood chip
boiler
End use metering as required in RFP

5. Zero Energy Building Operations Realities (data)

6. First year at Net Zero!

7. http://www.nrel.gov/news/features/feature_detail.cfm/feature_id=11369

8. Zero Energy Building Operations Realities (data)

9. Zero Energy Building Operations Realities (data)

10. Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade
Occupant Impact
Images: Dennis Schroeder, NREL
Occupants influence about 30%
of total energy consumption

11. Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade
RSF Performance Targets
Pie Chart: Chad Lobato, NREL; Graphic: Marjorie Schott, NREL, and
Stockphoto

14. Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade

15. Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade
Building Agent
Graphics: Nicholas Long, NREL

16. 6 watt task light
50 fc
Ambient daylight
Ambient lighting with
daylight sensors for 25 fc

19. MANAGER TRAINING NEWSLETTER
MOVE MEETINGS
STAFF OPEN HOUSE
RSF EMAIL BOX
WEB PAGE

22. You have switches – use them
If you open a window – close it
If you are stuffy – open your window
If you have a glare issue – pull your shade
Turn on your power strip in the morning

23. Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade
Effective Visualization?
What does
this tell us?

24. Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade
Building Agent Dashboard
Graphic Design: Marjorie Schott, NREL
What about
this?

25. Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade
On Track Today – mostly..
(08:15 am MST 8/11/15)

26. Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade
Creating Expectations
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Upper Expectation
Measured
Performance
Lower Expectation
Expectations combine
statistical and physical
energy models

27. Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade
Modeling Consumption
Vertical Irradiance (W/m2)
LPD(W/m2)
Statistical Models
Lighting
Physical Models
PV Generation
Combined Models
Plug Loads
Henze, G.P.; Pless, S.; Petersen, A.; Long, N.; Scambos, T. (2015).
“Control limits for building energy end use based on frequency analysis
and quantile regression." Energy Efficiency, published online. DOI:
10.1007/s12053-015-9342-6

28. Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade
Fault Detection Example:
Daylighting
Lighting higher
than expected
Lighting out of range
despite full daylighting
potential
Root Cause: Daylighting controls overridden
during repair of ballast and fixtures; controls
weren’t reset
6-Nov-20136-Nov-2013

29. Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade
Fault Detection Example:
Lighting Controls
Lighting load is too high
in evening hours (6–10
PM)
Response: Reduce auto-off delays; staff
outreach; lessons learned for future lighting
system design
Multiple Causes: Cleaning staff, individuals
working late
1-Jan-2014 5-Apr-2014

30. Is it OFF?
Credit: Jennifer Scheib/NREL

31. Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade
Fault Detection Example: Air
Handler
Solution: Installation of new
evaporative cooling unit to meet
local demand, enabling the AHU to
turn off at night
Problem: Large AHU on all night:
manually overridden to provide air
and cooling to a few night shift
security employees
16-Aug-2013
7-Oct-2013

32. Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade
Fault Detection Example: PV
Inverter Offline
PV output too low.
Why?
Time series suggests inverter
outage; offline inverter confirmed
via vendor web portal and repair
dispatched
20-Mar-2015 20-Mar-2015

33. Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade33
Production Tracking

34. Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade
• Have run 1.15 - 1.35 PUE
• Fully containing hot aisle difficult
• Custom aisle floor and door seals
• Ensure equipment designed for hot
aisle containment
• 100 kW datacenter load in 2010
• 141 kW January 2015
• Decommissioned older servers
• Ensured highest efficiency possible
power supplies
• Continued consolidation
• 123 kW June 2015
Can a Datacenter Use Less Energy Over Time?
NREL/PIX17897
Credit:MarjorieSchott/NREL

35. Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade
• Fix PV faults as soon as they are found
– 12% improvements possible
• Continued datacenter metric tracking
– 1.15 PUE and total 120 kW goals
• Lighting controls commissioning
– Occupancy sensors, daylighting set points
• Wood chip boiler controls improvements
– Over 50% natural gas savings planned
• Additional PV planned
• More thin clients
All while trying to fit in another 100 occupants…
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Plan to return to net positive

36. High Performance Building Operators
Owners/Operators
Jim Dewey, City of Santa Barbara
John Elliott, UC Merced
Matt Ellis, Army
Jake Gedvilas, NREL
Rodney Martin, NASA
Scott Poll, NASA
Len Pettis, California State University
Kevin Rodgers, University of Chicago
Jason Sielcken, GSA
Darrell Smith, Microsoft
Scott Williams, Target
Designers and Energy Consultants
Porus Antia, Stantec
Matt Ganser, Carbon Lighthouse
Rob Peña, University of Washington and the
Integrated Design Laboratory
Zack Rogers, Daylighting Innovations
Phil Saieg, McKinstry

37. Resources
• General HPB operations process
linked by project phase
• Present a storyline for all HPB
operations key actions (above and
beyond current practice)
• Unique sections for topics that
create a base recipe that can be
used by all HPB owners and building
types
• Examples of unique lessons given to
generate motivation and confidence
to take action
• Setting and requiring energy targets
• Procuring an EIS
• Procuring MELs
• Datacenters
• Occupancy and occupant feedback
• Closing the loop with action plans
https://buildingdata.energy.gov/cbrd/resource/1913

38. Preparing for HPB Operations

39. Thanks and Questions
• Shanti Pless
• Shanti.pless@nrel.gov
• www.nrel.gov/rsf
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