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- 2. San Diego Retrocommissioning Program Erin L.Kelley April 28, 2009
- 3. Portland Energy Conservation,Inc. at a Glance 3
- 4. Portland Energy Conservation,Inc. (PECI) 4 Commissioning and Retrocommissioning research & engineering Tools & resource development Energy efficiency policy & standard development Program design, implementation & marketing PECI offers services in the following areas: To learn more, visit: www.peci.org PECI Retrocommissioning Programs:
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- 6. 6 Retrocommissioning (RCx): Whatis it? • A systematic process for improving building performance by identifying and implementing low- cost operational and maintenance improvements • Process focuses on the operation of mechanical equipment, lighting, and related controls and is intended to optimize how equipment operates and functions as an integrated system • Excludes retrofit items such as installing high efficiency lamps, chiller replacements, and air conditioning subsystem replacements
- 7. 77 Typical Problems Identified •Simultaneous heating and cooling • Lighting and HVAC running when not required • Opening throttled discharge valves • Controls needing to be retuned • Critical control sensors out of calibration • Energy management systems that are not taking full advantage of their capabilities • Economizers not operating properly
- 8. 88 What Can BeExpected from RCx? • Energy cost savings (5-20%) with little capital expense • High potential for project simple payback of <2 years • Increased equipment reliability • Increased occupant comfort • Involvement of building operators to increase understanding of systems • Complete documentation of the RCx measures implemented through the Program
- 9. 99 What Makes aGood Building Candidate? • Greater than 100,000 square feet of conditioned space • High energy use intensity (EUI) • Mechanical equipment in relatively good condition • A Direct Digital Control (DDC) system in place • Committed ownership, management, and building operators • Buildings with central plants preferred, though RTU and heat pump buildings have qualified • Hotels, office buildings, hospitals, data centers, retail . . .
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- 11. 1111 Program Background • Fundedby San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) • Launched as a pilot program in 2004 for large commercial buildings – Four buildings totaling 2.7M ft2 enrolled, achieving savings of: • 9.9M kWh • 266,000 therms • Peak demand reduction of 1,445 kW • Based on this success, SDG&E scaled the program up to 10M ft2 , aiming to save 8.5% of electric usage in the 2006- 2008 program cycle
- 12. 1212 What Does theSan Diego RCx Program Offer? • Free building screening to determine eligibility for the Program • Customized investigation of building operations – Custom incentive estimated at $0.10 per ft2 up to $100,000 (paid directly to retrocommissioning provider) • Implementation assistance for energy saving improvements – Custom incentive estimated at $0.05 per ft2 , applies to measures with a simple payback of longer than one year (paid directly to owner) • Free documentation and training on improvements – Custom incentive ranges from $3,000-7,500 (paid directly to retrocommissioning provider) • Free pre- and post-project ENERGY STAR® Benchmark • Tailored Performance Tracking Plan for RCx measures to ensure persistence
- 13. 1313 What are theCustomer’s Responsibilities? • Sign the Owner Program Agreement (OPA) – Commit to implementing measures with a one year or less payback • A cap is set at project start for the maximum financial responsibility for implementing measures that pay back in one year or less (8.5% of current energy bills) – If measures are not implemented as agreed, the owner must reimburse the Program for the investigation costs • Have funding available to implement measures within 12 months of project start • Commit at least 40 hours of senior building operations staff time to support the project • Hire and oversee contractors to provide implementation of selected measures
- 14. 1414 What is theProgram Process? • The Program operates in distinct phases: – Application – Screening – Agreement Development – Investigation – Implementation – Follow-Up – Performance Tracking (Optional) • RCx projects typically take 9-18 months to complete
- 15. 1515 Who Provides theServices? • The Program has a pool of pre-qualified and trained retrocommissioning providers (RCx Providers) – 56 firms, 142 individuals – Selected based on their previous retrocommissioning experience and expertise in identifying O&M-type energy savings opportunities • RCx Providers conduct the in-depth investigation, work with building staff to select cost-effective measures for implementation, and provide project documentation and training • For implementation, the owner may utilize in-house building staff, hire the RCx Provider to implement or provide technical assistance, contract with outside service contractors, or any combination of the above
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- 17. 1717 RCx Roadblocks 1. Lackof market awareness of RCx benefits and scope 2. Inconsistent approaches to RCx created uneven results in the past 3. RCx entails operational changes requiring buy-in from various levels of an organization 4. Cost of investigation typically a big hurdle 5. RCx is a long-term (9-18 month) endeavor 6. RCx measures can be easily undone SDG&E recognized these barriers could be lessened through an innovative RCx program
- 18. 1818 Program Solutions 1. Lackof market awareness of RCx benefits and scope 2. Inconsistent approaches to RCx created uneven results in the past Deploy Field Energy Analyst (FEA) to local industry players to build market awareness and educate prospective customers, providers, and contractors Pre-qualify pool of RCx providers Develop streamlined process and toolkit Provide third-party engineering reviews of technical deliverables SolutionRoadblock
- 19. 1919 Program Solutions 3. RCxentails operational changes requiring buy-in from various levels of an organization 4. Cost of investigation typically a big hurdle Engage all players in process from start to finish Design toolkit and deliverables that speak to all levels of the organization Facilitate meetings with decision makers throughout the project Investigation fully covered by program incentives Owner obligated to implement measures with <1 year payback SolutionRoadblock
- 20. 2020 Program Solutions 5. RCxis a long-term (9-18 month) endeavor 6. RCx measures can easily be undone Obtain owner commitment up front Provide incentives to keep owner engaged Define clear roles & responsibilities, processes, deliverables and schedules to coordinate the players Deploy FEA to manage project from start to finish Deliver focused training and measure documentation to building operators during handoff Provide an ongoing performance tracking option and incentives SolutionRoadblock
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- 22. 2222 Results The SanDiego RCx Program bases its success on goals of electric energy savings, demand savings, and gas savings Average building kWh savings (9%) have exceeded expectations The ‘06-08 Program gained significant momentum through the cycle, leaving a strong pipeline for 2009 Goal Estimated Results % of Goal Electric Savings (kWh) 17.4 M 13.8 M 80% Demand Savings (kW) 2,698 1,503 56% Gas Savings (therms) 244,707 72,207 30% Goal Result % of Goal Electric Savings (kWh) 6.2 M 9.9 M 160% Demand Savings (kW) 780 1,445 185% Gas Savings (therms) NA 266,000 NA 2004-2005 Pilot Program 2006-2009 Program
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- 24. 24 Case Study Marriott Downtown& Marina 1,400,000 ft2 with 1,362 guest rooms Facility includes parking garage, marina, meeting spaces, and restaurants Quantified Costs and Savings To-Date 1,470,000 kWh - Annual kWh Savings 88,000 therms - Annual Therm Savings Project Cost, Incentives, and $ Savings: $391,716 - Total Project Cost $196,412 - Total Program Incentive $195,304 - Net Owner Cost $272,500 - Total Cost Savings Simple Payback: < 1 year Energy savings reflect anticipated project savings based on implemented measures. Actual energy savings may vary with each project.
- 25. 25 Case Study (cont.) Reducesimultaneous heating and cooling (Fix valves, replace failed fan VFD, lower VAV box flow rates) Re-enable demand-controlled ventilation on parking garage Optimize flow and scheduling of water feature pumps Install VFD on condenser pump Install VFDs on domestic water booster pumps Install VFD on evaporator pump Recommended Measures for Retrocommissioning and Associated Cost Savings Energy savings reflect anticipated project savings based on implemented measures. Actual energy savings may vary with each project.
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- 27. 2727 Want to LearnMore about the Program? The San Diego Retrocommissioning Program Erin Kelley, Program Manager Portland Energy Conservation, Inc. (PECI) tel: 503.961.6169 email: ekelley@peci.org www.peci.org/LgCommercial/incentive_programs/sandiegorcx2.html www.sandiegorcx.com
Editor's Notes
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- #3 Good morning! My name is Erin Kelley and I’m a program manager with Portland Energy Conservation Incorporated. I’m here to talk to you today about the award-winning San Diego Retrocommissioning Program. In the next 20 minutes, I will - Introduce Portland Energy Conservation, Inc, the firm that administers this program - Discuss the basics of retrocommissioning (RCx) and then The San Diego RCx Program Giving you some Background as to how the program came about, What we’ve done with it that makes it worthy of recognition, And will conclude with a case study
- #4 Portland Energy Conservation, Incorporated is PECI.
- #5 PECI has nearly 30 years experience in the energy conservation industry. We are a not-for-profit organization based in Portland, Oregon. PECI has played a major role in developing the Cx industry, writing research papers, running projects and implementing programs. We also run the NCBC, which in 2009 is in its 17th year. To learn more about commissioning, please come to NCBC in Seattle from June 3 to 5. PECI also runs various other EE programs and research projects, in the commercial and residential fields. I invite you to explore the programs and resources we offer on our website, www.peci.org In terms of RCx, we administer 4 major programs in California. I manage two of these, the San Diego and SMUD (or Sacramento) RCx programs. Each of the CA programs has been tailored to the region and to the client, though they are based on the same platform. California had a few conditions that made it ripe for entry - among which were their high rates and decoupling. Our retrocommissioning model can work in any part of the country. And we’re interested in exploring opportunities!
- #6 So what is retrocommissioning and how does it work?
- #7 RCx helps improve building performance by optimizing how equipment operates. RCx addresses problems that lead to high energy and maintenance costs, occupant complaints, poor indoor environmental quality, and premature equipment failure. Generally we exclude retrofits, but there is some grey area here. We make judgment calls when low cost retrofit opportunities are identified through our process. Often it makes sense to install VFDs, or variable frequency drives, as part of RCx, for example. When major retrofit opportunties are identified that do not fall under the RCx umbrella, we help direct customers to the best programs to fit their needs.
- #8 You can see here a variety of problems that we find in a RCx investigation. Some of these you might call easy wins, such as scheduling to turn lights off at night when no one is in the building. A calibration & controls retuning example would be when the outside air temperature sensor reads 65 when it’s actually 75 outside. The building might be missing opportunities for free cooling, allowing too much warm outside air into the building, increasing the cooling load, and subcooling the space in the winter months. Of course, this can lead to tenant comfort issues. Economizers are frequently broken due to mechanical failure or corrosion. In San Diego, economizer and free-cooling measures are great energy savers, in particular, because of the coastal climate.
- #9 With retrocommissioning, we expect owners to save between 5 & 20 % off of their annual electric bill. The San Diego Rcx program has averaged 9% savings so far, with over a 1/3 of the projects achieving savings over 15% per year. The measure payback of less than 2 years presents a strong financial case to the building management to move forward with RCx. The process helps increase both equipment reliability and occupant comfort. We don’t just turn the air conditioning off to save energy or equipment life. Documentation and training for building operators are critical to maintain the energy savings after the RCx project has completed.
- #10 How do we know when a building should be retrocommissioned? We like buildings that have high energy use or high EUIs compared to other buildings in their climate zone. We want to see direct digital controls as this helps with persistence of measures. We must have a firm commitment from the building staff, from management to operators, to ensure the projects receive the attention they need to be completed on schedule and to the maximum benefit of all involved parties… (providers, owners, maintenance staff, utilities, evaluators, and so on)…
- #11 The San Diego RCx program has innovated design elements that increase this owner commitment. It also helps grow and educate the RCx provider market, encourages persistence and on-going benchmarking, and streamlines and supports the process for smoother program administration.
- #12 In 2004, PECI and SDG&E introduced a RCx pilot program because we believed substantial energy savings opportunities could be achieved by increasing the RCx of existing buildings. In the pilot, we had big savings per building We found much larger than expected therm savings The results of the pilot indicated demand existed in San Diego for this service. In short, buildings really needed help! So in 2006-2008, we ran a program to help meet this need.
- #13 So what does the program offer? The building owner receives the following: An initial screening of the facility performed by PECI staff A full-scale RCx investigation by an engineering firm of the owner’s choosing Implementation incentives to help buy down the cost of the measures Training for building staff Documentation for the implemented measures, and sometimes improved building documentation, as well A pre- and post-RCx Energy Star benchmark score (which helps meet the requirement set by Assembly Bill 1103 in CA, which requires building benchmarking). And finally, for projects that qualify for performance tracking, we enter into a separate contract with the owner and provider for a one-year period solely to ensure persistence of the implemented rcx measures.
- #14 The investigation is no cost to the owner. But there is a catch. The owner must commit to implementing all reasonable measures with a one year or less payback up to a defined minimum dollar amount. If they do not, the owner must reimburse the program for the cost of the investigation. When possible, we time our projects to fit into the existing budget cycles of our customers. And to ensure project success, it is key that at least 40 hours of senior building operations staff time are committed over the life of the project. In large part, this is needed because the owner is responsible for hiring and overseeing the contractors who will ultimately implement the RCx measures.
- #15 Each project in our program goes through the same six phases, listed here. Screening, again, is performed by PECI staff. The agreement development phase allows everyone to get on the same page and to ensure commitment before the project gets underway. The investigatin is performed by the rcx provider Implementation work is overseen by the owner Follow-up is performed by the rcx provider, who submits final energy savings calculations at project completion and concludes with providing building documentation and training for the owner. Projects that qualify, undergo performance tracking for a period of one year. We initially believed projects would take 9-12 months to complete, but experience shows it can take up to 18 months, depending on complexities with the facilities or staffing.
- #16 Who are these Rcx providers? As of today, we have 56 firms and 142 individuals qualified to perform RCx investigations in our buildings. We are continually qualifying new firms and adding to this pool. So much depends on the quality and timeliness of the provider’s work, so clear guidelines and expectations need to be set and managed. PECI has developed extensive guidelines for each phase of the process and orients each provider firm to ensure their understanding. With so many players, it takes great teamwork and communicators to successfully complete a RCx project.
- #17 The San Diego RCx program won AESP’s Energy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Energy Program Design & Implementation because of its innovative features, which I’d now like to outline.
- #18 Innovation is usually a byproduct of facing challenges head-on. There are no exceptions here! These are some of the big things we took on Let’s go over how in the next few slides.
- #19 First, market awareness of RCx Outside of Portland, PECI employees Field Energy Analysts, or FEAs. These staff, with a deep understanding of the program, are critical to help building owners understand the benefits of RCx, as well as the details of the RCx process. Extreme focus is required to get the word out and help build an understanding of the program. FEAs represent the program at local events and do direct marketing through various building management associations, such as BOMA (building owners management association) and IFMA (int’l facilities management association). Second, standard guidelines and processes did not exist, so in the past, owners who decided to undergo RCx found a pool of providers with widely varying practices. The program overcomes this by training providers in our methodology, guiding them through the process with our toolkit, and controlling quality by reviewing the provider deliverables. Our toolkit includes guidelines for the investigation and implementation, as well as a findings workbook in which to record savings. This toolkit helps to ensure: the program’s expectations are clear upfront; the process is streamlined for providers; owners know what to expect; and energy savings from implemented measures can be verified and evaluated with confidence. Because of the toolkit, owners who decide to undergo the RCx process will now find more consistent results.
- #20 Third, Buy-in from several levels of the organization. We have everyone at the kick off meeting so they know what is going to happen and we can see the customer commitment. Constant communication is absolutely critical to the success of the project. Here, the FEA plays a major role. Presentations and deliverables are adapted to address concerns and speak the language of various decision-makers. The buy-in process requires significant program resources and adaptability, especially because the RCx process is still not widely known or understood. Fourth, the cost of investigation is taken care of by the program. And further, the owner’s investment responsibility is well defined before any commitment is made.
- #21 Fifth, RCx takes a long-term commitment. We ensure buy in from all players. We define the investment responsibility up front by setting the implementation cap for the owner. Further, undertaking a RCx project can be a complex decision for a building owner. In addition to making a financial commitment, the owner must dedicate staff resources, commit to making operational changes, and agree to participate in a multi-step process that may extend over several months or even years. Understanding the greater burden these decisions place on the owner and making sure the program provides assistance and solutions to overcome owners’ concerns is critical to program success. Finally, RCx measures can easily come undone. RCx measures typically include controls modifications, such as scheduling changes and revising zone setpoints, and can produce significant energy and demand savings. These types of measurs are generally easy to implement, but can also be easy to reverse as oeprations and maintenance personnel may unknowning override corrective actions implemented through the program. So we don’t just leave a binder behind. RCx providers develop targeted documentation and conduct a building operator training session on the implemented measures. This provides the building owner and operators with resources to maintain and monitor the implemented measures and ensure savings persist over time. In addition, through performance tracking, measures are monitored for one year after implementation completes. Either the existing building automation system or independent data acquisition systems are used to monitor critical points for verifying the performance of the measures and providing feedback to the operators and owners so they can take corrective actions as needed. This feedback loop helps building staff instill confidence that implemented measures continue to perform as expected.
- #22 So how did we do?
- #23 The program’s success is based on kWh and kW or demand savings. For these two measures, we achieved well over 100% of goal. While there were not explicit gas goals, the program did record incidental savings of 266,000 therms in the pilot program. For the 2006-2008 program cycle, SDG&E increased the goals. We’re on bridge funding for 2009 and have combined the values in these charts. As the SDG&E team discovered throughout the program, the RCx process is a time-consuming one that depends on many factors outside the control of the program. The program has seen time delays in gaining owner commitment, working within owner budget cycles, accessing building data from controls systems, reviewing building models and energy savings calculations, getting bids from implementation contractors, waiting for contractors to complete implementation, and gathering appropriate building data for verification of measures. These delays have resulted in a postponement of installed savings, though they have been minimized through process streamlining and other program innovations I previously mentioned.
- #24 I’d like to walk you through one of our projects.
- #25 What was the key to success here? Relationships? Collaboration between PECI and the Marriott? How did PECI influence this?
- #26 Check our website for the full write-up of this project. You’ll also be able to access several others.
- #27 Use for all content pages.
- #28 In the San Diego Retrocommissioning Program, SDG&E and PECI created an adaptive program that has identified and responded to a variety of market barriers. These innovations now set the standard for best practices in RCx processes, deliverables, and program design. CALL TO ACTION!! Sign up for our newsletter! (send me an email) Visit our website – 1) find more information about RCx 2) we can offer RCx programs around the country Please contact me if you’d like more information about this or other programs PECI offers. Thank you! I’m happy to take your questions.
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