Paladino and Company’s higher education market leader Bronwen Carpenter and BuildPulse’s Brice Kosnik present “Improving Operations and Energy Use at Universities.” The presentation covers how facility managers can use analytics and modern fault detection and diagnostics to identify energy savings and operational improvements in a higher education setting. Using Seattle Pacific University as an example, this presentation demonstrates how building automation technology can help campuses determine inefficiencies in facilities and reach their climate goals.

1. buildpulse
Using Retro-Commissioning to
Improve Operations and Energy
Use through Climate Action
Plan Resiliency
Expected duration 30 minutes

2. buildpulse
1. University climate action goals using
Seattle Pacific University as a case study.
2. Leveraging technology to achieve goals
and cut costs.
3. How existing technology on campus can
be utilized to accomplish similar results.
Key Topics

3. buildpulse
Founded to put and end to prohibitive costs to
implement building analytics and to deliver
pervasive, effective, affordable building analytics.
buildpulse
“We are a software company focused on
eliminating the barriers to onboarding and data
alignment to enable facility teams and building
experts to do what they do best and leverage all of
the data throughout their portfolio.”
Brice Kosnik
CEO, BuildPulse
Twitter: @buildpulse
Email: brice@buildpulse.com

4. buildpulse
Founded to put and end to prohibitive costs to
implement building analytics and to deliver
pervasive, effective, affordable building analytics.
buildpulse
Cities
K-12 School Districts
Universities

5. buildpulse
Paladino
Bronwen Carpenter
Project Manager
Higher Education Vertical Lead
Twitter: @paladinoandco
Sustainability and green building consulting
“Our highly credentialed team engages
campus colleges and departments,
students, and faculty to produce energy
and economic savings that deliver on the
commitments in their climate action plans.”

6. buildpulse
FAST FACTS
40+ employees
20+ years in business
250+ years combined
sustainability experience
$8 billion+ total construction value
700+ LEED certified buildings
165 at Gold+
2000+ green projects

7. buildpulse
University Clients

8. buildpulse
2008
ACUPCC
2010
Climate
Action Plan
2036
Carbon
Neutral
SPU at a Glance
Quasi-urban
100 buildings – 1.2m sf
Tuition dependent
Carnegie classification:
Masters
41 acres4,200 students
Private
Faith-based

9. buildpulse
2008
ACUPCC
2010
Climate
Action Plan
2036
Carbon
Neutral
Natural
Gas
Fleet
2008 GHG Baseline
Commuting
Air travel
Electricity
Landscaping
2015
20% less
natural gas

10. buildpulse
2008
ACUPCC
2010
CAP
2036

2015
20% < therms
-100,000 therms
Building submetering
Improved building controls
Retro-commissioning (RCx)
RCx implementation
Planned development / major
renovations

11. buildpulse
Building submetering
Improved building controls
Retro-commissioning
RCx implementation
Planned Development / Major
Renovations2015
-12% -8% 80%

12. buildpulse
Demolish two single family houses
and build small classroom building
Demolish two buildings and
construct performing arts complex
+ 95,000 square feet
OLDEST
CENTRAL
PLANT ON
CAMPUS
V R F
HEAT RECOVERY
PASSIVE HEAT / LIGHT

13. buildpulse
Demolish two single family houses
and build small classroom building
Demolish four single family houses
and build residence hall
+ 230,000 square feet
HEAT
RECOVERY
E L E C T R I C B A S E B O A R D H E AT
Significant property acquisition

14. buildpulse
Data Driven Approach to Retro-Cx

15. buildpulse
Identify & Fix Issues
Change Operational Practices
Drive Conversation with Stakeholders
Ways to use data

16. buildpulse
• Graphics
• Alarms
• Trends
Manual Analytics

17. buildpulse
How long would it take
to……
• Test Every Sensor,
Valve, Damper, & Relay
• 90 buildings
• 2 Dedicated Techs
Manual Analytics

18. buildpulse
Analytics automates the manual processes and
audits that we don’t have time for.
4 Man Years Or 5 Minutes
Manual inspection still requires verification
FDD is about Automation

19. buildpulse
Prioritizing Service by costs
Improving Operational Efficiency
Reducing Complaints
Retaining Knowledge
Implementing Best Practices
Benefits of Analytics & FDD

20. buildpulse
Alexander Hall
Alexander Hall is central to the
story of Seattle Pacific University.
SPU’s story began in 1891 with a
vision for outstanding Christian
education that would equip
students to do good in the world.
Set on an uncultivated plot of
land in early Seattle, Alexander
Hall — the University’s first
building — brought that vision to
life.
11,100 SF building constructed in 1893
and underwent renovations in 2014
buildpulse

21. buildpulse
Alexander Hall
FDD enabled the rapid and
continuous analysis of building
performance and functionality.
11,100 SF building constructed in 1893
and underwent renovations in 2014
buildpulse

22. buildpulse
Alexander Hall
Buildpulse reporting identified
HVAC units running 24 hours
versus the intended BAS
scheduled 10 hours for its
variable refrigerant flow
system (VRF).
11,100 SF building constructed in 1893
and underwent renovations in 2014
buildpulse

23. buildpulse
Reduced building
energy use
• Simple changes will save 5% to
15% per year on heating bills
• Interactive tool allows SPU to
track performance and decision
making.
Energy savings
exceeded retro-Cx costs
by a factor of five.
An estimated $15,000
was saved compared to
traditional retro-
Commissioning
engineering and sub-
contractor coordination
process.
Significant cuts to
operational costs

24. buildpulse
Optimize
operations
• Alarm Fault prioritization based
on cost, enables smarter
decisions.
• Unlocked data access provides
easier analysis and pattern
recognition, preventing Band-Aid
fixes.
• Provides M&V for implementing
best practices campus wide.
After project completion
the FDD platform was
left in place to perform
an M&V roll in addition
to keeping decision
makers informed of
operational efficiency
and performance.
Transitioning from
Reactive to Proactive

25. buildpulse
WHAT CAN YOU DO
RIGHT NOW WITH THE
TECHNOLOGY YOU
ALREADY HAVE?

26. buildpulse
Verify Schedules
Simple things you can do today

27. buildpulse
Maintain Setpoint Discipline
Simple things you can do today

28. buildpulse
1. University climate action goals using Seattle Pacific University
as a case study: A data driven approach to retro-commissioning
can produce faster, more cost effective results.
2. Leveraging technology to achieve goals and cut costs:
Unlocking data and automating analysis enables proactive
maintenance and operational efficiency.
3. How existing technology on campus can be utilized to
accomplish similar results: Routinely audit the basics, and hold
everyone accountable to your standards.
Key Takeaways

29. buildpulse
WHAT QUESTIONS
DO YOU HAVE?
Brice Kosnik
brice@buildpulse.com
Bronwen Carpenter
bronwenc@paladinoandco