Save Energy, Save the Earth

Energy SolutionsESCEnergy Solutions Center

for Commercial Buildings

Discover new ways to reduce your carbon footprint

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ENERGY SOLUTIONS FOR COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS

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ENERGY SOLUTIONS CENTER

2 ThePowerofOne Howbuilidingownerscansave moneyusingindividualmeters.

3 ChangefortheBetter Innovativewaystosaveenergy andreducecarbonemissions.

4 ServingupSavings Newpracticesareturningthe foodserviceindustrygreen.

6 DriventoChange Naturalgasvehiclesofferalternatives forcommercialfleets.

8 CuttingCostswithCHP Combinedheatandpoweroffer strategicsolutionsforovertaxedgrids.

10 DSMBasics Demandsidemanagementcanhelp savemoneyandenergy.

11 ANaturalChoice Whynaturalgasisoftenabetter choicethangeothermal.

Energy Solutions for Commercial Buildings isatrademarkofEnergySolutionsCenter,andispublishedincooperationwithPRISMMediaGroup.Weofferourspecialthankstotheutilitiesandotherbusinessesthatspon-sorthisissue.

President RayLarsonGroup PublisherLoriHarveyContent ManagerPaulaFelpsProduction ManagerPeteAdautoGraphic DesignerEmilyBurchContributing WritersKristyAlpert,CindyBaldhoff,MollyPetrilla

ENERGYSOLUTIONSFORCOMMERCIALBUILD-INGS is publishedbyPRISMMediaGroup,1321Valwood Parkway, Ste. 600, Carrollton, Texas75006.Visitwww.prismb2bmedia.com.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereprintedwithoutpermission.©2010EnergySolutionsCenter.

The Power of OneIndividual meters can save money and headaches

for building owners.

ESCEnergy Solutions Center

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Many owners of multi-family residences still rely upon large master meters to calculate their

energy usage for their building as a whole. Butthosewhohaveswitchedtoindividualmetershavediscoveredthattheycansaveenergywhileatthesametimeeliminatinganumberofcommonheadaches. “Withamastermeter,you’reusuallydividingthebillup,withsomesortofsystembasedonsquarefootage,orbythenumberofapartmentunits,”explainsJasonTuttle,commercialsalesconsultantatCitizensGasinIndianapolis.“Thisisn’talwaysfairbecauseatenantmightdoallthecost-savingeffortstokeeptheiren-ergyusedown,whiletheirneighborisn’tasenergyconscious.Butintheend,theyarestillpayingforirresponsibleenergyusage.” Individualmetersleveltheplayingfieldfortenants,allowingthemtomoreac-curatelygauge–andbudgetfor–theirenergyusage.Italsohashugepayoffsforthebuildingowners.

“Ithelpstheownergetoutfrompay-ingabigenergybill,andthenhavingtocollectfromthetenants,”Tuttlesays,explainingthatwithamastermeter,theownerhaslittletonorecoursefordead-beattenants. BruceBaird,directorofstrategicplanninganddevelopmentfortheIndianapolisHousingAuthority,hasworkedwithCitizensGastoconvertfourcomplexesfrommastermeterstoindividualmeters.Twomorecomplexesarealsoscheduledforconversion.Whenallsixcomplexesarefinished,theywillhaveconvertedmorethan850unitsfromamastermetersystemtoindividualmeters. “Weareverypleasedwiththeswitch,”Bairdsays,explainingthat,asaHUD-fundedorganization,theyearnutilitysubsidies,butthesubsidiesdon’tfullycovertheiractualenergycosts.Thenewmeters,whichallowthemtobaseresidents’energycostsonactualusage(insteadofaverages)hasbeenapower-fultoolincuttingcosts.ª

Individual meters can provide tremendous cost savings for multi-family building owners.

Shrinking Your Carbon FootprintUse natural gas to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Please recycle this magazine after you read it.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

It’s no secret that we have a serious carbon dioxide problem on our hands. Unwantedgreen-housegaseshavebeenincreasing

foryearsnow,andtheyaren’tgoingawayanytimesoon. Here’sthegoodnews:Thedirectuseofnaturalgascanhelpreducecarbon-dioxideemissions.WhileCO2emissionsareexpectedtokeepgrowingforthenexttwodecades,emissionsfromU.S.residencesusingnaturalgashavefallen40percentsince1970,despiteanin-creaseof27million

customers,accordingtheareportfromtheGasTechnologyInstitute(GTI).What’smore,accordingtothereport,subsidiesprovidedtoincreasethedi-rectuseofnaturalgas(togetherwithconsumereducationandresearchanddevelopmentfunding)wouldresultinanannual96millionmetric-toncarbondioxideemissionreductionby2030.Inotherwords,usingdirectnaturalgasis“acompetitive,cost-effectiveapproachcomparedtootherstrategies,”saysNeilLeslie,researchanddevelopmentdirec-toratGTI.

AccordingtodatareleasedbytheEnvironmentalProtectionAgency,anelectricwaterheaterusesalittlelesssiteenergythanagaswaterheaterdoes.However,intermsofsourceen-ergy—thatis,theenergyusedincreat-inganddeliveringenergytoasite—thesamegaswaterheaterusesroughlyhalfasmuchsourceenergy.What’smore,thenaturalgasheateremitsroughly55percentlesscarbondioxidethantheelectricwaterheater,Lesliesays.ª

Inside the doors of Northeastern University’s newest residency hall, International Village, there’sasmallplaquethatrepresentsa

hugeimpact.Theplaqueindicatesthethree-towered,22-storyhighstructureisaLEEDGoldbuilding.Whilethemo-tion-sensorlighting,recycledbuildingmaterials,low-flowshowersandfaucetsandroofgardenallplayedanimportantroleinearningthiscertificate,oneofthebiggestplayerswastheinnovativeinstallationofthreeenthalpywheels. Enthalpywheels,atypeofheatre-coveryventilatorthatexchangesheatandhumidityfromoneair-streamintoanother,canimproveefficiencyinHVACsystems.Ratherthanabandonusedair,enthalpywheelsuserotatingair-permeableenergyexchangerstoreclaimusefulenergyandreassignittoincom-ingair.Itsavesenergybysignificantlylesseningthenecessityofheatinginthe

winterandcoolinginthesummer. “Theenthalpywheelsthatwehaveonournewbuildingtakeadvantageofthedifferenceintemperatureinourexhaustandsupplyairstreams,”saysJoeRanahan,energymanageratNortheasternUniver-sity.“Thewheelrotateswithhalfofitsareainthesupplyairstreamandtheotherhalfintheexhaustairstream.Inthesummer,thesupplyairiswarmerthantheexhaustair,causingthewheeltoabsorbheatfromthesupplyairandrejectittotheexhauststream,whichpre-coolsthesupplyair.Inthewinter,thereversehappens.” Installingthesewheelshasmeantsignificantenergysavingswhichresultinmonetarysavingsaswell.Inadditiontoofferingenvironmentalsustainability,they’vehelpedshapeNortheasternUni-versityasaleaderinimplementingen-ergysavingtechnologies. “ThiswasaterrificprojectandamajornewadditiontoNationalGrid’sBoston

Gasdistributionsystem,”saysYvonneFlanagan,leadaccountexecutive,energysolutionsdeliveryforNationalGrid. “NortheasternUniversityhasdemon-stratedacommandingleadershiproleinenergyefficiencyandsustainability,”Fla-naganadds.“Theirfacilitiesmanagementteamconsistentlyseeksoutopportunitiestousecleanerfuelsandtechnologiestomaximizetheirenergyefficiencyandgreenvalues.”ª

Wheels of FortuneHeat recovery ventilators play an important role in saving energy.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

FormoreinformationonenthalpywheelsandtheNortheasternUniversity’suseoftheenergysavingtechnologies,goto:http://www.northeastern.edu/sustainability/news

www.usgbc.org/leed

One of the three units Northeastern installed on the rooftop of the International Village building to save energy.

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Serving Up SavingsThe foodservice industry turns an eye toward energy efficiency.

When Clarion University unveiled Eagle Commons, its new $12 million dining hall,

it opened the doors to some of the most state-of-the-art offerings in green restaurant trends. Replac-ingadininghallthathadbeenbuiltin1966,EagleCommonsisaSilverLEEDcertified“green”building,whichmeansitmeetsthenationalstandardsforsus-tainableenvironmentalenergyuse. “ClarionUniversitylongagorecog-nizedtheimportanceofenergyusage

withintheeconomyofourstateandnation,”saysGregMarkievich,seniorenergyconsultantatNationalFuelGasinErie,Penn.“Itbecameproactiveinincorporatingenergy-relatedinformationwithinitsnumerouscurricularofferingsandrequiringthatallnewconstructionandrenovationprojectsaredesignedformaximumefficiencywhileutilizing‘green’principles.” EagleCommonswasClarionUni-versity’sfirstexampleoftheschool’scommitmenttogreeninitiatives,andMarkievichpointsoutanumberoffea-

turesthatmakeitenergyefficientandearth-friendly. “Whilebasicbuildingheatissuppliedfromagas-firedcentralboilerplant,indoorairqualityandcirculationisenhancedwithstrategically-locatedgas-firedairmake-upunits,”hesays.“Inadditiontousingcleanburningnaturalgasforheatingandcooking,additional‘green’considerationsincludedthelocationofthefacilityalongestablishedtransportationandbikeroutes,greenmaterialsselectionsandtheuseofa‘trayless’fooddeliverysystem.”

The Silver LEED certified dining hall at Clarion University includes a Starbucks coffeeshop. Photos: Halkin Architectural Photography.

The“trayless”fooddeliverysystemmeansthatstudentsdon’tuseatraytopickuptheirfood,butreceivetheirpor-tionsonaplate.Theresultislessfoodwaste–becausedinersdon’ttakemorethantheycaneat–andtheamountofwaterusedbytheuniversitywasalsoslashedbecausetherearenotraystobewashed.Inaddition,therearepreferredparkingspacesavailableforfuel-effi-cientvehicles,andagreentenantcoffeebarthatfeaturesproductsthatarepur-chasedlocally. PaulBylaska,vicepresidentoffi-nanceandadministrationforClarionUniversity,saysthecosttobuildaSil-verLEEDcertifieddininghallwasonlyabout.5percenthigherthanthecosttobuildaconventionaldiningfacility. “SincesomanypeoplehavegottenintotheLEEDtechnology,thecostofgoingLEEDversusotherbuildingisaboutthesameintermsofmaterials,”hesays.“WithLEED-certifiedbuildings…wehavecutourenergycostsbyabout$600,000thisyear.That’sprettyimpressive.”Greenvs.EnergyEfficiencyClarion’sforward-thinkingapproachtodiningisonethat’sgraduallybecomingmoreprevalentthroughoutthefoodser-viceindustry.DougFryett,founderandpresidentoftheFryettConsultingGroup,saystherearetwoseparateissuesdriv-ingthemovement:energyefficiencyandthegreenmovement. “Intermsofenergyefficiency,there’sahugedriveformanufacturerstogettheirequipmentEnergyStarapproved,iftheycan,”heexplains.“There’salsoadriveformoreend-useroperatorstobuymoreenergyefficientequipmentiftheiroldequipmentiswearingoutorifthereisabigenoughincentivetodrivethemtobuynewequipment.” Justaswithotherformsofgreenandenergy-efficienttechnology,buyersaren’tlikelytochangetheirways–ormakeamajorpurchase–untiltheyhavebothaneedandafinancialincentive. “It’sthesameanalogyofanautomo-bile–ifyourcaristhreeyearsold,youcouldprobablygooutandbuyamore

energy-efficientcar.Butyouprobablywon’tdothatuntilyou’rereadytobuyanewcaragain,”Fryettsays.“It’sthesamescenariowithrestaurateurs.Whenthey’relookingtobuynewequipment,thenthey’llbuythemostenergy-efficientchoicetheycan.” Hesayswhileenergyefficiencyisbeingembraced,greencertificationisfacingatougherroadintherestaurantindustry,primarilybecausenosinglegreencertificationprogramhasreached“criticalmass.” “Thenumberofrestaurantsthathavegottencertifiedisverysmall,”hesays,citingsuchorganizationsasGreenerRestaurants,GreenSeal,GoGreenGoandtheGreenRestaurantAssociationasamongthosewhoaretryingtopropelthegreenrestaurantmovementforward.“Notonehasbeenabletogetthecriticalmass,soalotofpeopleareplayingthewait-and-seegame.” However,thereareexceptions,hesays.Chicagoishometoagreenres-taurantassociationwithabout250members–allofwhomareindependentrestaurateurswhoarecommittedtobe-comegreenerandmoresustainable. “They’retheexception,nottherule,”hesays.“Restaurantsaren’tseeingitas

thatimportanttogetcertified.Someare,butavastmajorityarenot.Thedriverofthisisdefinitelyenergyefficiency.” Fryettsaysenergyefficiencyissimplertoattainthangreencertification,andithasmoreeasilyidentifiableresults. “Energyefficiencybenefitstheirbot-tomline,butgettingcertifieddoesn’tguaranteemorecustomers.”

CuttingCosts,GainingProfitsSo,whilethegreenmovementcontinuesgaininggroundinsmallincrements,itisenergyefficiencythatisbecomingthedrivingforceinrestaurantinnovation.Naturalgasbecomesanaturalally,be-causeitcanbeusedinavarietyofappli-cationsinfoodserviceoperations.Theapplicationsofnaturalgasinrestaurantsinclude: •Cooking •Heatingandairconditioning •Waterheating •Humiditycontrol •Enhancingambiance Naturalgasisthetopchoiceforcook-inginfoodserviceoperations,with91percentoffoodserviceoperatorsoptingforgasoverelectricorothermeans.Sig-nificantly,nearlyaquarter–23percent–oftheenergyconsumedbyarestau-rantisusedforcooking.TheNationalRestaurantAssociation’s2010Restau-rantIndustryForecastcallsenergyef-ficiencyoneoftheindustry’stoptrends,andpredictsthatmorerestaurantswillinvestinwaystoconserveenergyandeasewaterconsumption. Fryettpointsoutthatthecostofen-ergyandthecostoflaboraretwooftheprimaryconcernsforrestaurateurs,soincreasedenergyefficiencyisanimpor-tanttopicforthem. “Alotofthenewequipmentthat’scomingoutisenergyefficient,soitalso[allowsfor]higherlevelsofproductivity,”hesays.“It’sadualbangforyourbuck.”ª

FOR MORE INFORMATION GasFoodserviceEquipmentNetwork www.gfen.org NationalRestaurantAssociation www.restaurant.orgPlease recycle this magazine after you read it.

A trayless food delivery system means that diners at Eagle Commons dining hall only take the amount of food that will fit on their plate - a measure that has significantly reduced food waste.

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Driven to ChangeNGVs Offer Alternative Fuel Options for Commercial Fleets

As concerns over reliance on oil continue to escalate,

natural gas vehicles, or NGVs, are gaining traction.InJune,ChryslerChiefExecutiveSergioMarchionnecallednaturalgasa“rational”alternativetoelectric,hybridandtra-ditionalgasoline-poweredcars,pointingoutthatNGVswillcutgreenhouseemissionsby25percentcomparedwithgasoline. Atthesametime,GMannouncedthatitwasbet-tingontheNGVstobeahitamongfleetcustom-ersandwouldrolloutitsfull-sizedcompressednaturalgas(CNG)fleetvanin2011. AccordingtoKimHill,directoroftheSustainableTransportationandCom-munitiesgroupfortheCenterforAu-tomotiveResearchinAnnArbor,Mich.,theCNGfleetvansrepresentaprimeopportunityforautomanufacturerstotryoutnewtechnology.ShetoldTheNewYorkTimesthatsincethevehiclesarenotrequiredtotravellongdistances,andbuyerstendtopurchasebetween100and1,000vehiclesatatime,thatmarketprovidesautomakerswithaneasierwaytogetthevehiclesontheroadasop-posedtosellingtoconsumers. “Therearealimitednumberofnaturalgasvehicleoptions,andtheyareclearlygearedtowardcommercialfleetopera-tors,”saysRandyGabe,SeniorManagerforSouthwestGasCorporation.

“It’sexpensiveforNGVequipmentmanufacturerstomakeconversionkitsfortheentireautomobilemarket.Fleetoperatorsbuyinbulkandthemakeupoffleetvehiclesaresimilaracrossthecountry.ItmakessenseforNGVequip-mentmanufacturerstofocusonthisdemographic.” SouthwestGashasbeenpurchasingNGVsforitsfleetsincethe1980sandGabesaysthattodaythereare“compel-lingeconomicreasons”forbusinessestobuynaturalgasvehicles. “CurrentlythereareveryattractivetaxcreditsthatcanoffsettheincrementalcostofpurchasingaNGV,”hesays.“Equallyimportantisthecostofnaturalgasrelativetogasoline.Onagasolinegallonequivalent,orGGE,basis,naturalgasislessexpensive–resultinginloweroperatingcostsforNGVs.”

HesaysthecombinationoftaxcreditsandloweroperatingcostsmakethecaseforbuyingNGVsmoreappealingthaneverybefore.Andhesaysthereisanaddedbonustothefinancialbenefits. “Usingclean-burningnaturalgasasavehiclefuelcanhelpacompanyprojectagreenerimage,”Gabeexplains.

GoingNatural–VegasStyleMostrecently,NGVsplayedapivotalroleinthedevelopmentofthemassiveCityCenterontheLasVegasStrip.Thiscity-within-a-city,whichisajointventurebetweenMGMMirageandInfinityWorldDevelopmentCorp.,sprawlsacross67acres.SouthwestGasworkedwiththedevelopmentcompanytosupplynaturalgastotheproperty. Includedinthenaturalgas-poweredfeaturesisafleetofstretchlimousines

Natural gas vehicles run on clean fuel provided by special fueling stations. Photo courtesy CityCenter Las Vegas.

whicharepoweredbycompressednatu-ralgas,suppliedbyafuelingstationbe-hindtheMirage.ThefleetisthefirstofitskindintheworldandwasdevelopedbyKrystalEnterprises,theworld’slarg-estmanufacturerofstretchlimousines,incollaborationwithCleanEnergyFuels,BAFTechnologiesandFordengineers. The26silverLincolnTownCarsemitupto60percentfewernitrogenoxidesand,accordingtotheU.S.DepartmentofEnergy,reduceothergreenhousegas-ses(likecarbondioxide)by25percent. “CommissioningthefirstCNGstretch-limofleetisademonstrationofCity-Center’scommitmenttoenvironmentalresponsibility,whileneversacrificingguestexperience,”saidBillMcBeath,presidentandCOOofARIAResort&Casino,oneoftheresortsincludedontheproperty. “JustaswitheveryelementofCity-Center’sdesignandconstruction,we’redeterminedtoemploythemostinnova-tivesolutionspossibletogrowresponsi-bly,whilecontinuingtoraisethebaronservice,comfortandexperience.”

HeaddedthatCityCenterchosecompressednaturalgasformultiplereasons,includingtheabundantnaturalgasreserves.Otherfactorsincludethefactthatitisoneofthecleanestburningalternativefuelsavailableandisgener-allylessexpensivethaneithergasolineordieselwithgreaterpricestability.

GettingWiththeProgramNaturalgashasbeenfuelingpartofthe70-vehiclefleetatTempleUniversityinPhiladelphiasince2001.Originally,theschoolacquiredsixcompressednaturalgaspassengervansaspartoftheU.S.

DepartmentofEnergy’sCleanCitiesProgram.Today,thenumberofvehiclesrunningonnaturalgashasgrownto16. Twooftheirvehiclesaremulti-fuelforCNGorgasoline,andtherestaredesig-natedCNG.TheCNGfleetnowincludes10cargovans,twobuses,twopickuptrucks,onecarandonepassengervan. AccordingtoMarkGottlieb,superin-tendentofserviceoperationsatTempleUniversity,thenaturalgasvehiclesarecheapertofuelthantraditionalgasolinevehicles,andalsorequirelessmaintenance. “They…goforlongerperiodsoftimewithoutrepairsandendupbeingasef-ficientastheregulargasolinemodels,”hesays.Additionally,whileittakesnearly$40tofillupthetankofagasoline-fueledvehicle,GottliebsayshecanfillthesamesizeCNGvehicle’stankforjust$20. “Thesavingsisinthefuel,”henotes.“CNGvehiclesrunatalowercostpermile.CNGisacleanerfuel,hasfeweradditivesanddeliversabenefittotheneighborhood.Runningthisfleetgives90percentlessemissionsandprovidesuswithaleadershippositioninthisarea.” KieranMcGovern,majoraccountsexecutiveatPhiladelphiaGasWorks,saysthatTempleUniversityhasbeenaggressivelytryingtoreduceitscarbon

footprintoverthepastfewyears,soitmadesenseforthemtoturntovehiclesthatrunonnaturalgas. “ThefactthatthecostofCNGisfarlessthanregulargasolineandhasapositiveimpactonenginemaintenancemadeitattractiveforTempletoaddNGVvehiclestoitsfleet,”McGovernsays.“CNGburnsagreatdealcleanerthangasolineordieselfuel.” TwoofthebestreasonstoinvestinNGVsarefuelandmaintenancecosts,hesays,andothercustomersarejump-ingonthebandwagon.CurrentlyinPhiladelphiatherearethreeprojectsinprogresstofuelmoregrowthinthisarea,whichincludeagarbagecollectiontruckforthecityofPhiladelphia,aNGVairportshuttleserviceforWallyParkandafleetofcabsonBroadStreet. “ThefutureofNGVsisbrightestwithheaviervehicles,”McGovernadds.“Thetrendisbeingdrivenbythehighercostofdieselfuel.Naturalgasischeaperthangasolineordiesel.”ª

FOR MORE INFORMATION

NaturalGasVehiclesforAmerica www.america.org CleanEnergy www.cleanenergyfuels.com NaturalGasVehicleInstitute www.ngvi.com

Please recycle this magazine after you read it.

“Currently there are very attractive credits that can

offset the incrementalcost of purchasing a NGV.”- Randy Gabe, Southwest

Gas Corp.

Natural gas vehicles run on clean fuel provided by special fueling stations. Photo courtesy NGVAmerica.

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Save Energy While Cutting CostsCombined heat and power provide a strategic solution

for overtaxed power grids.

Imagine a world where efficiency isn’t just an afterthought, it’s a strategic tool that saves time, money and energy. Thatworld

isquicklyapproachingasnewtech-nologiescombatthecurrentburdenonthepowergrid–andcreateamoreefficientworld. Combinedheatandpower(CHP)technologiesareleadingtheindustryintoanewdirectionofsustainableen-ergy.Alsoknownascogeneration,CHPgeneratespowerandthermalenergyfromasinglefuelsource.Oneapplica-tionofaCHPunitisamicroturbine,aptlynamedasitisbasicallyamicro(small)turbineengine. Today,therearebasicallytwotypesofengines:turbineandreciprocatingengines.Bothareonlyabout30to40percentefficientingeneratingelectric-ity,leavinglotsofadditionalheat(wasteheat)tobeusedforotherapplications. “Wehavetodoabetterjobaboutmanagingourwasteheat,”explainsMarvinDixon,directorofengineeringattheFourSeasonsHotelinPennsylvania.Dixonaddsthatmostoftheenergyusedfortransportationiswasteheat,asistwo-thirdsoftheenergyusedtomakeelectricity. “Onethirdofalltheotherenergyusediswasteheat,”hesays.Whenmixedtogether,wasteheataccountsforhalfoftheenergyAmericausestoday. “It’salarming.”Dixon

says.“Justthinkabouthowmuchmoreself-dependentwecouldbecomeifwedoabetterjobofmanagingourwasteheat.”ComplexProblem,SimpleSolutionThesimpleinstallationofaCHPsystemdesignedtomeettheheatandelectricalneedsofafacilitycangreatlyincreaseabuilding’sefficiency.Italsodecreasestheemissionofwasteheat,whichinturnreducesenergycosts. CHPisalsoagreattooltoreducetheemissionofgreenhousegases,whichcontributetoglobalclimatechange.Thetechnologyusesareciprocatingengine,microturbine,turbinegeneratororfuelcelltogenerateelectricity.ThesearealsoknownasPrimeMovers.Thegeneratorsproducepowerandexcess

heat.Insteadofrejectingthe“unused”heatintotheair,ittakesthatheatanddirectsitintoabuildingtobeputtoaninternalthermaluselikemakinghotwater—hencethenameCombinedHeatandPower. Acrossthecountry,CHPtechnologyisbeinginstalledintosystemsinavarietyofindustries,providingbothenergysavingsandfinancialbenefits.TheFourSeasonsHotel“Partofourmotivationtoswitchtotheseunitscamefromthecostofdis-trictsteam,”Dixonrecalls.“Ourelectri-calpriceswererising.Sotheenergyweweregettingfromtheutilitieskeptchangingandwerebecominghardforustomanage.Weuseddistrictsteamto

Henry Gorstayn (Hotel general manager) and Marvin Dixon with their microturbines.

heatallofourdomestichotwaterandwewerealsobuyingheatfromanofficebuildingwhichhadaboilerplantthatsupplieduswithallthehydronicheatweneededtoheatourbuildingthroughthecoldermonths.” Takinghisknowledgeandunder-standingofheatconceptsinhotelsalongwithknowingtheamountofheatneededtosupplyahotelthesizeoftheFourSeasons,DixonwenttoworkbringingintheCHPmicroturbines.“Iknewtheywouldmakethehotelopera-tionveryefficientbybeingabletoutilizethewasteheat,”Dixonsays.“ThegoodthingabouthotelsinrelationtoCHPunitsisthatweusealotofhotwater.Sowehaveaplacetoputalltheheat.” InOctober2009,Marvinandhisteamstartedupthe3Capstone65KWmi-croturbinesforthefirsttime,andhaveneverlookedback;withacombinedenergysavingsofover30percentandasignificantlyreducedcarbonfootprint,itdoesn’tlooklikethey’lleverneedto. “Theenergysavingsforourhotelisabeautifulthing,”saysDixon.“Ithasabigimpact;it’swhatweneedtodo.Ourwholeworldrevolvesaroundheat;allweneedtodoisdoabetterjobatmanag-ingit.” Sinceinstallingthemicroturbinesandrecordinghissuccessinenergyef-ficiency,DixonandhisteamattheFourSeasonshavebecomeindustryleadersintheirlineofwork.“WearethefirstFourSeasonstoincludethistechnologyandthefirstbusinessorfacilityinthecityofPhiladelphiatohavemicrotur-bines,”Dixonsayswithpride.Hehassinceledtoursofthefacilitytoshowotherinterestedpartiesthebenefitsfirst-handofincorporatingthesenewtechnologiesintotheirbuildings.

SalemCountyCommunityCollegeExecutiveDirectorofSpecialProjectsRaymondConstantinehasbeenwiththeSalemCountyCommunityCollegesince1998andhasseenhisshareofchal-lenges.Butitwasn’tuntilrecentlythathenoticedanewchallengeemerging. “ItstartedwithafacilitycalledDa-vidowHall,”Constantinerecalls.“Thecoolingandheatingsystemswerefail-ing.Thebuildingwasbuiltin1991andin2005wehadtocloseclassesbe-causeofpoorHVACperformance.” Facedwiththetaskofgettingstudentsbackintotheclassroom,Constantinestartedlookingforsustainablesolutionsforthisbuilding.Theydidn’thavetolookmuchfurtherthentheirlocalnaturalgasutilitySouthJerseyGas. “Weprovidemorethanjustsafeandreliablegasservicetoourcustomers;weprovideourenergyservicesexper-tisefreeasavalue-addedservice,”saysToddGordon,managerforCommercialandIndustrialEnergyEfficiencyCon-sultingatSouthJerseyGas.“Wehaveavestedinterestinhelpingourcustomersfindwaystoreducetheirenergycon-sumptionandenergy-relatedexpenses,whileatthesametimemakingcustomerandemployeesmorecomfortable.Whencustomerslikethecollegesucceed,SJGsucceeds.” SouthJerseyGashelpedthecollegeidentifythefinancialandtechnicalre-sourcesneededtodevelopalong-rangefacilitiesenergymasterplan.Theutilitywasthereeverystepoftheway.Thefinalplannotonlyaddressedtheneedtoupgradeagingmechanical,lightingandcontrolsystemsbutitalsoprovidedanopportunitytointegratecombinedheatandpowerintotheproject.TheCHPequipmentimprovedtheprojecteconomicswhileprovidingtheonsiteelectricgeneratorsneededtomeettheemergencyreliefshelterrequirements.CHPmadethisprojectwork. DavidowHallisa65,000-square-footfacilitywithafieldhouse,atheater,classrooms,lecturehallandisalsoacommunityusebuildingforSalem

County,NJ.Sincethebuildinghadnobackuppoweratthetime,itsuseasanemergencyshelterforthecommunitywasseverelylimited. “Basedonthatparticularneed,andthefactthatweneededtodosomeHVACrenovations,welookedatcom-binedheatandpowerprojectsandfoundthatNewJersey’sBoardofPublicUtilitieshadincentiveprograms.Iap-pliedforandgota$10,000designgrantfromtheirsmartstartprogram,anddecidedonCHPmicroturbinestoreclaimtheheat.” InSeptemberof2009,theschoolin-stalledthreeCapstone65KWunitsand1Thermax100-tonabsorptionchiller,andeverythinghasworkedflawlesslysincethen. “Wenowhaveastand-alonefacilitythatisoffthegridandwearemakingelectricityfromnaturalgas,hotwaterbyreclaimingheatofftheCapstonemicro-turbines[thathandlestheheatingloadaswellashotwaterforshowersandlockerfacilities],andprovidesfortheemergencyshelterwithheatingandhotwater,”saysConstantine.“Wearealsotakingthehotwaterinthecoolingsea-sonandmakingchilledwaterbyusingtheThermaxabsorptionchiller.” Constantinehassincerecordeda30to40percentenergysavingsandhasbigdreamsforthefutureofenergyef-ficiencyinthepublicsector.“Ifwecouldgetanypublicmunicipalgovernmenttostartadoptingthistechnology,we’dhaveallthesemini-powerplantsrun-ning,”advisesConstantine.“Firstofall,we’dbesavingallthismoney,butwe’dalsohavealltheseplantsthatcouldberunifthegridshutsdownsotheycouldbecomesheltersrightawaytosupportthelocalpopulation.”ª

Please recycle this magazine after you read it.

View of the microturbines from the roof of the Four Seasons Hotel.

“The energy savings for our hotel is a beautiful thing.

It has a big impact; it’s what we need to do.”

-Marvin Dixon, Four Seasons Hotel

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FOR MORE INFORMATION ForMoreInformationonDSM: U.S.DepartmentofEnergy www.energy.gov NaturalResourcesCanada www.nrcan.gc.ca

Understanding DSM and BASSave money by managing your facility’s utility needs differently.

Most buildings aren’t as energy efficient as they could be. Inotherinstances,lightingdrains

moreenergythanitshould,andasaresult,costsfarmorethanexpected.Whateverthesituation,DemandSideManagement(DSM)andBuildingAutomationSystems(BAS)canhelp.UnderstandingDemandSideManagementWhiletheU.S.EnergyInformationAd-ministrationdefinesDSMas“theplan-ning,implementingandmonitoringofutilityactivitiesdesignedtoencourageconsumerstomodifypatternsofelec-tricityusage,”itcanbeusedwithnaturalgasandwaterutilities,too.AsNationalGrid’sSeniorEngineerMichaelPacesumsitup:“DSMismanagingthede-mandofyourfacilitywithregardstoutilities.” DSMhasbeenaroundforseveralde-cadesintheU.S.,butbecameespeciallypopularattheturnofthe21stcenturyduetotheuncertaincostofenergy,en-vironmentalconcernsandtransmissionconstraints.Inthatsense,“DSMbecameapossiblebufferforenergyutilitiesagainstawiderangeofpotentialrisks,”accordingtoaresearchbrieffromEn-ergyBusinessIntelligence. Itspopularityhascontinuedgrowingsincethen–especiallyinthefaceoftheFederalEnergyPolicyActof2005,whichauthorizedanumberofDSM-relatedefforts,andtheAmericanRe-coveryandReinvestmentActof2009,whichoffersincentivestoencourageDSMactivities.DSMisalsoanimpor-tantcomponentofNaturalResourcesCanada’senvironmentalefforts.

DSMistypicallyachievedthroughconservation,efficiencyandloadman-agement.Pacesayshe’sseenittaketheformoflightingupgrades,high-efficiencyboilerreplacements,motorreplacementsandcontrols,“allofwhichwillreduceyourenergybillsandman-ageyourdemand.”

TurningtoBuildingAutomationSystems(BAS)BuildingAutomationSystemsaresys-temsthat“controlthebuildingenviron-ment—specificallytheairconditioning,theheatingandthelighting—tomaxi-mizetheenergyefficiencyofthebuild-ing,”Pacesays. Theytypicallysavefiveto15percentontotalbuildingenergyconsumption,andretrofitinstallationscansaveasmuchas30percent.EnergyBusinessIntelligencereportsthatintheU.S.,morethanhalfofbuildingsgreaterthan100,000squarefeethaveBASs,result-inginanaveragesavingsof10percentoverallbuildingenergyconsumption.

They’remostusefulinbuildingsthatconsumelargeamountsofenergy,suchasdatacentersandhospitals.

CaseStudy:QuincyMedicalCenterAfewyearsago,thecentralboilerplantusedbyMassachu-setts-basedQuincyMedicalCenterwasshowingitsage.Builtbackin1952,itwasbeginningtodeterio-

rate,anditsagingcomponentswerenomatchfortoday’stechnology.Accord-ingtoNationalGridAccountManagerEricSzulak,ithadtwoagingwatertubeboilersandtheboileritselfoperatedat100poundsofpressure.Itburned#6fueloil,andrequired24-hoursu-pervisionandoperation.Inall,itburnedapproximately650,000gallonsof#6oilperyear—theequivalentof97,500MMBTUs. Withhelpfromanengineeringfirm,Quincyswitchedoverfromonelargecentralboilerplanttotwonewcloser,smallerplantsthatoperateatlowpres-sure(15pounds)andburnnaturalgas.ThenewdesignhasessentiallycutQuincy’senergyuseinhalf,thanksinparttoseveralDSMinitiativesdevel-opedbyNationalGrid.ª

Quincy Medical Center in Massachusetts used DSM initiatives developed by National Grid to cut its energy use in half.

A Natural ChoiceWhy natural gas systems are often a better choice than geothermal heat pumps.

After deciding to install geothermal heat pumps (GHP) into the new 172,000-square-foot,

two-storyWarwickMiddleSchoolinLititz,Penn.,DaveZerbe,businessmanagerfortheWarwickSchoolDistrict,ranintosomemuddywater…literally. “Thedistrictcurrentlyhastwoelementarybuildingswithgeothermalsystemsinstalled,”saysZerbe.“Thiswouldhavebeenthethirdbuilding.” Buttheyranintoproblemsassoonastheyinitiatedthetestboringforthewellfield,whensubsurfacegroundwaterdis-turbancecreatedproblemsdownstream. “Thenewbuildingwasinthewa-tershedareafortheborough’swatersupply,”Zerbeexplains.“Eachtestborecreatedaproblem.Weabandonedthegeothermalsystemandre-designed,usingawatersourceheatpumpsystemthatincludesgasfiredboilersandevap-orativecoolers.”TherisksofGHPAsgeothermalheatpumpsbecomemorecommon,concernsaboutthemaresurfacing.ArecentstudyfromtheUniversityofIdahooutlinestheenviron-mentalregulationsandrisksofthesesystems,whichinclude: •corrosiverisks •leakagerisks(mentioningthe risksofutilizingantifreeze) •health,fireandenvironmental concerns •regulatoryrisks. Federalregulationsaredesignedtohelppreventthecontaminationofgroundwater,aquiferandsurfacewater.Withtherisksofcontaminationandthe

highinstallationcosts,GHPsystemsmakeittoughertocompetewithconventionalsystemsofnaturalgas.Qualityheating…naturallyStephenBareuther,majoraccountrepresentativewithUGIUtilities,anaturalgasdistributioncompanyinPennsylvania,recommendedtheWarwickSchoolDistrictusenaturalgas.Hewasmorethanhappytohelptheminstallthesystemoncetheymadethefinaldecisiontousenaturalgas. “Oncethedecisionwasmadetogowithgasheating,Iworkedwiththeschooldistrictongasratesandcontractsfortheirgasboilers,”Bareuthersays. AccordingtoastudybyAmerica’sNaturalGasAlliance,“naturalgasisthecleanestfossilfuelandisahighlyef-ficientformofenergy.”ThestudygoesontocitetheU.S.EnergyInformationAdministration(EIA),statingthatnaturalgasistwiceascleanascoalwithdra-maticallyreducedcarbondioxide,carbonmonoxide,nitrogendioxide,sulfurdiox-ide,particulatesandmercury.ConventionallycoolGeothermaltechnologyhasalsobeenappliedtocoolingbuildingsinthewarmermonths,andalthoughitposesaviablesolutiontocoolingabuilding,itisyetanotherelectricalsystembeingaddedtoanalreadyoverloadedelectri-calgrid. WilliamRyan,Ph.D.,P.E.,DirectoroftheUICMastersofEnergyEngineeringProgram,UniversityofIllinoisatChi-cago,recentlypublishedastudycalledCarbonEmissionComparisonBetweenResidentialHeatingandCoolingOptions

thatfound,“inmanyareasofthecoun-try,groundsourceheatpumpsactuallyhadgreatercarbonemissionsthanahighefficiencygasfurnace.InanyareaofNorthAmerica,ahighefficiencygasfurnacewouldgivesubstantiallybettercarbonemissionsperextradollarfirstcosttothehomeownerbecauseofthelowcostofthegasfurnaceascomparedtothegroundsourceheatpump.” Ryansays“theresultsindicatethat,overall,groundsourceheatpumps,duetotheirhighfirstcost,didnotprovidealowercostcarbondioxidereductionstrategyinanylocation.”AlthoughGHPcoolingsystemsareinsomecasescreditedashaving“thelowestlifecyclecostofanycoolingsystemavailable,”theupfrontcostsoftheinstallingthesystemmakeitafarmorecostlyroutetotakewhencoolingabuilding—conventionalcoolingsystemsaretypicallyhalfthecostofGHPsystemsoverall.ª

FOR MORE INFORMATIONwww.anga.us www.geoexchange.org

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Understanding DSM and BASSave money by managing your facility’s utility needs differently.

Please recycle this magazine after you read it.

The new Warwick Middle School sits on 172,000 square feet in Lititz, Pennsylvania.

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