Recommissioning is a continuous process for facilities that aims to reduce energy and improve occupancy comfort by refining the building’s operations. The process for recommissioning is monitoring your facilities, analyzing the data and making refinements.

The refinements are typically small changes to existing equipment operation and having the system operate as it was designed, where the payback for upgrades or retrofits is usually under two years. In a previous post, we covered the most common areas of improvement for school facility recommissioning. These top three areas are:

1. Scheduling of HVAC systems
2. Integrating upgrading into existing systems
3. Eliminating opposing operations

As common as these three improvements are, no two schools are the same. Marco Bieri, Efficiency Engineer at Rede, has a consistent process to identify the first steps for recommissioning school facilities.

The recommissioning process begins by looking at the energy consumption (or the energy going into a facility), but the potential for improvements comes from reviewing how the energy is being used.

Just like a financial advisor reviewing a budget, monitoring the money going in is simple. Understanding where the money is being spent is more complex but far more informative.

The goal of recommissioning is optimizing when equipment runs and adjust according to the facility’s usage and time of the year.

“That’s the big thing about recommissioning – only running the equipment when needed,” explains Bieri.

By understanding the purpose of the individual components in a facility, you can calibrate the equipment to function the way it was intended.

You can follow these steps to find opportunities to save money and energy in your own schools.

Step 1: Look at your energy bills

Use the data already collected by utility providers. A building’s energy consumption is the first clue to how well a facility is operating and provides the baseline for consumption.

Review the monthly billed energy usage graph and see if it is similar to a rectangle.

Sample annual electricity consumption that indicates the facility is following a schedule.

Sample annual electricity consumption that indicates the facility may not be following a schedule.

“As simple as it sounds – if you look at the electricity profile and utility bills by month and it’s a big rectangle, then that means the school is not reacting to the average school’s occupancy scheduled,” says Bieri.

A consistent energy consumption means the facility is not adjusting according to the building automation schedule (or it doesn’t follow a schedule).

“It’s simple in a sense. It shows that some things are not turning on or off as occupancy and facility demand vary over time and over seasons.”

Step 2: Review the building’s schedule

Investigating the functionality and granularity of the schedule (whether your energy bills show a rectangle or not) is helpful to determine if it is performing optimally.

“The first and foremost thing is equipment scheduling,” says Bieri.

“Does the building have scheduling capability, what schedule controls what equipment, and is the schedule actually controlling the equipment?”

There is a huge potential for savings if the scheduling has any issues or is not optimized. Finding a problem will result in a huge reward in ongoing energy savings by resolving or updating the schedule.

In one facility, Bieri found an error in the scheduling thatresultedin annual savings of $40,000 or 35% when resolved. The first clue was an anomalously large utility bill for the elementary school given its size. Diving into the automation code exposed a one-line error that caused the three primary ventilation systems to operate constantly.

Opportunities exist from not only solving errors but finding opportunities for optimization based on school holidays and long weekends. A school district in British Columbia saved over $4,500 in 15 elementary schools and eight secondary schools by adjusting its schedules for spring break.

Step 3: Figure out what, why and when equipment runs

“Just because a schedule is present doesn’t mean that the equipment follows it,” says Bieri.

“Take a physical walk through a mechanical room or virtually through the BAS after hours – the findings can surprise you.”

Equipment may be functioning constantly due to broken and disconnected timeclocks, BAS linking issues or server upgrade issues.

Step 4: Investigate problem areas

Another clue are trouble areas in your facility that have consistent problems. This could be a classroom that is always too warm or a school wing that tends to feel stuffier than the rest of the facility due to poorer ventilation.

“I talk with the people that run the building and usually there’s a spot that requires a lot of maintenance,” notes Bieri.

“This means it is not running as designed – so there is an opportunity for improvement. No one want to be hassled with occupancy complaints so often equipment is sometimes ran in excess.”

Resolving problems that your maintenance teams routinely face will not only save electricity and fuel, but it will save employee time and headaches.

Step 5: Improve operator schedule confidence

If your job has you travelling from school to school, Bieri recommends discussing the state of facilities with the staff that are there every day. They are the experts of that school’s equipment and problem areas.

Understand who controls the schedule and their degree of trust for the facility’s schedule. Without that trust, the schedule may be ignored and useless. It is every commissioning agent’s job to build confidence for the schedule through education and discussions.

“The people on site have a lot of information that you can’t get from a computer or facility drawings,” says Bieri.

“Just talking to them, you will be able to figure out a lot of issues.”

Are you in the process of recommissioning your school facilities (or just getting started)? Contact Rede for custom recommissioning advice to improve the efficiency of your own facilities. 

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What’s the energy consumption of a K-12 school in Canada?

Short answer: the average is 244 ekWh/m² (Natural Resources Canada, 2014).

The long answer is more interesting. The variance between Canadian K-12 schools is considerable and the difference in energy consumption between different types of facilities in the country is even more extreme. To compound this variance, Canada’s geographic and climate diversity has a large influence on the consumption. The overall average is on a gradual decline – improved energy efficiency and retrofits are contributing to reduced average consumption.

And even more useful – calculating the average energy consumption of a single K-12 school facility. This value is powerful for two comparisons:

1. Compare a facility with a regional average
2. Compare a facility with its historic averages

The power of averages is comparing your facility with the other facilities. Here are the averages and how they are calculated.

How energy consumption is measured

The data for a facility’s energy consumption typically come from two sources: the utility provider or the building automation system. Every operational building receives utility bills, so the total consumption and costs is easy to monitor via the utility provider. As building automation systems become increasingly common in K-12 facilities, the monitoring capabilities are extending beyond general consumption and into type, time and quantities of usage.

Reporting requirements from provincial governments (such as British Columbia’s greenhouse gas reporting for public institutions) is extending consumption reporting from voluntary to mandatory.

Standard units for comparing energy consumption are:

• Building Energy Cost Index (BECI): cost/area (such as $/m²)
• Building Energy Performance Index (BEPI): energy use/area (such as ekWh/m²or GJ/m2)
• Energy Use Intensity (EUI): energy use/area (such as ekWh/m2 or GJ/m²)

EUI is effectively the same measure as BEPI – they both normalize energy consumption according to the area of a building. And ekWh (or equivalent kWh) is a unit of energy consumption that is used to convert the volume of an energy source into equivalent energy units. For example, 1 cubic metre (or 1 GJ) of natural gas is 278 ekWh and 1 litre of propane is 7 ekWh.

energy consumption in Canadian schools

As reported by Natural Resources Canada in 2014, the average energy consumption for primary and secondary schools in the country is 245 ekWh/m² (or 0.88 GJ/m²). Energy Star Portfolio Manager states the average energy consumption is 209 ekWh/m² (or 0.75 GJ/m² ).

Energy intensity (ekWh/m2) for Canadian K-12 schools. The area of primary schools is usually under 10,000 square feet and the area of secondary schools is usually over 10,000 square feet. (Natural Resources Canada, 2014)

School Size	Number of Buildings	Floor Space	Energy Use	Energy Intensity
Total	17501	70.8	62.2	0.88
5,000 square feet or less (465 square metres or less)	2947	0.4	0.3	0.7
5,001 to 10,000 square feet (466 to 929 square metres)	918	0.7	1	1.33
10,001 to 50,000 square feet (930 to 4,645 square metres)	9390	27.8	25.4	0.91
50,001 to 200,000 square feet (4,646 to 18,580 square metres)	3973	34.5	29.1	0.84
Over 200,000 square feet (Over 18,580 square metres)	273	7.4	6.5	0.88

(Natural Resources Canada, 2014)

This difference in reported averages is not a surprise. Considering Canada is an extremely diverse country with a dramatic range in climate, the average energy consumption of K-12 school facilities is equally diverse. A 2017 review of the energy consumption of primary and secondary schools in Manitoba calculated the median average of the energy consumption for schools in the province to be 29 per cent higher than the national average. The same study calculated the average for Toronto schools to be 35 per cent higher than the national average.

For the Manitoba facilities, the researchers determined the only factor that had a statistically significant effect on energy consumption was building age. Older facilities tend to consume more energy.

Sources of energy in Canadian schools. The split between electricity and fuel is around 40-60. (Natural Resources Canada, 2014)

Schools compared with other types of facilities

Compared to other types of commercial and institutional facilities, K-12 school facilities have the lowest average energy intensity. Schools with typical schedules are generally occupied between 2,000 and 3,500 hours per year, with half of their use occurring afterhours when custodians are cleaning. School facilities tend to not be occupied 24/7, nor year-round and they are not using energy for manufacturing or storage, so the energy consumption is accounted for by primarily daytime occupation.

Here is the average energy intensity of K-12 school buildings compared to other educational facilities and other types of buildings from Energy Star Portfolio Manager.

The energy intensity of K-12 school facilities compared to other types of educational facilities. (Energy Star Portfolio Manager)

Impacts of climate and Geography

The influence of climate and geography on a facility’s energy consumption is apparent in the average regional energy intensity. The prairie region has the highest average energy intensity in Canada followed by British Columbia.

Here’s the energy intensity by region in Canada from Statistics Canada.

Average energy intensity in Canada by regions. (Statistics Canada)

Canada’s geography and climate has an incredible spread. A school building in Northern Alberta will – not surprisingly – require more fuel to heat the facility than the same building on Vancouver Island. Heating degree-days can assist in comparing energy consumption across different regions.

Heating degree-days is a measure of the number of days that a region has an average temperature below 18˚C. (This target temperature is different around the world – the Canadian standard is 18˚C.) A higher heating degree-days value means facilities in that region are expected to require more heating. Heating degree-days is an indicator of the relative amount of energy consumed for heating facilities.

Integrating heating degree-days with a BEPI provides an energy consumption value that is averaged for the size of a facility and takes into account the local climate. This calculation is the foundation of an energy benchmark.

Annual heating degree-days under 18˚C in Western Canada. (National Atlas of Canada)

The future of green buildings in Canada

Energy consumption averages are a baseline to compare future improvements within facilities and regional changes.

The Canada Green Building Council monitors the trends in energy efficiency and the impacts to building design. With the ultimate goal of reducing energy intensity in Canadian buildings, these trends indicate approaches and policies that are being implemented by facility managers (or will be implemented soon).

Energy consumption data through comprehensive building analytics is becoming essential to create strategies for reducing consumption. For facility managers, ongoing reporting and benchmarking can indicate and verify effective approaches and recognizes the cumulative impacts of small changes. Energy accounting is also expanding to include the full costs of energy production and consumption, especially for regional policies or programs.

The future of green buildings does not only refer to new facilities. Retrofits will be necessary to continue reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions. Likewise, effective strategies for sustainability extend beyond mechanical systems and include the awareness and behaviour of occupants.

Reducing carbon emissions is another goal of energy efficiency programs. Although energy efficiency and carbon emissions tend to go hand-in-hand, there are scenarios when improving efficiency does not have equivalent reductions in emissions. If carbon emissions are a deliberate goal, a deliberate strategy may be required.

How much energy does your school consume?

Compare your school’s energy consumption with the national average. Use Rede’s school energy consumption calculator to estimate the energy use and cost intensities.

This consumption estimate is the first step to an energy benchmark for your facility. Use the benchmark to calculate the impacts of energy efficiency projects in comparison with other school facilities and the building’s historical consumption.

Rede’s specialty is understanding energy consumption and data from a building automation system, and then creating action plans and results with that information. With an energy consumption baseline, K-12 school facilities teams can plan for achievable changes and monitor the results.

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Continuous optimization relies on routine monitoring, analysis and responses to adjust the operations of a facility. This process goes by a few other names, including recommissioning (RCx) and continuous commissioning, and it can be as simple as adjusting temperature setpoints or as complex as comprehensive adjustments to the sequence of operations.

Learn more about recommissioning basics for school facilities from Marco Bieri, Energy Efficiency Engineer with Rede Energy Solutions.

Identifying the savings from continuous optimization

BC Hydro reviewed the energy consumption and utility costs of commercial and institutional facilities before and after implementing a continuous optimization program. Out of 422 facilities examined, continuous optimization programs were able to reduce average energy costs by 7.4 per cent. The typical payback for a continuous optimization program was under 2 years.

Recommissioning educational facilities

Nearly half of the facilities reviewed were education facilities, including 110 large schools and 86 colleges and universities. As larger and more complex facilities, colleges and universities tend to have a higher implementation cost but a higher potential for energy savings. The expected simple payback period for a continuous optimization program in educational facilities is 2.2 years.

Other types of facilities

Compared to other types of institutional and commercial facilities, educational buildings fall in the middle of the range in terms of size and potential for savings. Implementation costs tend to be higher for facilities with complex internal systems (including recreational and extended care buildings). Typical energy savings varies with size and implementation cost, but the simple payback period does not exceed three years for a continuous optimization program in any facility type.

Where do the savings come from?

A continuous optimization program is a cycle of monitoring, analysis and refining the operations of a facility. The refinements are often just small enhancements or improvements in efficiency, but altogether the changes contribute to quantifiable savings.

In addition to calculating the cost savings from recommissioning, BC Hydro also reviewed the actions that are typical in continuous optimization programs. The ten most common refinements are:

1. Reduce equipment runtime
2. Optimize economizer operation
3. Eliminate opposing operations (such as simultaneous heating and cooling)
4. Optimize supply air temperature
5. Optimize temperature setpoints for zones and setbacks
6. Eliminate unnecessary lighting hours
7. Optimize rates of ventilation
8. Volume control for pumps and fans
9. Optimize chilled water temperature reset
10. Eliminate leaky valves

Although these refinements are typical in commercial and institutional facilities, every building has different opportunities for improvements. But the cycle for continuous optimization remains the same: monitor, analyze and act accordingly.

There are opportunities for saving energy and utility costs in every facility. If you are just getting started with a continuous optimization program or looking for innovative approaches to further improve the efficiency of your facilities, contact Rede to learn more about the opportunities from recommissioning.

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The five principles for building automation systems were created by David Sellers, senior engineer with Facility Dynamics Engineering. Sellers writes about commissioning, control systems and mechanical engineering on his blog, A Field Perspective on Engineering.

Control systems are the essential element for ongoing optimization of a facility’s energy consumption. Through effective design and implementation of a building automation system, operators can get an inside peek into their buildings and improve comfort while reducing energy use. In practice, however, not all control systems are designed, implemented or maintained to be effective in optimizing a facility’s systems. Defining a set of principles for control systems improves communication and understanding between all stakeholders – from contractors to administration.

Grande Prairie School Division is located in Grande Prairie, Alberta, 450 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.

Scott Campbell is the mechanical lead hand for the facilities department at Grande Prairie Public School District (GPPSD), an Alberta school district that has over 8,000 students in 18 schools. A challenge Campbell has witnessed in his district and beyond is a lack of understanding of the potential for control systems.

“They think it is all smoke and mirrors when you talk to some guys about controls. They think it is voodoo,” says Campbell, a plumber and gasfitter by trade who has worked at GPPSD for six years.

The lack of understanding can stem from a multiple of reasons, explains Campbell. Building operators may not have the resources or information about their building’s controls to know how to make effective changes. They may not have a sequence of operations or may be using general resources that are not specific to their facilities. Or there may have been a bad experience with controls contractors (whom may themselves not have enough information to make proper decisions).

Overall, a lack of information makes it difficult to run systems – never mind optimize them.

An Oregon-based engineer has outlined five principles that every building owner or operator should consider when designing or implementing control systems. David Sellers, who writes about building commissioning and control system design in his blog, created the following principles.

Principle 1

Control system must first and foremost provide effective and reliable control, commensurate with the systems it is controlling

Obviously, the types, complexities and the criticalities of the systems being controlled will dictate the quality/power of the control system that should be applied to them. The ultimate quality of the control system is primarily dictated by the components that sense, execute logic for, actuate, and document the systems they are controlling.

 

Principle 2

The manufacturer and installer must be highly qualified with extensive experience and must be committed and bound to thorough Commissioning (Cx)

While the control system power/quality is very important, equally or more important is the expertise and commitment of the installing contractor and their collaboration with the overall commissioning team. Qualifications should insure that a quality contractor with an extensive proven track record is specified; and that effective, thorough commissioning of the control systems by that contractor – whether or not a formal commissioning process is employed – is essential. Given this, there lies a challenge to the designer to fairly restrict installers to those that can deliver effectively within the context of both the construction and the service/support arenas.

 

Principle 3

Control installation must be fully documented as consistently as practical with nothing required to fully operate and maintain the system withheld

Point naming conventions, programming logic, network configuration requirements, security information, etc. must be strictly adhered to and totally documented. No element for the continued operation and maintenance of the control system may be withheld in any way. No part of the installation may be considered confidential or proprietary information. This specification requires applicable documentation throughout. These requirements are not optional; however, certain documents are only applicable for certain approaches.

 

Principle 4

Specify sequence of operations logic

The designer must specify the logic of equipment sequences of operations. Often sequences of operations are specified only in general, and often ambiguous, terms, with much of the sequence left to the contractor’s programmer. The programmers should not be put in the position of having to complete the engineer’s sequence, and often resort to sequences which are not optimal for the particular building. Therefore, logic diagrams must be included in design documents. If the project is being done using a design-build methodology, then the design-builder must submit logic diagrams as a design submittal in advance of programming.

 

Principle 5

Require sufficient instrumentation

The designer must require instrumentation to support both the sequence of operations, and the data acquisition capability to support equipment performance monitoring and building diagnostics analysis. A listing generally establishing minimum instrumentation requirements is included with the specifications. This identifies minimum instrumentation for common types of system. The designer is responsible for requiring additional instrumentation as necessary to support the sequence of operations, or to supplement data acquisition capabilities when the nature of the equipment or systems to be installed makes this sensible. Additional higher end devices shall be specified for control of critical systems or areas in the facility.

Sellers’ principles create a framework for engineers, contractors, maintenance staff and administration to understand what is expected for controls systems.

For major projects, the principles can also be used to formally outline expectations for the design and implementation of controls. Campbell intends to have the five principles included in an upcoming tender for a new facility.

The principles contribute to improving the understanding and appreciation for proper automation systems from staff beyond the maintenance department.

“School divisions maybe aren’t investing the amount of time or don’t have the right management who understands it,” says Campbell.

Campbell intends to continue to reduce barriers between tradesmen, control operators and administrative staff to reduce energy consumption and save money in his facilities. A major part of this is educating their electricians, plumbers and maintenance workers in operating and analyzing control systems. GPPSD doesn’t segregate control operations to a distinct role or department, but the district directly involves the workers who work on the devices every day.

A comprehensive understanding of the systems and data is a powerful tool.

“The hands-on guys like the plumbers and the electricians should be more involved in the controls and on the computer,” he says.

“Trend logs don’t lie.”

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Canadian K-12 schools are typically occupied in the cooler months, but the start and finish of school years can bring warm and humid weather. As the heat of summer extends into the first few months of the school year, optimize your facilities to create a cool environment without a large spike in energy consumption.

Heat waves difficult to ignore in Western Canada

Over the course of a school year, Canadian schools can experience weather ranging from frigid to scorching. Weather extremes in Canada can result in a range of outdoor temperatures upwards of 60 degrees.

Most schools have no students during the hottest months, but it is normal for the heat of summer to flow into the first few months of the school year. School districts in Canada not only need to prepare for cold temperature extremes but also heat waves.

Heat waves have been difficult to ignore – Western Canada has experienced record-breaking heat waves over the past few years. In British Columbia, temperature records were broken in 2017 and in 2018. Alberta has also had a record-breaking summer, with new all-time heat records created throughout the province.

Spikes in consumption and emissions from heat waves

Cool facilities provide relief from hot outdoor temperatures, but it is not without a significant consumption of energy.

Looking beyond consumption, heat waves can also directly impact power generation by reducing the generation capacity due to warmer air or water. In extreme events, generation capacity is reduced around 2 per cent for every degree Celsius (1). When combined with increased demand, this risks large-scale failures and blackouts.

Hot weather also increases the greenhouse gas emissions related to energy generation. Increases in summer-average temperature from 1˚ Celsius to 5˚ Celsius has a corresponding increase in electricity demand of 7 percent. Under the existing power generation system, the increase in demand causes upwards of 16 per cent increase in sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxides (2).

The impacts of hot weather extend throughout the energy sector – from generation to demand. At the facility level, optimization of cooling systems can reduce the demand and ultimately utility expenses.

Leverage cooler nighttime air

The need for heating vastly exceeds the need for cooling in most K-12 facilities in British Columbia and Alberta. However, cooling facilities during warm weather can become a top priority to keep students, teachers and staff comfortable.

Cool is not always a simple process in school facilities due to their equipment – many facilities lack mechanical cooling systems.

As temperatures tend to drop at night, cooler outdoor air can be introduced into facilities in preparation for hot days. Free cooling (which still requires energy for ventilation but not for conditioning the air) purges a facility with cooler outdoor air, typically at night. If occupancy is low enough during the day (which tends to be the case in the summer when there are no students and teachers), air handlers can then be turned off after a facility is purged.

Default approaches to cooling not optimal

When a facility does not need to be heated (particularly in the summer), there are two default approaches. One tactic is turning off all equipment to minimize energy consumption if the facility has low occupancy and does not require extensive ventilation. Another is cooling the entire facility. Both approaches are not ideal – they lack a balance between comfort and energy efficiency.

“Cooling can be more occupancy dependent than heating,” says Marco Bieri, Energy Efficiency Engineer with Rede Energy. In the summer, occupancy tends to not follow a routine. Then during the school year, facilities are typically conditioned when students are in class and cooling systems can be turned off after the daytime heat subsides.

For efficient cooling that keeps students, teachers and staff comfortable, cooling should align with occupancy. This is where communication becomes essential.

Communication is vital for managing hot weather

In Canada, heating systems tend to take the priority over cooling.

“There has been less money that has gone into cooling systems compared to heating systems. You need to understand and communicate what the capability is for your facilities,” says Bieri. Communicating the capability of a facility’s cooling system will manage expectations.

For facilities with air conditioning systems, setpoints and schedules should align with the building’s occupancy during the heat wave. As weather changes, setpoints and schedules can be routinely adjusted to match the occupancy needs and outdoor temperature.

“Keep communication open to have occupants’ trust that the schedules can be adjusted for warmer weather and then can be changed back when the weather events are done,” says Bieri.

Calendar reminders and weather alerts can contribute to ongoing tracking and adjusting schedules in parallel to school occupancy.

Prepare for heat waves with audits and maintenance

Efficiency of equipment is improved when it is routinely serviced, cleaned and monitored.

When facilities are operating under normal or extreme weather events, data from a building automation system can indicate opportunities for mechanical or scheduling adjustments. Analytics of building data during routine weather will prepare the building to respond to extreme weather. Get started with building analytics.

1. Añel, Juan A.; Fernández-González, Manuel; Labandeira, Xavier; López-Otero, Xiral; de la Torre, Laura. Impact of cold and heat waves on electricity generation. Economics for Energy, February 2017. (https://res.mdpi.com/atmosphere/atmosphere-08-00209/article_deploy/atmosphere-08-00209-v3.pdf)
2. Meier, Paul; Holloway, Tracey; Patz, Jonathan; Harkey, Monica; Ahl, Doug; Abel, David; Schuetter, Scott; and Hackel, Scott. Impact of warmer weather on electricity sector emissions due to building energy use. Environmental Research Letters, December 2017. (http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aa6f64)

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Although performance contracts have the potential to create long-term reductions in energy consumption through minimal capital investments, they also come with risk for all parties involved. Applying a risk management approach to all performance contracts can ensure the common risks are overcome or at least minimized.

Four steps to risk management

Risk management can be applied to any scenario, from minimizing the risk you will spill your coffee to minimizing the risks of performance contracts. The four steps are:

1. Risk identification – what risks are possible
2. Risk quantification – how likely are the risks
3. Risk mitigation – implementing solutions to prevent or respond to risks
4. Monitoring – Continuously identifying, quantifying and mitigating risks

Step 1: Identify risks

There are two sides in the relationship formed by a performance contract: the service provider (typically an energy service company, ESCO) and the project recipient.

Risk comes in all shapes and forms, and it there are risks for both the service provider and the recipient. The risks were categorized by researchers from Hong Kong in 2015 (1) into the following categories: economic, financial, project design, installation, technology, operational and measurement/verification. Here are some examples of the risks:

Step 2: Quantify Risks

All risks have the potential to arise, but not all are perceived as important. The researchers from Hong Kong (1) conducted a survey of 34 ESCOs in Hong Kong, which have completed a total of 168 projects. Through the survey, they asked what risks are most important to the project recipients.

“Their primary concerns in considering the use of EPC include possible long payback periods, project complexities and repayment ability.”

The risks were different for the service providers.

“Results indicate that the key risks to ESCOs are possible payment default of hosts after installation, uncertainty of baseline measurement, and increase in installation costs in EPC projects.”

Since every project is different, the nature and extent of risks is never the same. Start by considering all possible risks from Step 1 and analyzing for the likelihood they will arise or the scope of impact.

Step 3: minimize or Mitigate risks

Attention during all stages of a performance contract can minimize the risk. Here are some actions to minimize risk recommended by the researchers from Hong Kong:

Step 4: Continuous Monitoring

Throughout project planning, implementation and followup, careful monitoring will catch problems as they arise. Ensure staff are aware of what to watch for in all stages of a project.

Help goes a long way

An extra pair of eyes is key to minimizing risk. Rede Energy Solutions can assist in all stages of risk management. We can examine proposals to evaluate and quantify risks, or follow-up throughout a project’s lifetime for third-party monitoring and verification.

Let us help you minimize risk. Contact us today.

(1) Lee, Pan; Lam, Patrick T.I.; Lee, W.L.: Risks in Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) projects, Energy and Buildings (February 2015).

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Analytics is a powerful problem-solving tool that can help school maintenance staff quickly analyze and identify routine problems that affect comfort and energy use.

And many facilities managers have never even heard of analytics.

What is analytics

At the most basic, analytics is the application of engineering principles and building automation data to solve real-world problems. Automated software platforms often include analytics as a service, but analytics can be completed as an ad hoc process using spreadsheets or other free tools.

No matter how analytics is performed in your facilities, the benefits are tangible. Through the ongoing analysis of a facility’s systems, problems can be identified to improve comfort, save energy and save time for all maintenance workers.

Getting started with analytics in your schools

It is important to understand that analytics does not replace willing participants in the maintenance process and depends upon a good relationship with your controls contractor, maintenance staff and usually a competent consultant. Competency doesn’t just mean engineering smarts; it means effective communication will all your staff.

From there, analytics is a relatively straight forward process: collect data and analyze it. The key is to analyze the data in context of your facilities, systems and any problems or complaints from occupants.

How analytics benefits K-12 schools

A real-life case study

Let’s look at a simple application of analytics to explore the advantages.

Consider the seasonal cold weather temperature complaint. You have a school that underwent a modernization five years ago and you’ve always suspected that the boiler was undersized by design. A good number of classrooms are regularly uncomfortably cold and you just can’t seem to get enough heat out of the boiler into the rooms. There is a constant-volume air handling system with a fan in the mezzanine and reheat coils in the classroom. The temperature complaint comes in the morning after a cold snap but you can’t get down to your tools until a couple days later when things are warmer.

Right off the bat, you cannot recreate the outside temperature conditions but you do have a couple of days of trend logs (which are sometimes helpful and sometimes not) and the instantaneous sensor conditions at the moment. How you proceed in your troubleshooting will depend on how well you know the system and how much time you’ve got.

What can analytics do for this building?

As analytics is the use of multi-day data with engineering principles, one of the things we can do is see how two or more variables interact overtime. For example, we can look at how the outdoor air damper position varies with outside air temperature. Or how boiler supply water temperature varies with outdoor air temperature.

One of the relationships that is worth looking at is condensing boiler supply water supply (SWT) reset as a function of outdoor air temperature (OAT). This is the chart that resulted from this analysis.

What we see is a line that starts high on the Y-axis and low on the x-axis (representing high water temperature and low OAT) and decreases from left to right indicating that SWT drops as the OAT rises. Condensing boilers require a return water temperature (RWT) of 55°C or lower. In this chart, the circle area reveals that when OAT is in the heating region the return water temperature never reaches 55°C. This impact on the boiler is like that of a turbo charged engine at a race: if the motor never receives the extra power from the turbo charger (which is like the condensing contribution from the condensing boiler), then it is only getting a fraction of its overall horsepower. That car is not going to set any new records. This boiler plant is likely to be accused of being undersized.

Another relationship to look at that was particular to this school, was how a bypass valve installed on the boiler side of a heat exchanger was interacting with the system. The bypass allowed water to recirculate back to the boiler when thebuilding was calling for less heat.

Looking at this graphic, we see that the building automation system says that the valve is open 85% and allows 15% bypass. Testing the heat output from the heat exchanger as a relationship to valve position resulted in the following scatter chart. Notice that as the valve opens, the heat output diminishes. Some manual testing of the valve in the boiler room confirmed that the valve position was reversed in the BAS so that is the temperature outside dropped in the control system asked for more hot water from the boiler the valve was throttling off delivery. That is part two in the solution to the temperature complaint.

The third relationship to look at is how the BAS outside air damper (OAD) position relates to the trended return air temperature (RAT) and mixed air temperature (MAT). Using the engineering principle of conservation of mass, we can calculate the OAD position as a function of MAT and RAT and then compare it against the trended OAD. On this chart, we see the calculated OAD vs the actual OAD where the Y axes represents actual and the X axis the calculated. What we get from this analytics is confirmation that the actual outdoor air being supplies is much higher and volume and with the BAS thinks it is. The result is that the system is getting flooded with cold outside here and us overwhelming the primary heating coils before it reaches the rooms.

Bringing all three relationships together we get a good picture of why we have systematic temperature complaints and a general belief in an undersized plant. When it is cold outside, the OAD opens up more than it should and floods the AHU with more cold air than the coils can keep up with. The coils and the terminal reheat, for their part, cannot keep up with the heating on two accounts: the bypass is only allowing 15% of the hot water to reach the heat exchanger and the boiler is missing 25% of its capacity because it is not condensing. These problems stem from the sequence of operation and set points given to the system and not to the hardware itself.

These conclusions about the system were reached in only a few hours and allowed the district to make changes before the warranty for the building was over.

Analysis requires data and often the building automation system is not configured or is incapable of trending. We will explore how to solve this problem in the next article in this series.

The post Why every K-12 facilities manager should care about analytics appeared first on Rede Energy Solutions.

A dedicated energy manager focuses on individual facilities to optimize energy consumption through building optimization and engagement with all occupants. While the job description is the same for most energy managers, everyday projects and duties differ between organizations. Here are the five main benefits of a dedicated energy manager for all types of facilities.

Make money

All projects undertaken by a dedicated energy manager are centred around creating value. They focus on the unique needs of individual buildings through energy monitoring, analysis and project implementation.

As a result, dedicated energy managers save around 2.3 times more kilowatt-hours compared to a generic energy management approach. They understand the quirks of the buildings and know the institutional processes to create long-lasting change for the entire organization.

Save money

The core benefit of an energy manager is reducing utility and operating costs. It is a simple calculation – less energy consumed means less money spent.

There is no one-stop shop for energy improvements. Many approaches can be applied to most facilities (such as boiler replacements and installing occupancy sensors), but continuous improvements requires constant monitoring and analysis. Dedicated energy managers not only implement one-time projects, but they also seek incremental improvements every single day.

With the goal to save more and more money every day, dedicated energy managers are committed to finding solutions – from capital projects to everyday operational changes – that reduce the expenses of operating and maintaining the facilities.

Save time

School facilities staff always have a long to-do list. Buildings require constant upkeep and management, and the students depend on facilities to seamlessly operate.

A dedicated energy manager contributes to shrink the to-do list. They monitor and analyze energy data to find patterns or room for improvement. They assist in all aspects of major capital projects, from preparing successful proposals to final implementation. Dedicated energy mangers know the facilities and the district’s management processes to be a source of advice – right away and at any time.

Ease

Dedicated energy managers have experience in implementing energy management program alongside facilities and operations staff. Facilities staff remain as vital components of the energy management team, but they do not have to take on roles they are not familiar with and can focus on day-to-day operations.

Energy managers are a turn-key solution that can quickly begin implementing an effective energy management program.

X-factor

New ideas are the first step towards innovative and creative solutions. As an outsider with a targeted focus on your facilities, energy managers find unique approaches to inspire change in your organization.

Looking outside your organization, energy managers improve connections between similar organizations. They share ideas, approaches and projects that have been effective in reducing energy consumption and improving occupant engagement. Partner with a dedicated energy manager to join this vibrant community.

The post Five benefits of a dedicated energy manager appeared first on Rede Energy Solutions.

There is no single correct approach to energy management. Many factors – including your facilities, administration, climate and energy availability – all contribute to how your district purchases, consumes and saves energy.

For example, LED lights are indicative of an efficient approach to lighting. But that is just one small step in an energy management approach.

Wondering how advanced your district’s energy management program is? Take the quiz to find out!

[wp_quiz id=”2558″]

Improve your energy management plan

Ready for the next step in your district’s energy management plan? Let us know where you are at and we will help you get the plan to where you want it to be.

Adapted from Best Practices Guide for School Facility Managers (Natural Resources Canada, 2017)

The post Take the energy management quiz appeared first on Rede Energy Solutions.

Declining enrolment and aging facilities has placed pressure on rural school districts, and reduced enrolment often leads to budget cuts. In turn, less funding creates additional burdens to a school’s programs and facilities.

Since 2012, British Columbia’s population has increased by 200,000. In that same period, the number of schools in the province was reduced by 22. (Source: BC Ministry of Education and Statistics Canada)

One recent initiative in British Columbia, the Rural School Enhancement Fund, is offering rural schools additional funding but the condition of the facilities impacts the amount of emergency funding available to the schools.

British Columbia facility managers don’t just ensure their buildings are operational, they have a direct impact on access to additional funding.

“Under the program, a total of 11 rural schools will receive a portion of this year’s $3.4-million investment to ensure they can continue to serve their local students and community,” said a B.C. government release from April 5, 2017.

“This investment builds on government’s ongoing work to develop a provincial rural education strategy that looks at public school funding, the condition of schools, and the role education plays in rural communities.”

The fund is only available to rural schools facing extreme funding pressure – it is limited to communities with a population less than 15,000 where closures would eliminate specific grades. Schools that are facing an extreme decline in enrolment are not eligible, and nor are closures because of the condition of the facilities.

While the Rural School Enhancement Fund will benefit select rural schools in British Columbia, rural schools throughout the country will continue to face challenges as enrolment and budgets continue to decline.

The core problem is the population shift from rural to urban, with now around 81% of the Canadian population living in urban areas and 19% in rural. And the shift is expected to continue.

There are many arguments against closing rural schools. A 2000 review by researchers at the University of Guelph concluded “there is little empirical evidence for cost savings that can be realized through consolidation and board closures.” In addition, there are a variety of benefits that schools offer to communities that are difficult to quantify. The “positive reciprocal relationships” between schools and rural communities is complex, but closing schools is another factor in the declining quality of life in rural communities.

A 1995 report to the Office of Educational Research and Improvement in the United States attempted to analyze the connections between schools and the vitality of rural communities.

“By building the social capital of the school and youth, the community not only helps to develop responsible citizens, but also creates opportunities for tomorrow’s leaders to emerge.”

Even though there are big arguments for keeping rural schools, it is easier said than done.

­Facility manager play a big role in the future of rural schools. They don’t just maintain schools – they plan for the future of schools.

And that is the future of rural communities.

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