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Green Building Blog

Is Retrocommissioning Worth it for Facility Managers?

Wed, May 10, 2017 @ 02:39 / by Guest blogger Faith Munsell, Star Service posted in Retrofit, energy efficiency, Energy Savings, Energy Audit, Retro-commissioning, Building Energy

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Is Retrocommissioning Worth it for Facility Managers?

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Is Energy Star Going Away?

Tue, May 02, 2017 @ 03:05 / by Jim Newman posted in IAQ, bEQ, Building Energy Quotient, ASHRAE, Energy Audit, Building Energy, Energy Star

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Note: Since this was article was originally posted, a budget passed Congress that does not significantly reduce EPA funding. So we believe the Energy Star Program is safe - for now. It’s good to know, however, what else is out there from the private sector, for example, ASHRAE bEQ as is discussed below. Our industry needs to be well-versed in all the options, not on a just-in-case basis, but on a what’s-best-for-the-customer basis. (updated 5/10/2017)

Since its inception in 1992, the Energy Star label has gained tremendous popularity, and today thousands of products (mostly small and medium home appliances) sport the Energy Star logo. Use of this program, run by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in partnership with the US Department of Energy (DOE), had saved $362 billion on energy bills and prevented nearly 2.5 billion tons of greenhouse gases from being released into the atmosphere. If this program goes away, as is being proposed by the current administration, we risk losing many of the gains that have been made.

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Wayne State’s Administration Building Saves $20K/yr with Simple Energy Facelift

Wed, Dec 07, 2016 @ 02:35 / by Jim Newman posted in energy efficiency, Energy Savings, Energy Audit, Retro-commissioning, building automation, Building Energy

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In 2015, Wayne State University’s Academic Administration Building, Detroit, MI, was facing many of the same concerns as other office buildings of similar age. Tenants (in this case University employees) repeatedly complained to building maintenance staff that they were “too hot” or “too cold.” And the costs of running the building kept creeping up.

As part of a DTE Energy and Nexant Retro-commissioning (RCx) project for no-cost and low-cost energy conservation measures (ECMs) with short-term payback, Newman Consulting Group (NCG) conducted an ASHRAE Level 2 Energy Analysis and RCx Study on the building. We uncovered several opportunities that would not only make tenants more comfortable, but also save money. The DTE RCx program, however, dictated that any measures eligible for rebates from DTE under their Energy Optimization program could not be included in the ECMs implemented for this project, e.g., LED lighting, high-efficiency motors, or VFDs, to name a few. Still, we were able to make significant improvements.

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What’s Preventing You From Having an Energy Audit?

Thu, Nov 10, 2016 @ 02:53 / by Jim Newman posted in HVAC, ASHRAE, PACE, energy efficiency, Energy Savings, Energy Audit, Recommissioning, Energy Use Index, Building Energy

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Energy audits are one of the best ways to discover money-saving opportunities in an existing building. A commercial or industrial energy audit, also called an energy analysis, will identify how much energy a building uses, how efficiently it uses that energy, and where changes and improvements can be made that will impact both the occupant comfort and the bottom line.

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Paying for Energy Upgrades May Be Easier Than You Thought

Thu, Sep 08, 2016 @ 03:02 / by Jim Newman posted in Green Building, PACE, Energy Savings, Energy Audit, Building Energy

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How to Qualify for PACE Financing and Finally Implement the Energy Conservation Measures You’ve Been Dreaming About!

Do your tenants and customers complain about air quality and the physical work environment? It often sounds like this: “I’m too hot,” “I’m too cold.” Or worse, “There’s a funny smell and I think it’s making me sick.”

4_bad_work_environments.jpgYou fix and you fix and you fix - the vents, the windows, the HVAC. But the improvements are slight and they don’t last long.

And you’ve noticed that your energy bills have nearly doubled over the last few years. 

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