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Correctional Facilities

Building Upgrades to Lower HVAC Energy Consumption
Friday, November 05, 2010

In our last blog, we talked about how to upgrade the HVAC system itself to save on energy. We also want to discuss how buildings have an effect on these systems. By conducting building upgrades, you put fewer demands on your HVAC system, which increases its life and saves thousands of dollars every year. Here are some suggestions:

Before beginning your upgrades, have an energy audit or billing analysis conducted
• According to a LinkedIn BOMA group member, 80% of building are being overcharged by as much as 40% for their utilities
• This will help identify major areas of energy usage and allow you to spend money on the solution with the most payback
• If you don't want to conduct an audit or analysis, ask the company who is performing your service upgrade to rank the corrective measures and results in order of time to ROI. Begin with the shortest time to ROI and use the money saved to invest in the next corrective measure.

Fix envelope problems
• The National Institute of Standards and Technology estimates gas savings are greater than 40% and electrical savings are greater than 25% when the air barrier of your building envelope is improved
• If your envelope is losing heat or cool air, your HVAC system works hard to replace it, making envelope improvements one of the best measures to get fast ROI.
• Some measures you can take are caulking and weather stripping cracks, leaks and holes in the envelope.
• When building new, use a drainage plane like building paper or house wrap. Use a high-mass construction such as precast concrete to regulate internal temperatures or implement a radiant heating and cooling system within the walls or floor.

Energy Management Systems
• This system combines a building management system and advanced software solutions that work together to control your HVAC system. It will lower your utility costs by adjusting heating and cooling to environmental conditions.


Each of our latest blogs has dealt with improving different areas of your facility to save energy. The key take-away: your energy use is building-wide, so every upgrade affects the other. Keep tabs on each system and the energy and money saved. Your next upgrade needs to reflect this change. For example, if you add reflective roofing, the AC output is much lower; therefore, your next AC unit should be much smaller.

To get more money-saving tips for your facility, subscribe to this blog.

 

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