This summer, I am working as the Energy Analyst Community Fellow for the City of Dayton’s Office of Sustainability. In this role, I am working with the City’s Energy Manager on various projects related to improving the City’s energy efficiency and usage. One of my main projects has been benchmarking energy usage in various buildings operated by the City, and for some, conducting energy audits to evaluate them further.
What is Benchmarking?
Benchmarking begins by reviewing a building’s drawings to determine its gross floor area (GFA) and to roughly estimate other parameters, such as the number of workers on the main shift and the number of common equipment, like computers. We are using the EPA Energy Star Portfolio Manager (ESPM) to set the parameters based on the building and property type. This web-based program provides feedback on a building's performance based on user-entered information. Once the building type is selected, I fill out the required information and include monthly energy bill data for electricity and gas. ESPM then produces an energy use intensity (EUI) for the building or an Energy Star score for applicable building types. An EUI allows us to easily compare building performance with essential factors, such as occupancy and size, considered.
This program has been beneficial in assessing the performance of many of the City’s buildings, allowing us to identify high energy users and further investigate why they may not be performing optimally. Much of the work I have been doing with this has been updating the information for current buildings in ESPM to give a better understanding of how these buildings are actually doing. For the buildings we identify as high-energy users, the next step is to conduct an energy audit.
Conducting an Audit
The first property I have conducted an energy audit on so far is the Northwest Recreation Center. This recreation center was identified as the highest energy user amongst the City’s recreation facilities, so we wanted to find out why this may be the case. The audit consisted of walking through the facility and noting any inefficiencies or redundancies with mechanical or electrical equipment.
For example, we found that many secluded rooms, such as bathrooms or storage closets, had their lights turned on even when no one was there. The solution to this would be to install occupancy sensors that automatically shut the lights off when no one is using the room. This simple fix could save the building and, in turn, the city a significant amount of money over a long period.
Creative Problem Solving
As an engineering major, I have conducted similar energy audits during previous internship experiences. In my previous experience, testing equipment and sensors were used to gather data that could then be analyzed later. In the absence of equipment, we had to get creative with what we could measure. Estimates and approximations were utilized, and it was fun to problem-solve some of these challenges. It was also important to keep in mind that some data is better than no data at all. Just being at the facility and seeing it in person was miles better than looking at numbers on a screen.
One unique aspect of this audit that I had also not been exposed to before was the pool room. This room in particular was interesting because of the absence of heating and air conditioning; the entire room was conditioned by natural heat transfer from the outside, with an exhaust fan cycling out stale air. It was interesting to see the pump room that helps cycle the pool water out so it can be cleaned. These aspects helped expand my understanding of what can be a part of an audit and other challenges that may be involved.
In this case, there wasn’t really anything we could look at for the pool room because there wasn’t any mechanical equipment; therefore, our energy savings measures had to come from other areas, such as the pool pumps or lighting.
Photo Credit: Dayton Daily News
When looking at the City’s portfolio of managed buildings, from a swimming pool, police station, or even an airport, no building looks the same. Taking the time to evaluate the unique components of each building is both a challenging and exciting task when looking for ways to improve efficiency.
My Career
As a senior graduating this fall, this experience — and my overall experience with the City — has been beneficial in helping me determine what kind of path I want to take in my future career. This experience has reinforced my desire to work in the energy field and improve the sustainability and efficiency of the built environment. Mechanical and electrical systems in buildings aren’t going anywhere, and it’s more important than ever to reduce emissions as the climate and energy landscape continue to change. Being able to improve comfort for people as well as save money in the process is an added benefit of this work.
Additionally, my previous experiences have been with private engineering companies, so being able to work for a public entity has shown me a side I have never seen before. It’s rewarding to know that the work I am doing is solely for the benefit of the citizens of the city, as there’s no profit being strived for. This is an aspect I really appreciate because it allows my work to be mission driven knowing that what I’m doing is helping out the people in my community.