Building Tune-Up - Pilot Study
Members of our Energy and Sustainability Services department performed a ‘building tune-up’ at the Juvenile Justice Center to identify opportunities for conserving energy and water usage. This evaluation was conducted as a pilot for the City of Philadelphia, for the development of Building Energy Performance Policy Ordinance and program guidelines. (BEPP)
Juvenile Justice Center | City of Philadelphia
Pennsylvania
Building Characteristics
160,000 SF
West Philadelphia, PA
Mixed Use – Penitentiary/Office Space
Building Construction Date – 2013
Members of our Energy and Sustainability Services department performed a ‘building tune-up’ at the Juvenile Justice Center to identify opportunities for conserving energy and water usage. This evaluation was conducted as a pilot for the City of Philadelphia, for the development of Building Energy Performance Policy Ordinance and program guidelines. (BEPP)
The scope of the evaluation included meeting with the facility maintenance team and the mechanical contractor, collecting performance data in the building automation system, and conducting independent data logging to analyze building operations over an extended period.
Through this data collection, the team identified opportunities for adjustments within the existing control system to generate energy and water savings within the mechanical system, lighting, and domestic hot water.
The team worked with the mechanical contractor to implement these opportunities within the building automation system and conducted a verification analysis to measure the impact of these improvements.
The team identified improvements to reduce unnecessary equipment operation that lower the operating time for major equipment and extend the replacement time, ensure occupant comfort was maintained, and generate cost savings through less energy and water usage.
The final recommendations are projected to generate savings of $0.15/SF or up to $24,000 annually, making the payback for the evaluation less than one year.
The deliverables of the evaluation included a final report and building evaluation worksheet, similar to the documents required as part of the Building Energy Performance Policy.
PES provided guidance to the City of Philadelphia for the BEPP to ensure the Tune-Ups provide value to building owners through improved building operations and cost savings.
Chiller Plant Study and Design
SSM developed a plan to convert a chilled water plant consisting of two independent chilled water systems comprised of 2 – 600 ton chillers (N+1) and associated pumps and 2 – 250 ton chillers (N+1) and associated pumps to a single system consisting of 3 – 400 ton chillers and associated pumps.
Confidential Client - Corporate Offices and Data Center
New York
SSM developed a plan to convert a chilled water plant consisting of two independent chilled water systems comprised of 2 – 600 ton chillers (N+1) and associated pumps and 2 – 250 ton chillers (N+1) and associated pumps to a single system consisting of 3 – 400 ton chillers and associated pumps. The project goal was to create a single central chilled water plant providing N+1 redundancy and development of a new sequence of operation allowing for automatic operation of the plant including automatic energizing of redundant equipment in the event of failure and rotation of equipment to equalize runtime. The project also included reconfiguration of power supplies to the equipment to reduce single points of failure.
The construction documents included instructions for phasing of construction to maintain operation of the existing plant while modifications and interconnection of the various subsystems was accomplished. The reconfiguration maximized the reuse of the existing piping network and power distribution.
Boiler Replacement Design
SSM prepared construction documents for the installation of a dual fuel 1,200 HP boiler to replace a 67 year old water tube boiler.
Confidential Client - Data Center
New York
SSM prepared construction documents for the installation of a dual fuel 1,200 HP boiler to replace a 67 year old water tube boiler. The new boiler will provide a better energy efficiency and turndown ratio for off-peak conditions. The project included replacement of two 75,000 lb/hr deaerators with custom deaerators that could be modified to fit the available space.
SSM utilized high definition laser scanning to document existing conditions in the 3 level boiler building. SSM mechanical engineers prepared a detailed flow diagram of existing piping and instrumentation.
The structural scope included design of a boiler access platform, roof modifications for the new stack, and structural support of the economizer located on the third floor. The existing steel was detailed using 3D laser scanning and field measurements to identify scope of removal and replacement of deaerators located on the third floor.
The electrical design included power, instrumentation, and controls. SSM electrical engineers provided a short circuit analysis and breaker coordination study for replacement power systems. The instrumentation and controls was designed to integrate with owners legacy building management system while maintaining owners preferred boiler combustion controls, boiler water level controller, valves, and sensors.
Ventilation Studies
Our services to NWNA have included providing ventilation studies at these three facilities to evaluate airflow, contaminant migration, and temperature control.
NESTLE WATERS NORTH AMERICA
Nestle Waters North America
Poland Springs ME, Breinigsville PA, Zephyr Hills Florida
NWNA is a business unit of Nestlé Nestle Waters North America (NWNA) S.A. The Nestlé Waters business represents 10% of Nestlé, S.A. global sales and holds the number one leadership position for bottled water brands in the world. Nestlé Waters North America represented 36.4% ($)of the bottled water market in 2010 producing water under the brand names of Perrier, Aqua Panna, S. Pellegrino, Deer Park, Arrowhead, Ice Mountain, Ozarka, Zephyrhills, Poland Spring, re-source, and Nestle Pure Life. SSM has worked with NWNA at several sites throughout the United States including Poland Springs ME, Breinigsville PA, and Zephyr Hills FL.
Our services have included providing ventilation studies at these three facilities to evaluate airflow, contaminant migration, and temperature control.
A key element and driver of the study at two of the facilities involved area carbon monoxide levels above the OSHA guideline. SSM performed both spot and time-history testing of carbon monoxide levels as well as space temperature and observed operating procedures within the facility. The studies provided recommendations for modifications and additions to the ventilation systems including recommendations for ventilation control systems to achieve the desired results while minimizing energy consumption.
Subsequent projects included the design of those ventilation systems and the design of the ventilation control systems including heat recovery.
Other projects have included the design of new ammonia chiller cooling systems, HVAC design for clean manufacturing areas, ventilation system validation, and arc flash studies and training.