Introduction
Strategic Energy Management (SEM) helps practitioners decrease energy use, improve operational practices, lower costs, and maintain occupant comfort by looking at the building as a complete system, rather than as individual components. The Commercial Energy Talk Cards provide key points are designed for the building managers and staff of commercial buildings to:
- Discuss and implement energy-efficient practices
- Encourage participation in strategic energy management
- Identify areas that contribute to poor or under-performing energy use in buildings
- Create checklists that to help address and resolve problems
Section Summaries
Note: These cards do not currently cover specialized energy management categories such as food service or healthcare.
BUILDING ENVELOPEGaps and cracks throughout a building’s envelope can cause many issues, including heat loss or gain, improper pressurization, hot or cold spots, and excessive dust. Learn how to identify these areas and the improvements that can help address air leakage to make your building and its systems operate more effectively, and save money on costs associated with heating and cooling.
INTERIOR LIGHTING
Lighting is an important part of a building, providing pleasing visual aesthetics and attributing to occupant safety. With multiple options on the market, finding lighting technology that best meets the needs of your occupants can be a challenge. This section focuses on lighting types such as LEDs and Luminaire Level Lighting Controls and why they are more efficient than traditional lighting sources. Read about the benefits of advanced lighting solutions, how to assess performance and choose the right lighting, and tips to reduce energy and maintenance costs.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Exterior lighting can provide added safety in and around your building, highlight any signage and other features of your property, and add visual appeal. It can also lead to light pollution and contribute to high energy use. But which exterior lighting options are the best for your commercial property? This section will help you find the most effective technologies, learn which factors to consider when planning to upgrade your existing lighting, and understand your options for controlling it during daylight and off-peak hours.
PLUG LOADS
Plug and process loads are the amount of energy consumed by devices that are plugged in or run in the background to keep your building operating effectively, and can account for approximately 33% of a commercial building’s energy use. There are multiple strategies—including de-energizing equipment during off-peak hours, or adding sensors and other controls—that can be used to help manage and reduce this load. Check out this section to determine which methods and strategies might work best in your commercial building.
AIR HANDLING SYSTEMS
Learn about the fan systems that transfer conditioned air to keep occupants comfortable and filter dust in your commercial building. This section takes a closer look at the impact of air-flow requirements, fan power and the Fan Efficiency Index metric, and how you can improve performance through preventative maintenance.
BUILDING HEATING AND COOLING
Take a look at the inner workings of condensing gas-fired furnaces and learn how compressor types, coils, and refrigerants can affect the way your system works to heat and cool commercial buildings. This section provides comprehensive guidance for optimizing your HVAC system, and strategies for identifying and diagnosing issues that prohibit its effectiveness. You’ll also learn how other factors—including building occupancy and how the space is used—can impact your energy use, and how integrating other technologies can deliver significant energy savings.
PLANT EQUIPMENT
Boilers, chillers, and steam systems are a few types of central plant equipment that can account for up 20% to 70% of a building’s energy use. Explore this section to get a better understanding of the differences in these systems, how to maintain them, and the multiple factors and equipment that play a large role in heating and cooling commercial spaces.
PUMPS
Pump systems are used to move water throughout a building for various purposes, including HVAC systems and plumbing. Learn more about the primary factors that determine the elements of a pump system and what determines their power requirements and efficiency. This section also explains the indicators of pump unreliability and inefficiencies, tips for monitoring the system, and effective strategies to better control operation, water flow-rate, and pressure.
BUILDING AUTOMATION
Building Automation Systems (BAS) and Building Management Systems (BMS) can improve the way a building performs through the tracking of energy use, remote monitoring, advanced control sequences, fault detection, occupant comfort, maintenance scheduling, and nimble event response. Automated systems can generate reports that identify trends in operation use and deficiencies that may be hard to spot using older inspection techniques.
HVAC CONTROLS
In commercial buildings, up to 70% of thermostats that haven’t been calibrated in two years or more are likely to work inefficiently; and about half of those are nonfunctional and should be replaced. Heating and cooling in older buildings is often impacted by air leaks and plugged holes in pneumatic systems that lead to wasted energy and poor control. Converting these older types of systems to direct digital controls (DDC) or a hybrid wireless pneumatic DDC can greatly improve function and reliability. To ensure occupant comfort and potentially reduce heating and cooling costs, HVAC systems, sensors, thermostats, and controls should also be monitored, diagnosed, and recalibrated for optimal performance—and replaced when needed.
WATER HEATERS
Learn more about the types of commercial water heaters—based on their fuel, storage, and combustion types—and their best use cases. This section delves into the benefits of recirculating pumps, the importance of establishing a setpoint to mitigate instances of scalding and the potential for parasites, and how datalogging can help prevent thermosiphoning. This section also provides guidelines for properly insulating your water heater, an understanding of how pumps work to circulate water, and a look at high-efficiency, advanced products such as central heat pump water heaters.
MOTORS
Not all electric motors are the same or have the same efficiency. Learn the most significant things to consider when purchasing a motor such as lifecycle costs and features, why higher quality materials and standards foster greater motor reliability and efficiency, and the benefits of motor-driven systems for commercial buildings. You’ll also receive tips for proper motor maintenance to mitigate operational failure and avoid reductions in efficiency.
SERVER ROOMS
Understand the multiple components, configurations, and strategies for keeping your data centers operational and energy efficient. This section also features information about how technology featured in other equipment— such as Variable Frequency Drives and monitoring systems—can help you reduce power consumption, track and measure performance, and meet industry standards.
UTILITY BILL ANALYSIS
Gain a better understanding of your commercial building’s monthly electric utility bill. This section analyzes the types and components of the charge, different rate schedules, and how energy use is calculated. It also shows you how to identify seasonal trends and estimate equipment consumption, which can lead to potential savings.
INSPECTION CHECKLISTS
Use these checklists to help your facilities manager and/or department leads keep the various systems on track, identify and address maintenance needs, and find opportunities for greater efficiency and savings. Checklists for equipment scheduling, sensor calibration, outside air use, heating and cooling, and interior and exterior lighting are provided.