Prevalence of Findings from ASHRAE Level 2 Energy Assessments at 13 Colleges
Abstract
To meet a number of objectives, not the least of which is cost sav-
ings, colleges and universities of all sizes, public and private, have been
exploring opportunities to reduce energy use and costs. In operational
or maintenance practices, energy inefficiencies may be present due to
the condition of mechanical systems or campus infrastructure, or as a
result of behavioral and cultural habits. To derive information for an
energy master plan (EMP), and derive, prioritize and implement energy
conservation measures, the first step is to obtain a perspective on cam-
pus-wide opportunities for an improved energy profile and resultant
cost savings. This program of energy assessments has been performed
at 13 of the colleges at the City University of New York (CUNY). The
assessments identified opportunities in the following 12 categories on
a building-specific basis for a total of 169 buildings: building envelope,
lighting, HVAC, plumbing, boiler plant, chiller plant, building automa-
tion system, utility distribution, electrical, special systems (as appropri-
ate), O&M, and existing building commissioning (EBCx). There were 36
subcategories, which are described for clarity as to the scope of the as-
sessment in these areas. The energy assessments have noted some com -
monalities among the energy saving opportunities that were observed.
Buildings with some common uses (administration, library, science) did
not necessarily reflect strong commonalities, possibly given the rela-
tively limited number of buildings with these uses in the database and
the relative diversity of building age, historical use and construction.
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