Monitor Buildings for Energy Savings

IRVINE, CA-Once the design and construction phases are completed, what can owners and operators do to increase sustainability in a building? Speakers at the Bank of America-sponsored US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon and XPO at the Orange County Great Park here recently pointed out that monitoring and measuring energy use is a key step in reducing costs at this level.

“You can manage it if you can measure it,” said Kevin Devine, director of engineering for Brookfield Office Properties. “Metering is very important. Deploy a strategic measurement plan with your building automation system or a separate energy-management system so that you can understand where your electricity is going.” He adds that turning an older building into a more intelligent building requires a tough-sell investment because you don't know what the ROI is.

Providing more access to data has had an incredible payback, said Julia Ledewitz, program manager, energy and sustainability, for DTZ. “We have found that typically owners and tenants are very interested in that data, and it does give them the (ability) to make the improvements they want to make.”

She added that sub-metering is especially helpful with larger projects. “For example, your HVAC investment is going to go further if you're moving a lot of air through the volume of your system compared to a smaller space. There are obviously different loads to consider. It's great to be able to isolate your HVAC from your electricity, and your lighting loads from your plug loads.”

Getting tenants involved in the process of sustainability is also important, the experts said. They recommend communicating to tenants when you're planning to change energy-use goals, and have them be a part of the solution. “You want to be able to tell each tenant how much (energy) they're using,” said Daniel Becker, energy and sustainability capital program manager for Bank of America. “If a particular tenant is using more, they should be paying more. The problem we have now in large, multi-tenant buildings is that maybe we occupy 25% of the space in the building, we're going to make an investment in our space, but the benefits of that will spread to all the tenants of the building.”

Devine added that “tenant engagement” will be part of everybody's DNA moving forward. “We proactively meet with our tenants in all of our buildings to help them perform energy audits within their space, perhaps help them improve their lighting control system or how they operate their appliances. Working with the tenant is one of the few easy opportunities you have to improve your building's energy loads.”

Engaging the occupants in a way that makes them feel like they are a part of the solution and not a project that is being imposed on them is also important, added Ledewitz. “When you get a project that lasts longer, you get fewer complaints from people simply responding to change, rather than the effect itself.”

As GlobeSt.com reported earlier this month, speakers at the NAIOP Development '13 conference in San Diego recently said that, fortunately for building owners, the ROI on sustainability measures can go beyond a reduced energy bill to engender tenant loyalty and reduce other operational costs.