Portfolio: Recent Projects
A sample of recent projects is described below. Please contact us for additional projects.
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Audit Projects
Switching Facility Audits
Warren Energy Engineering performed energy audits of 14 telecom facilities totaling nearly 2 million square feet as a subcontractor to a major ESCO. We also performed quality assurance reviews on an additional 53 sites totaling 11 million square feet. Sites primarily included office buildings and equipment-dense central office facilities. The energy assessments include reviewing building and equipment data, interviewing site personnel, analyzing utility rate information, observing energy related equipment operation, and conducting some limited site measurements. Recommended measures for mechanical HVAC controls improvements included installing variable frequency drives (VFDs) to control air handler fans and converting chilled water distribution systems to variable flow. Improving the operation of outside air economizer cycles has also been a focus. Improvements to lighting have also been proposed.
ESCO RFP Response Assistance
Warren Energy Engineering performs energy audits that are used in a major ESCO’s RFP responses. These audits become the basis of the proposed scopes of work and savings guarantees for the mechanical (m), demand response (dr) and controls (c) measures. These studies have been completed on:
- Four (4) University buildings (m,c,dr)
- Community College (m,c,dr)
- Four (4) K-12 Schools (m,c)
- Six (6) K-12 Schools (m,c,dr)
- University conference center and classroom building (m,c)
- Housing Authority (m)
- Two (2) State Office Buildings (m,c)
- Five (5) K-12 Schools (m,c,dr)
On several of these projects we made use of eQUEST simulations while custom bin simulations were used on the others.
Housing Authority Audits
Warren Energy Engineering, LLC teamed with GDS Associates on recent energy audits of six housing authorities in the states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Warren Energy Engineering, LLC was responsible for identification and analysis of mechanical measures in an energy audit for each housing authority. Typical measures included improvements to domestic hot water and heating hot water systems, adding HVAC thermostats and controls, and measures to improve HVAC efficiency.
Hospital Central Plant / Cogeneration Master Plan
Mr. Warren, in cooperation with Quantec, LLC, analyzed all feasible options for a new central plant for a large hospital in Oregon. Analyzed equipment options include cogeneration (microturbines, IC engines, small combined cycle), absorption chillers, efficient electric centrifugal chillers, variable flow pumping, and natural gas boilers. The 20-year costs of the options were estimated and the impacts of several anticipated expansions and fuel and electricity price forecasts included. Utility incentives and state tax credits for the cogeneration equipment and for central plant equipment that exceeds state energy code will be pursued.
Analysis of the gas turbines that would produce a significant portion of the site’s electricity needs included the impact of supplementally fired heat recovery steam generators. An absorption chiller may be installed to increase the amount of recoverable heat. A variable flow chilled water pumping system in a primary secondary tertiary configuration is planned. Annual cost savings of more than $1million are expected.
PacifiCorp FinAnswer Consultant
Warren Energy Engineering provides energy analysis reports under the FinAnswer program for PacifiCorp. Mr. Warren has conducted approximately 20 such studies since 2003. The program requires that its consultants work diligently to ensure that studies become savings. The first step is typically a walkthrough audit, known in the program as an Initial Site Visit Report. We then work with the project manager and the customer to determine the customer’s intent to move forward. A detailed study, the Energy Analysis Report, is prepared for those measures that the customer feels have a reasonable chance of being installed soon. For these studies, we very often make use of eQuest models of the facilities. The reports include checklists for the customer to implement the project, and include a commissioning plan for the savings. Following project installation, we conduct an inspection of the project and revise the savings and incentive if necessary. The inspection involves collecting documentation of project costs and reviewing commissioning reports. Projects frequently take more than a year from start to finish, and customer management is a key to completing projects. Sample projects include:
- New construction design review - auto dealership
- Retrofit - industrial fan and motor improvements at an AFB
- Major renovation - chiller installation
- New construction design review – college classroom building
- Major renovation – college gymnasium facility
- Retrofit – private office building
- Retrofit – government office building
- Retrofit – government museum and office building
- New construction design review - big box retail (x 3)
- Major renovation – college student union
- New construction design review – 1M sq.ft. res/com/ret mixed use facility
Stanford University Office Building
A mechanical energy efficiency study of this office building was performed by Mr. Warren, for Planergy International. Identified projects included converting a constant volume reheat air handler to variable air volume reheat, expanding the EMS to allow zone level override so that time of day scheduling could be resumed, resetting the condenser water, improving the economizer sequence of operation, and implementing supply air temperature reset.
Therma - High Tech Office Campus Retrofits
Warren Energy Engineering staff worked with this mechanical and controls contractor to identify cost-effective energy retrofits at a large customer’s facility. The facility is a 10 building campus of mixed office, computer room, and laboratory space. Identified opportunities include converting VAV boxes to DDC to decrease after-hours consumption of VAV packaged units. kW worked with the contractor to develop appropriate scopes of work that would achieve the projected savings.
Evaluation Projects
Evaluation of CPUC Comprehensive Compressed Air Program (CCAP)
Warren Energy Engineering staff performed all engineering tasks involved in the evaluation of the CCAP program, a program administered by KEMA/Xenergy and funded by the California Public Utilities Commission. The prime evaluation contractor was Quantec, LLC. The program involves low-cost and capital-intensive industrial compressed air system improvements. Engineering evaluation activities include site audits and engineering analysis to estimate energy usage and savings for the energy efficiency measures. Ten sites were reviewed in detail.
PacifiCorp FinAnswer Program Evaluation
Warren Energy Engineering staff recently conducted, with Quantec, a program evaluation of the commercial and industrial programs administered by PacifiCorp in Utah and Washington in 2002. Mr. Warren’s role was to perform site-specific impact evaluations of approximately 20 of the larger projects. Sites included manufacturing plants, cold storage warehouses, a hospital, and office buildings. His role involved on-site inspections of the installations and an engineering review of the savings projections. Revised savings estimates were prepared using a combination of utility billing analysis, direct adjustment of ex-ante calculations, and eQUEST modeling.
Evaluation of 2002/3 CPUC Energy Efficiency Local Government (EEGOV) Program
Warren Energy Engineering staff performed or directly supervised all engineering tasks involved in the evaluation of the EEGOV program, a program administered by KEMA/Xenergy and funded by the California Public Utilities Commission. The prime evaluation contractor was Quantec, LLC. The WWTP portion of the program involved no-cost process improvements for wastewater treatment plants. Engineering evaluation activities included site audits and engineering analysis to estimate energy usage and savings for the energy efficiency measures. Measures at five treatment plants were evaluated in detail. The Building Energy Services Team (BEST) portion of the program involved direct installation of primarily lighting projects in the small hard-to-reach commercial sector. Engineering evaluation activities include on-site verification and installation of data loggers to confirm hours of operation for a sample consisting of 50 sites.
Evaluation of 2004/5 CPUC KEMA BEST Program
Warren Energy Engineering performed the engineering tasks for the impact evaluation of the Building Energy Services Team (BEST) direct-install small commercial incentive program, a program administered by KEMA and funded by the California Public Utilities Commission. The prime evaluation contractor was Quantec, LLC. The program involved direct installation of lighting and refrigeration controls projects in the small hard-to-reach commercial sector. Engineering evaluation activities included on-site verification of 120 sites and installation of data loggers to confirm hours of operation for a sample consisting of about 70 sites.
New Jersey BPU Market Assessment for Energy Efficiency Programs
Warren Energy Engineering performed the onsite inspections for the Energy Efficiency Market Assessment for the NJ BPU. Approximately 30 site visits were conducted to support assessment of the Residential New Construction, Energy Star Homes, and C&I Energy Efficient Construction programs.
Evaluation of CheckMe! Program
Warren Energy Engineering staff either performed or directly supervised all engineering tasks involved in the evaluation of the CheckMe! program in the Southern California Edison territory. The program is administered by Proctor Engineering and funded by the California Public Utilities Commission. The prime evaluation contractor is RER Itron. Evaluation activities include site audits and refrigerant testing to determine proper charging and airflow for small packaged units. Approximately 420 units were verified at 50 sites, and 20 refrigerant charge and airflow tests were performed.
Modeling Projects
New Construction Design Assistance for Mixed Use Facility
Warren Energy Engineering conducted an analysis of this 1,000,000 s.f. mixed use residential, office, retail, theater, and parking building in Utah. The baseline for the analysis was ASHRAE 90.1 Appendix G. We created an eQUEST model of the entire facility to analyze the savings from installing a high efficiency water cooled chiller plant. The impact of a proposed water side economizer was analyzed through a spreadsheet calculation based on the hourly output from the eQUEST model. The model had to be created in several stages so that the savings could be determined separately for 1) the entire building and 2) the central plant and one wing only (in case approval was not received for the final wings).
Salt Lake Community College Health Sciences Center
Mr. Warren performed a review of the design for the newly constructed 150,000 s.f. facility which includes a clinic with associated labs, exam rooms, rest rooms, classrooms, several computer labs, offices, small conference rooms, a large atrium, an auditorium, and library on 4 levels. The current design drawings and project specifications were reviewed. An eQUEST model of the atrium was developed to determine the impact of improved wall and skylight glazing. Lighting, fan energy, and VFD impacts were also examined.
CAM Charge Adjustment – NJ Office Building
A New Jersey based property management company was assessing the feasibility of installing an energy management system (EMS) at an office building in Mt Laurel, NJ. They wished to determine the cost effectiveness of such an installation. If the installation was to be cost effective, and reduce the utility portion of the CAM charge burden of the tenants, then the project cost can be included within the CAM charges. Warren Energy was asked to provide an estimate of the cost savings that would result from installation of the EMS. We used eQUEST to simulate the building and estimate the reduction in annual energy costs.
Cal Rampton Complex
Warren Energy Engineering performed an Energy Analysis Report for this large state office building. Measures included: occupancy sensors for lighting, premium efficient motors, controls upgrades, VFDs for air handlers, upgrading control of the dual duct terminal boxes, re-install evaporative cooling and heat recovery coils, and install evaporative cooling for an atrium. An eQUEST model was calibrated and used to predict the savings. Extensive use was made of trend logs that were created within the EMS.
New Auto Dealership — Layton, UT
Warren Energy Engineering performed a design review of a new auto dealership outside Salt Lake City, UT. The design was evaluated for characteristics that exceeded the requirements of the current energy code — IECC 2000 in this case. Improved glazing for the showroom, lighting controls, packaged unit economizers, skylights for increased daylight use, and a solar awning were evaluated The facility was modeled in eQuest to estimate the likely savings from the measures. The appropriate Utah Power incentives under the FinAnswer Program were determined.
Lower East Side Girl’s Club
Warren Energy Engineering was a subcontractor to Community Environmental Center on this new construction design assistance project supported by NYSERDA’s New Construction Program. The facility’s design was compared to a code-compliant facility through an eQuest model. The proposed HVAC design includes ground-source heat pumps (GSHP) and a dedicated outside air (DOA) air handler. Improved windows, window overhangs, and insulation were modeled for the envelope.
Utility Program Support
Technical Review Services to Support NYSERDA Commercial and Industrial Programs
Warren Energy Engineering, LLC was recently selected as one of several contractors to perform technical review services for NYSERDA. This is typically a service provided directly for the program administrators, to reviewing the work of the program consultants. Warren Energy is teaming with CDH Energy Corp for this review. This project involves the following types of services: reviewing scopes of work, engineering reports, and energy feasibility studies; providing project verification for performance based incentives; developing and implementing or reviewing energy savings measurement and verification plans; and identifying peak load reduction strategies.
PacifiCorp Quality Control Review
Mr. Warren has provided peer review of more than ten energy analysis reports performed for PacifiCorp’s Energy FinAnswer Program. Review of a several studies focused on the reasonableness of the eQuest models of the facilities. Various smaller issues such as discrepancies between monitored data and model inputs are also explored. Like most programs, there are many rules governing what measures and customers are eligible and determining the calculation of incentives. For example, incentives are limited to 50% of project incremental cost in most cases, so cost estimates must be reasonable. Projects are sometimes incented that appear to not be cost effective when only electricity savings are included. In these cases, it is important for the program, come evaluation time, that the other non-electric benefits of the project be presented. Mr. Warren takes pride in performing thorough reviews while respecting the different methods and styles of the energy analysis consultants. This work is ongoing.
