Cost Savings From Retro-Commissioning Starts With The Inspection Process
Jul 01, 2013
Properties around Kansas City can benefit from retro-commissioning to keep from using more energy than is necessary. The cost savings that come with this procedure in particular start with the inspection process, which is done in order to identify inefficiencies, thereby ensuring that the property will not waste an excessive amount of energy during its operations.
A retro-commissioning inspection can entail the following points to determine how well a facility is actually operating:
-
A walkthrough can be done to inspect the general condition of a site.
-
Diagnostic tests may be utilized to determine what’s happening with individual energy-generating devices in an area.
-
Some repairs may be issued on some of these devices. These are relatively minimal for the most part and may be used to determine if simple fixes are all that is needed, or if something more intensive should be done.
-
The facility documentation can also be checked based on the operations that are happening in the facility.
The inspection can be finalized with a full list of recommendations based on the findings revealed through the inspection process. These findings will be analyzed and factored into the overall retro-commissioning process with a few important factors in mind:
-
The recommendations may include details on what can be fixed. Information on the specific repair procedures can be listed as well.
-
Recommendations for what has to be replaced may also be listed in this report.
-
Information on any adjustments to current devices, particularly items linked to an HVAC system, can also be used here.
An example of how this works can be found in the work done to the Robert Dole US Courthouse in the Kansas City area. This involved an inspection of the air conditioning units, which found that the units in charge were wearing out and had to be replaced. This replacement was completed and implemented in the courthouse. Today the courthouse is saving close to $5,000 a year on its heating and cooling through more efficient operation.
The report on the Dole Courthouse included information on such things as the hydronic and lighting system in the building. This included details on what lights to replace with lighter LEDs, recommendations that have greatly reduced the building’s lighting cost since they were added.
It’s clear that a good inspection is the foundation for getting your facility into the retro-commissioning process. Such a foundation gives you the details on what has to be replaced or fixed so that your facility in question can be optimized and ready to function as it was intended to.
