Building Performance: Building Operator Training to Save

Energy

Brian Gilligan, PE, LEED AP, General Services Administration

Amanda Hatherly, Santa Fe Community College’s New Mexico Energy Smart
Academy
Srinivas Katipamula, Ph.D., Staff Scientist, PNNL
Facilitator:
Lisa Shulock, LEED AP O+M, Consortium for Building Energy Innovation/Penn State
August 11, 2015
Phoenix Convention Center • Phoenix, Arizona
 Session Overview

• Focusing on two hands-on training programs

for building operators with documented
energy and cost savings:
– Building Operator Certification (BOC)
– Building Re-Tuning Training
• Federal Buildings Personnel Training Act and
its relevance to you

2 Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade

 Review Session Objectives

1. Decide whether you, a co-worker or subordinate is

a good candidate to attend BOC and/or BRT
2. List 3-5 common energy-saving opportunities that
are discovered during building re-tuning
3. Make a persuasive case to your management or
decision-makers about the value of investing in
building operator training

3 Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade

 Questions

• Other than this conference, when was the last time

you participated in training?
• How many of you think the building(s) you work in
are energy efficient? Very? Somewhat? Not so
much?
• Do you think the savings from training facilities staff
generally result in energy savings of?
– 0-5%
– 5-25% or
– 25-50%
– 50% or greater

4 Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade

 BOC – The Basics

• Nationally recognized certification

• Project-based
• Short quiz assessments
• Apply class learning to the building you are in
• Main focus is energy efficiency
• 72 hours, typically over 7 months

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 BRT – The Basics

Building Re-Tuning is identifying and implementing

no- and low-cost improvements to increase building
energy efficiency. The training is targeted at people
working in buildings who can learn to re-tune their
buildings
• Training formats:
– Online on-demand (2-6 hours)
– In-person (1-2 days)
• Training options:
– Small building without BAS
– Large building with BAS

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FBPTA - Requirements of the Act

• Core Competencies for Federal buildings Personnel

• Recommended Curriculum and Continuing Education
• Annual updates to Competencies and Curriculum
• Compliance by all Federal buildings personnel
• Method for contractor compliance

“…core competencies …relating to building

operations and maintenance, energy
management, sustainability, water efficiency,
safety (including electrical safety) and
building performance measures.”

7 Decade
Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next
 $2 Billion in potential operational savings
from an educated Federal FM Workforce

Source: General Services Administration (GSA) Estimates based on the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Study “Assessing the Potential for
a FEMP Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Program to Improve Energy Efficiency”, 2002
8
 FBPTA Core Competencies – BOC Coverage

BOC BOC BOC

BOC BOC BOC

BOC BOC BOC

BOC BOC BOC

BOC BOC BOC

BOC BOC BOC

BOC BOC BOC

BOC BOC BOC

BOC BOC BOC

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 BOC Level 1 Core Classes

• BOC 1001 – Energy Efficient Operation of

Building HVAC Systems
• BOC 1002 – Measuring and Benchmarking
Energy Performance
• BOC 1003 – Efficient Lighting Fundamentals
• BOC 1004 – HVAC Controls Fundamentals
• BOC 1005 – Indoor Environmental Quality
• BOC 1006 – Common Opportunities for Low-
Cost Operational Improvement
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 BOC Level 1 Supplemental Classes

• BOC 1007 – Facility Electrical Systems

• BOC 1008 – Operation & Maintenance Practices for
Sustainable Buildings
• BOC 1009 – Building Scoping for Operational
Improvement
• BOC 1010 – Energy Efficient Ventilation Strategies and
High Performance Heating and Cooling Equipment
• BOC 1011 – Energy Efficient Ventilation Strategies and
Energy Savings through Energy Recovery
• BOC 1012 – High Performance Heating and Cooling
Equipment and Energy Savings through Energy
Recovery

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 BOC Level 2
• BOC 201 – Preventive Maintenance & Troubleshooting
Principles
• BOC 202 – Advanced Electrical Diagnostics
• BOC 203 – HVAC Troubleshooting & Maintenance
• BOC 204 – HVAC Controls & Optimization
SUPPLEMENTAL COURSES (2 offered per course series)
• BOC 211 – Motors in Facilities
• BOC 212 – Water Efficiency for Building Operators
• BOC 213 – Mastering Electric Control Circuits
• BOC 214 – Introduction to Building Commissioning
• BOC 215 – Electric Motor Management
• BOC 216 – Enhanced Automation and Demand Reduction

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 Documented Savings
Results Across All Evaluation
kWh kW Therms
Reports
92,000 12.5 1,260
Average Annual Savings Per
Certified Operator Range Range
Range
9,940 - 36 –
3 - 37
181,000 3,104

0.26 -* -
Average Savings Per Square
Foot/Year Range
- -
0.02-.50

Average % Energy Savings Per

2.4% - -
Certified Operator

Notes: *For the few studies that calculated kW per sq. ft. the results
varied widely so no conclusions were drawn.

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Meta-Analysis of ~100 Buildings
~25 buildings

• What are the common re-tuning measures?

• What are the expected savings, if a building is
re-tuned?
~50 buildings
• Analyzed over 100 buildings, documented the
common re-tuning measures
– Documented whole building energy savings for a
subset of the buildings (~25)
~30 buildings

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Classification of Re-tuning Measures

For example, most desirable

measures to implement are those
that yield high savings but require
low effort
Scheduling measures fall in this
category 15
Meta-Analysis: Common Measures
Almost every building had some re-tuning measures to consider
– Lack of proper schedules for
HVAC and lighting systems
– Lack of schedules for exhaust
fans or fans running during
warm-up mode
– Lack of night set backs
– Lack of occupancy-based
controls for common areas
(conference rooms, kitchen, etc.)
– Lack of photo sensors or sensors
in the wrong locations for exterior
lighting controls
– Lack of automatic lighting
controls
– One or more faulty sensors
Improper air flow sensors or
stuck zone dampers
Improper minimum outdoor-air
setting during morning warm-up
Lack of static pressure or
discharge temperature reset on
AHUs
Lack of chilled/hot water
temperature reset
Lack of differential pressure
reset on chilled/hot water
distribution loop
Improper heating/cooling set
points or dead bands
16
Meta-Analysis: Distribution of
Re-tuning Measures
• Although the sample is biased towards
office buildings, there appears to be no
difference in the distribution of re-
tuning measures by building type,
vintage, and size

17
Meta-Analysis: Summary
No discharge temperature reset 65%

No static pressure reset 65%

Lack proper schedule for exhaust fans during warm-up 50%

Lack proper schedule for AHUs & lack schedules for fans 50%

No chilled water temperature reset 45%

Lack occupancy based controls for common areas 40%

No Chilled water differential pressure reset 30%

No hot water temperature reset 30%

Improper mininum outdoor air setting during warm-up 30%

Faulty sensors 30%

No photo sensors or improper location 25%

Improper dead bands 25%

Improper heating/cooling set points 25%

No night set backs 20%

Lack automatic lighting controls 15%

No hot water differential pressure reset 15%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Building [%] 18
Meta-Analysis: Summary (cont.)
• Annual energy savings ranged between 2% to 26%, with a median
savings of 15%
• Annual normalized cost savings ranged between 0.0$/sf to 0.6$/sf,
with a median savings of 0.12$/sf
• If all re-tuning measures identified were implemented, the savings
could have been even larger

19
 GSA Retuning Case Studies

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 GSA Retuning Case Studies

LBJ Department of Education Headquarters

• Built in 1961
• 550,800 rsf
• Full modernization in 1996
• HVAC commissioned in 2010

William Bryant Courthouse Annex

• Built in 2005
• 264,842 rsf
• 9 courtrooms, 19 chambers and office space for court functions

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 Retuning with BAS vs Without BAS

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 Electricity Savings – LBJ & Bryant

In the first four months since re-tuning:

• LBJ saved 21.7% on electricity usage
• Annex 8.2% on electricity usage

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 Building owners can encourage O&M contractors

Best aspect of course was

“seeing actual equipment
and hearing/seeing ‘real
life’ issues/problems and
how they were solved.”
Senior Project Manager,
Healthy Buildings

24 Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade

 Efficacy Study – Building Manager Interviews
Building managers were interviewed using the Course Competency Maps for each course to
document which competencies, knowledge areas, and actions were learned from the course.

Re-Tuning for Buildings Re-Tuning for Buildings

Collect Initial Building Information Conduct Building Walkdown

• Building Automation System • Review Electrical and Mechanical Prints
• Walkdown of Building
Pre-Re-Tuning Activities
• Trending Air Handling Units
• Tending Economizer Operations
• Trending Terminal Units in Air Distribution
System
• Central Utility Plant

Re-Tuning Activities
• Economizer
• Unoccupied and Night Setback
• SDVAV AHU
• Reset CHWST
• Reset Differential Pressure
• Chiller Staging Control
• Condensing Water Temperature Control

25 Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade

 Finding BOC training opportunities

Regions have
approved training
providers; some
have more than
others
Go to
http://theboc.info/h
-training-
locations.html to
find a training near
you
26 Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade
 Finding BRT training opportunities

• Online PNNL training available on demand

• DOE is funding CBEI to deploy in-person/remote
BRT broadly in the marketplace (beginning in
2016)
• BOMA and APPA trainers are being trained to
deliver BRT
• We are also working with two consulting/training
firms to develop and deploy a training program
for BRT with BAS
• Other providers also delivering BRT
• Visit out website at http://cbei.psu.edu/retuning-
training-and-cases/

27 Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade

 Building Re-tuning Training Opportunities
Building Automation Building
Training Organization Location Format and Subsidy
System (BAS)? Type
Educational 1-2 days in-person;
APPA International Various BAS & non-BAS
institutions subsidized
Non-BAS (& BAS in 1-2 days in-person;
BOMA International Various Commercial
2016) subsidized
Multi-week training;
California Manufacturi free to PG&E
Manex BAS
Bay Area ng manufacturing
customers
Five 3-hour classes
CUNY Building NYC Metro Commercial
BAS spread over 5 weeks;
Performance Lab Area Buildings
subsidized by NYSERDA
Performance Systems Both BAS and non- Commercial Remote training;
Remote
Development (PSD) BAS Buildings subsidized by NYSERDA
Government 1-2 days in-person;
PennTAP PA Non-BAS
& schools subsidized
PNNL Interactive Both BAS and non- Commercial 6-hour online training
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Online Course BAS Buildings with 3-D simulation
 QUESTIONS

29 Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade

 Session Objectives

1. Decide whether you, a co-worker or subordinate is

a good candidate to attend BOC and/or BRT
2. List 3-5 common energy-saving opportunities that
are discovered during building re-tuning
3. Make a persuasive case to your management or
decision-makers about the value of investing in
building operator training

30 Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade

Our contact info

amanda.hatherly@sfcc.edu

brian.gilligan@gsa.gov

Srinivas.Katipamula@pnnl.gov

Lshulock@engr.psu.edu

31 Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade

Resources

http://theboc.info

http://retuning.org

http://retuningtraining.labworks.org

https://www4.eere.energy.gov/workforce/projects
/buildings-retuning-training

http://cbei.psu.edu/retuning-training-and-cases/

32 Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade

 Sponsors of BOC

Utilities
Avista Utilities, Bay State Gas, Benton Co. PUD, Berkshire Gas, Boston Edison, Boston Gas,
Central Electric Cooperative, Chelan Co. PUD, Colonial Gas, COM/Electric, COM/Gas, Concord
Electric, Connecticut Light & Power, Cowlitz County PUD, Eugene Water and Electric Board,
Essex Gas, Exeter and Hampton Electric, Fall River Gas, Fitchburg Gas & Electric Light, Franklin
Co. PUD, Idaho Power, Midstate Electric Cooperative, New Hampshire Electric Coop,
Northwest Natural Gas, NorthWestern Energy, Pacific Gas & Electric, PacifiCorp, Portland
General Electric, Public Service Co. of New Hampshire, Public Service Company of New
Mexico, Puget Sound Energy, City of Richland, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, San
Diego Gas & Electric, Seattle City Light, Snohomish Co. PUD, Southern California Edison,
Southern California Gas, Springfield Utilities Board, Tacoma Power, Western Massachusetts
Electric Company
Government
U.S. Department of Energy Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), Washington State
Department of General Administration, State of Illinois, State of Minnesota, State of Ohio,
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
Organizations
Local chapters of the American Society of Hospital Engineers, National School Plan
Management Association, Building Owners and Managers Association, and the International
Facility Management Association
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THANK YOU
Phoenix Convention Center • Phoenix, Arizona