Energy efficiency measures reduce the long-term cost of ownership of a building, in exchange for an initial investment. However, it is possible to go wrong with energy efficiency, especially when upgrades are implemented without a suitable solution. energy audit . This article describes some common mistakes and how to avoid them.
Although energy codes establish a minimum level of performance for buildings, these typically only apply to renovations and new construction. When a specific energy efficiency measure is retroactive for existing buildings, this is made clear through legislation. For example, Local Law 88 in New York makes lighting upgrades mandatory for all buildings it covers and the deadline is 2025.
If you're in New York, the State Building Code for Energy Conservation provides minimum energy efficiency requirements, and New York City has a dedicated New York Energy Conservation Code . In New Jersey, on the other hand, the requirements are established by the NJ Energy Subcode which is part of the Uniform Building Code.
Identify the best energy efficiency upgrades for your building.
Mistake 1: Not prioritizing energy efficiency measures
For a given building, not all energy efficiency measures will produce the same return for every dollar invested. As a property manager, you should prioritize upgrades with the best financial performance, as the savings become available in a short time. Of course, you must first know which building upgrades are the most promising.
The effectiveness of an energy efficiency measure does not just depend on the final performance achieved after the upgrade. You should also consider the existing condition and analyze the proposed measures based on comparison .
- For example, upgrading from incandescent bulbs to state-of-the-art LED bulbs can yield huge savings.
- On the other hand, only marginal savings are achieved when upgrading to efficient fluorescent lighting such as T5.
Although LED Lighting is proposed in both cases, the financial performance is much better in the first example due to the large gap in efficiency. Think about buying a new car with a fuel efficiency of 40 miles per gallon: the owner of a 20 MPG car will see greater savings than the owner of a 30 MPG car.
Mistake 2: Using generic savings figures and “rules of thumb”
Suppliers of energy-saving equipment often provide generic savings data. In can be represented in several ways, such as:
- Percentage savings
- kWh per year
- Dollars per year
These savings figures are based on generic case studies, but don't assume you'll get the same result in your building. The conditions existing on your property may be very different from those considered by equipment suppliers.
- For example, if you see an air conditioning system that offers 60% energy savings, check the baseline scenario assumed by the supplier.
- If they took on a VIDER 10 mini-split unit and you have window air conditioning, you would achieve even greater savings.
- The opposite can also happen: if your AC units are already above SEER 10, you will save less than 60%.
“Rule of thumb” calculations should also be avoided in the design phase. Even if you use energy-efficient technology, optimal performance is not achieved when the equipment capacity does not match the load.
Mistake 3: Ignoring power codes
Energy codes do not require energy efficiency measures in older buildings unless an addition or major renovation is carried out. However, once you choose to implement energy efficiency, the energy code provides the minimum value you can aim for. In other words, you cannot set a performance target below the code, even if it represents an improvement beyond the existing condition.
You may want to prioritize energy efficiency for certain building systems during a major renovation, but there's one thing you can't do: ignore other areas that are also subject to the energy code. In other words, having maximum efficiency in some building systems does not make up for falling below code requirements with other systems.
Final Recommendations
To get good results from your energy efficiency upgrades, the best recommendation is to get a professional energy audit. This avoids a costly “trial and error” approach, and you can focus investment where it will yield the greatest return.
Once you have identified the best energy efficiency measures for your building, you must ensure that any proposed upgrades are designed correctly. A poorly specified upgrade will not produce the expected results, even if the energy audit was performed by qualified engineering professionals. Keep in mind that there is also a permitting procedure, as with any building upgrade project.
