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How to reduce your building’s carbon footprint to meet new New York City requirements

Following the lead of the New York state government’s commitment to clean energy, the City of New York has passed legislation to do their part to move toward a carbon-neutral future.

The Climate Mobilization Act (1253-2018), a set of bills which was passed overwhelmingly by City Council on April 18, 2019, includes several regulations that affect building owners and developers. The regulations focus on ‘building energy and emissions performance’ and will create a dedicated office within the department of buildings (DOB) whose duties will include, but not be limited to, overseeing the implementation of this legislation within existing buildings, major renovations and new construction alike. Here is an overview of what steps existing building owners (especially of large buildings) in New York City need to take in order to comply with these new mandates.

Since buildings are the source of about two-thirds of New York’s carbon emissions, a big part of the legislation is setting new standards for these buildings. The initiatives aim to decrease greenhouse gas emissions from city buildings by 40% (compared to 2005) in the next ten years, and 80% in the next 20 years. Greenhouse gasses include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, and others.

This ambitious timeline means energy-efficient retrofits will have to occur on a scale that has never been undertaken by an American city. While there are some exceptions, lengthened timelines and reduced requirements for certain building types, for the most part, any building 25,000 square feet or larger must eventually meet new standards. That’s at least 50,000 spaces in New York.

Buildings that are in the top 20% of producing emissions will only have five years to implement changes. Exceptions include electric and steam power generation plants, rent-stabilized apartments (temporarily), places of worship and non-profit hospitals.

Starting in 2024, owners will need to show that the annual emissions of their building did not exceed the limits set in the law. The limits are based on square feet and occupancy, calculating electricity consumed by the building. Limits are calculated as metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per square foot (tCO2e/sf). While certain health care and civic facilities will have limits as high as 0.01193 tCO2e/sf, occupancy groups S and U will have the lowest limits to meet, 0.00110 [limits for years 2030-2034]. For the years of 2024-2029, the limits for a commercial building occupancy group B such as office buildings is set at 0.00846 tCO2e/sf.

According to the Energy Information Administration the average office building used 15.9 kilowatt-hours of electricity per square foot in 2012 (EIA ‘table 3: Total electricity consumption and intensities, 2012’). Using the legislation’s calculations for electricity directly consumed from the utility grid, that works out to 0.00459 tCO2e/sf which is less than the maximum limit of 0.00848 tCO2e/sf mandated, so this seems to indicate that at least for now many modern office buildings will already be in line with the new legislation requirements for the years 2024-2029.

The limits are calculated for those using power delivered by the electrical grid. Those that make use of on-site generation, distributed energy or are not on the utility distribution system will have separate rules. And those using steam will have an easier time meeting the requirements, as the calculations for energy consumed are lower than those for electricity.

By December 31, 2024, building owners must show they have undertaken energy conservation measures, including the following:

  • Adjusting temperature set points for heat and hot water to reflect appropriate space occupancy and facility requirements;
  • Repairing all heating system leaks;
  • Maintaining the heating system, including but not limited to ensuring that system component parts are clean and in good operating condition;
  • Installing individual temperature controls or insulated radiator enclosures with temperature controls on all radiators;
  • Insulating all pipes for heating and/or hot water;
  • Insulating the steam system condensate tank or water tank;
  • Installing indoor and outdoor heating system sensors and boiler controls to allow for proper set-points;
  • Replacing or repairing all steam traps such that all are in working order;
  • Installing or upgrading steam system master venting at the ends of mains, large horizontal pipes, and tops of risers, vertical pipes branching off a main;
  • Upgrading lighting;
  • Weatherizing and air sealing where appropriate, including windows and ductwork, with focus on whole-building insulation;
  • Installing timers on exhaust fans;
  • Installing radiant barriers behind all radiators;
  • Putting solar panels and plants to create green roofs;
  • Use of clean distributed energy resources, including hydropower, solar photovoltaics, geothermal wells or loops, tidal action, waves or water currents, and wind;
  • Using energy storage solutions, such as batteries, thermal systems, mechanical systems, compressed air, and superconducting equipment.

The bill provides for the creation of a loan program for businesses to apply to, to undertake these efforts, and new incentive programs are expected to be created.

It will be possible to purchase offsets or renewable energy credits, for up to ten percent of annual emissions, from authorized, local providers.

The new Office of Building Energy and Emissions Performance will oversee the implementation and auditing of the laws and policies in existing buildings and new construction. That department will be issuing the protocols for monitoring energy use by buildings, and creating an online site for building owners to submit their emissions data.

An Advisory Board will include architects, engineers, a building owner or manager, a public utility industry representative, environmental justice and advocacy organization representatives, a business sector representative, residential tenant representatives and a construction trades representative. A separate commission formed in the legislation has until the end of 2022 to create a guide to delineate the responsibilities of the building designer and owners to comply with emissions limits.

The penalties for noncompliance include fees for emissions above set limits, though there may be some leniency if the owner can show due diligence in attempting to comply by investing in energy efficiency measures. Non-reporting could rack up fines of $25,000 a month or more, while those who lie in their reports could face up to $500,000 or imprisonment. So it’s important to plan ahead, and start early to figure out what steps you will take to comply with the new law. As a building owner or developer, consulting with your architect or engineer for building assessment is a good way to start this process and avoid a lot of headaches down the road.

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What does New York’s commitment to clean energy mean for your business?

A couple of months ago, New York’s Governor Cuomo issued a statement that the state would go 100% carbon-free energy by 2040.

This statement follows on the heels of approval by the New York Public Service Commission to implement the third stage of its Clean Energy Standard (CES). Both are part of the state’s Reforming the Energy Vision which sets as goals that by 2030 the state will see a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels, with 70% of electricity coming from renewable sources like wind, solar, and hydro. They also list as a goal a 600 trillion Btu increase in statewide energy efficiency. By 2080, the plan envisions the State will see an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

In December 2018, the state’s Power Authority (NYPA) announced that it was investing $250 million in updating its electric grid to be more flexible to incorporate storage of electricity coming from renewable sources. NYPA already produces most of its electricity (70 percent) from hydropower.

In addition, the New York Public Service Commission has set ambitious energy storage goals of 1,500 MW by 2025 and 3,000 MW by 2030. It also sets a target for energy efficiency for the state’s investor-owned utilities to double utility energy efficiency reductions by 2025. These reductions will come in part from retiring any combustion turbine peaking units in New York City and Long Island that were built before 1990.

But what does all this mean for you and your business? For one thing, the state will be making regulatory changes to utility rates and carbon values. Commercial and industry players should expect to see incentives for switching to renewable offerings by utilities, and for using electricity during off-peak times.

Then there are the dozens of state and federal incentives available to businesses looking to transition to clean energy. Through the state’s  ground source heat pump rebate program for example, a building can get a rebate of up to $500,000 for installing a pump. Another program will help subsidize the installation of a real-time energy management system.

Through the NY Green Bank, commercial real estate owners can get financing to purchase and install “energy efficiency and/or renewable energy assets.”

For data centers looking to invest in energy efficiency equipment and productivity improvements, there’s the Industrial and Process Efficiency (IPE) program which offers performance-based incentives to offset costs. The incentives are calculated from the annual kilowatt-hour savings that result from implementing energy efficiency measures.

And it’s not just infrastructure: There’s a program that supports companies in hiring a full-time On-site Energy Manager, and another to encourage On-the-Job Training for Energy Efficiency and Clean Technology.

You can search this database for a comprehensive list for New York and other states.

New York is joining a trend toward 100% renewable energy seen in other states across the nation. Storage target numbers show this commitment. New Jersey wants to see 2,000 MW by 2030; California’s target is 1,300 MW by 2020; and Massachusetts is looking to dramatically increase the state’s existing 200 MWh storage target to 2,000 MW by 2025.

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Energy Efficient Commercial HVAC Systems: The Latest Technology and Innovations

Creating an energy efficient building involves many factors, but an efficient HVAC system is the key. In my last post, I talked about the money that businesses can save by instituting the latest advances in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.

Here are six such systems/technologies, each of which happens to come with its own acronym!

Variable refrigerant flow (VRF)

These systems use refrigerant fluid rather than of air or water. They are by nature ductless. They can be configured to provide different amounts of refrigerant at different times of day and year, and to different parts of the building (zones). This kind of system is best suited for small areas (1,000SF +/-) with limited space for ducts such as in small offices, shops, dwelling units, computer rooms, hotel/motel rooms, schools, banks etc.

Chilled beam cooling (PCB or ACB)

A passive chilled beam (PCB) is a series of tubes containing chilled water. Warm air in a room rises towards the beam on natural convection currents. The air is then cooled before it descends back towards the floor (and occupants of the room). This is quite energy efficient as no fan is required. A variation that uses more power but provides more cool air is called an active chilled beam (ACB). It pulls the air from the space into a cooling chamber and then forces it back into the room. This is still more efficient than moving air across an entire building.

Adjustable speed/Variable Frequency drives (ASDs/VFDs)

These drives save energy as they are able to lower motor speed and torque as load demand decreases. Some motors even have built-in VFDs in the form of microprocessors. These are also called “electronically commutated motors.”

Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs)

These pumps operate a heat exchange with the natural temperature of the ground or water a few feet below the surface depending on site conditions. This is more efficient than exchanging heat with the more volatile temperature of outside air. Ground temperatures in North America are warmer than air in the winter, and cooler in the summer. Moving heat rather than creating it is also more efficient. As a bonus, these pumps are quieter than their counterparts that use air.

Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV)

These systems work by “double dipping” into the energy that is already being used to exhaust air from a building, transferring heat and moisture from incoming air into the outgoing air. ERV systems are best for buildings located in warmer, more humid climates.

Demand Controlled Ventilation (DCV)

While safety in the form of air quality is of course vital, some systems end up wasting energy by over-ventilating. More modern systems include sensors for carbon dioxide levels, which feed that information to the motors to help determine current environmental ventilation needs.

Electronic expansion valves (EXV)

Here once again is a system that work in the benefit of energy savings. Electronic expansion valves (EXV) is a device that allows for the control of refrigerant flowing through your HVAC equipment, typically the evaporator. As an electronic device, it provides faster, more accurate and steady response to demand of refrigerant flow in the system than the usual thermal expansion valve. This results in the right amount of energy being delivered to the load, hence helping to prevent wasteful usage.

Maintenance

The good news is that these greener HVAC systems usually require less maintenance than older systems. Most of the new systems come with software that tracks equipment use, and will let you know when it’s time for maintenance to keep it at peak efficiency.

Finally, two low-tech maintenance actions that can pay off: Sealing ducts and making sure your building is well insulated are crucial to avoiding the loss of the hot or cold air you’ve worked so hard to bring into the space.

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Why using the latest efficiency technology for HVAC systems could save you tens of thousands of dollars a year

Using energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems isn’t just good for the environment, it’s good for your bottom line.

Several studies have shown that HVAC systems use about half of the total energy use of commercial buildings, and therefore half of energy costs and a big portion of operation costs. Commercial buildings like office buildings, retail spaces and schools consume almost 20 percent of the United State’s total energy. Of these, office buildings consume the most.

The bad news is that from 1979 to 2012, commercial buildings almost doubled their electricity consumption, from 2.2 trillion BTU to 4.2 trillion BTU. The good news is that the efficiency of use in those buildings is improving. A 2012 government report showed an average total annual energy used per square foot of commercial buildings was about 80,000 BTU per square foot. This is down from 91,000 BTU per square foot in 2003, a 12 percent drop in just 10 years. It is expected that those numbers will keep dropping as heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment improves in efficiency.

Meanwhile, according to 2016 U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates, New York businesses spend $42.35 Dollars a year per Million Btu for retail electricity. That works out to about $3.39 per square foot at the average usage rate reported in 2012. On average, New York companies provide about 125 to 250 square feet of space per office worker. A company of 200 people using 30,000 square feet of space could therefore easily be spending $100,000 in electricity costs.

Indeed, New York commercial businesses spent approximately $11 billion on energy costs in 2016, providing electricity to 545 million square feet of more office space than any other city on the planet.

If energy efficiency were improved by 10 percent, that would save New York businesses $1.1 billion!

The SmartMarket 2016 World Green Building Trends report shows that “green buildings” cost 14 percent less to operate than traditional buildings. For our hypothetical business using 30,000 square feet, a 14 percent improvement would be $14,000 in savings that could be used to invest in other areas.

Therefore it’s not a surprise that demand for green Mechanical and Electrical Engineering solutions is rising rapidly. A recent report predicts that global spending on energy efficient commercial HVAC systems will double in the next nine years, from about $30 billion to $60 billion.

In a future post, I’ll talk about some of those major solutions and systems, and which ones are right for different types of business spaces.

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Integrating Your Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Team into Designing Your Data Center Infrastructure

DOSE Engineering data center project

One of DOSE Engineering’s data center projects

When thinking about what your data center needs to do, you may be focused on the software security side of things: protecting business and client data, and making sure there are no disruptions to availability.

However, when designing a data center environment, there are many other factors to take into consideration. Your mechanical and electrical engineering (MEP) team must work together with your architect and construction manager if you are building from scratch, or your site selection team if you are looking at pre-existing space. Most importantly, your MEP team must work with your IT team.

Mechanical and Electrical Engineers can help with site selection, by evaluating several factors including square footage, usability of space, existing site mechanical and electrical system limitations and other constraints, as well as fire risk and scaling opportunities. They can help with planning how best to use the space, including the selection and layout of equipment for overheating and fire protection while maximizing usable floor area for data racks.

Your MEP team can evaluate the limits of the power available in a pre-existing space, and discuss potential upgrades to the infrastructure to provide additional power. They can also advise you on the most up-to-date systems to cool your data center, as well as control humidity.

Your MEP team can help you strategize around airflow and air containment. They’ll design a plan to help maximize the use of cold air coming into the center, and efficient placement of fans to exhaust hot air from individual pieces of equipment and the space, keeping a consistent room temperature for your equipment to operate at as near-ideal conditions as possible (hot aisle/cold aisle strategy). They can advise and install modern computer room air conditioner units (CRACs), and innovative green solutions for your data center.

Beyond equipment, they can advise as to installation of filler panels, the potential benefits of sealing equipment, and various options for cable management, all of which will reduce leaks.

Working with your IT personnel to understand what types of equipment are currently being used, and what replacement and scaling is anticipated in the future, the MEP team can give input on the design of racks, aisles and placement of equipment, including how to integrate free-standing equipment. The MEP team can also provide input on the best strategy for scaling by adding racks to a row or aisle. They can help design the center in a modular fashion, leaving room for growth and change.

A good MEP team can advise you on how to take advantage of the most efficient servers on the market, which use less power, especially when idle. They can offer options for battery backups and other power redundancy methods to ensure that even in a power failure situation, your data center will have access to electricity. They’ll be able to weigh in on the density of equipment around power supplies. They can also give input on how ceilings, floor space, columns, light fixtures can be worked around.

These efforts will result in reduced energy consumption and consistent operating costs. Only when you have consulted with an MEP team will you have a true grasp of the true costs and build-out schedule for your new or upgraded data center.

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