Ramapo College Institute of Environmental Studies (IES): Energy Audits: Methods and Findings
The Audits
Before undertaking any audits, the student members of the Ramapo audit team took courses, did research, and received specialized training from Project Director and Ramapo professor Dr. William Makofske. This accomplished, the Ramapo audit team was ready to take a close look at some northern New Jersey buildings to find opportunities for energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Three fairly typical small non-residential buildings were selected: a house of worship, a small combination office/apartment building, and a library. Like many such regional buildings, they were constructed in the 1940's - 1960's, in an era of cheap energy and no special concern with energy conservation. We believe our audit results will be relevant to many buildings in our region, and we urge all those responsible for energy choices to examine the results carefully and consider the applicability of our recommendations to their own buildings.
These three buildings received a detailed walk-through, an analysis of their building's energy performance based on their energy bills (if they provided such bills to us), and a detailed analysis of their site for the potential use of photovoltaics for electricity. We initially intended to include a blower-door test, but found the sites to be so poorly sealed and so "leaky" as to make the test irrelevant -- all clearly needed substantial additional insulation and sealing.
In addition, we visited several comparable sites (another library, three buildings at the site of another religious institution, and a historical society housed in a former library) to share our analyses and to provide helpful energy recommendations from a site walk-through and an analysis of their energy bills. We found substantially the same issues and
problems in these outreach sites, and made many of the same recommendations.
Follow the links below for detailed information and recommendations. Find further below a summary of our general findings in examining these kinds of buildings for their potential for greater energy efficiency and use of renewable energy.
The Audit Sites:
- House of Worship (PDF)
- Law Office (PDF)
- Library (PDF)
The Outreach Audits (details):
General Findings
The Envelope, Please
Overall, these buildings had poor to no insulation in their outer walls. Many windows were single-pane and had substantial leakage, letting cold air in during the winter and warm air in summer. Often simple measures, such as providing adequate weather-stripping for the doors, had not been implemented. Attic spaces often had unnecessary direct openings to the outside. Most attics also had no insulation and poor or inadequate sealing, allowing heat to escape in winter and permitting hot air to enter the building in the summer. Many envelope improvements, ranging from the inexpensive to the mid-priced (e.g., insulation, sealing the attic, windows), would produce substantial reductions in energy use, and often could offer quick payback periods.
Insulation, Insulation, Insulation
As noted above, insulating the building attic was always recommended. We also found that generally there was no insulation on HVAC ductwork, on pipes in cool areas (especially important for those pipes connected to hot water heaters), or around the hot water tank. Adding this insulation to the ductwork, pipes and hot-water tank would be inexpensive and highly cost-effective, and adding insulation to the building envelope (particularly insulation, such as foam, that also seals up cracks) would certainly be a high-impact step for all the buildings we examined.
IMPORTANT NOTE: There are threats to indoor air quality if a building is sealed up too tightly. Buildings require adequate ventilation. Before adding substantial insulation or substantially tightening a building's envelope, please consult a trained professional. He or she can make insulation/sealing recommendations that preserve the indoor air quality of the building. Additional HVAC solutions may also be considered for well-sealed buildings, such as ventilation with air-to-air heat exchangers.
Tame that Temperature
Some buildings lacked programmable thermostats, and others kept their thermostats at the same constant temperature. The programmable thermostats should be set during the heating season to drop to 60 degrees F when the building is closed, and to 68 degrees F during hours of operation. In warm weather, the thermostat should be set to 78 degrees F during hours when the building is occupied. HVAC units should be set to go on about 2 hours before the building opens, and to go off an hour before it closes. These times can be adjusted if needed. Compared to a constant 72 degrees F, the above action can save around 8-10% of the heating and cooling energy. This would be a no or low-cost improvement. We also found, in buildings with radiators, that installing thermostatic radiator valves in overly-warm areas can increase comfort and reduce energy costs. In some cases, additional zoning of different building areas was possible without difficulty.
Don't Be in Hot Water
Most buildings had old hot water heaters; several of them weren't functioning or functioned poorly. In addition to insulating the pipes and hot water tank (mentioned above), the aquastat should be set to 120 degrees F, and the unit can be put on a timer to provide hot water only when the building is in use. Additionally, the hot-water needs of these buildings generally were low (e.g., a rarely-used kitchen sink, bathroom sinks). For such needs, an instantaneous or on-demand hot water heater could be very cost-effective; such units do not waste energy storing an entire tank of hot water, but instead generate the hot water instantly when needed.
Way Too Cool
Refrigerators were generally old and over-sized for the building's needs. Buying a smaller ENERGY STAR™ refrigerator would provide substantial energy savings and a fairly short payback period.
Light, Yes; Heat, No
Gains from a massive deployment of compact fluorescent bulbs would be substantial; they use less electricity and general less waste heat. There are CFL bulbs that can replace a wide variety of incandescent bulbs, and they are now widely available and affordably-priced. Most buildings also had outdated fluorescent fixtures that should be replaced with more up-to-date T5 or T8 fixtures. Halogen bulbs add substantial to summer cooling loads and can often be replaced with fluorescent fixtures. LED Emergency Exit signs offer a relatively short payback period at reasonable expense. A number of lighting consultants can provide a detailed analysis of lighting improvements to make, and almost all buildings with older lighting can generate substantial energy savings with quick payback periods from upgrading their lighting.
IMPORTANT NOTE: CFL's contain mercury safely sealed inside them. While they are entirely safe to use, please don't dispose of CFL's in your ordinary garbage, but treat them as hazardous waste (along with other household items such as electronics and paints). Contact your local Department of Sanitation to learn about your options for properly disposing of such household waste; most counties offer drop-off sites and also host regular special events for the disposal of hazardous household wastes. For this same reason, don't use CFL's in situations where the bulb is likely to break -- e.g., in a desk lamp on a child's desk.
Further Note: While CFL's contain mercury, their use actually reduces the amount of mercury in the environment, since the energy saved reduces the coal burned to produce electricity. Coal burning is one of the major sources of mercury in the environment today.
It Does Not Compute
All buildings used a significant number of computers and related equipment. They use substantial energy, but easy tools exist to reduce their energy consumption:
- Put computers on power strips and shut them down fully when the building is not in use. It has been years since hard drives have been put at risk from frequently turning them on and off.
- Printers can be put on their own power strips and turned on only when needed (for printers that are not in constant use).
- Use the computer's Control Panel to turn off the screen after short periods of inactivity (e.g., 10 minutes) and to "spin down" the computer's hard drive after longer periods of inactivity (e.g., 30 minutes). These changes will produce substantial energy savings, pose no threat to computer operations, and will scarcely impact the user's computer experience.
- As a general rule, laptops use less energy than desktops, and flat-screen monitors use less energy than older, bulkier CRT monitors. We were happy to see that almost all computers in use in the buildings we examined had newer, flat-screen monitors.
- For replacement purchases of computers, copiers, fax machines and other electronic equipment, look for the ENERGY STAR™ label for substantial energy savings.
Further information: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=power_mgt.pr_power_management
Through the Looking Glass
As noted above, many buildings we looked at had single-pane windows that provided a very unsatisfactory barrier to outside air. Replacing old single-pane windows with double or triple-pane, or with low-e, gas-filled windows, or adding solar control film to reduce summer heat gain, would be an expensive but potentially cost-effective building improvement to make, especially when air infiltration losses are considered. Windows can also be covered for the winter with a plastic barrier (available at any hardware store), and heavy drapes or cellular shades can also reduce energy loss through windows.
And Furthermore...
- After implementing all these energy-saving changes, often old HVAC equipment can be replaced with smaller, much more efficient units, cheaper to buy and cheaper to operate.
- Substantial financial help is out there (rebates, subsidies, tax deductions) to help you afford to investigate your building's energy efficiency and renewable energy potential and to pay for the recommended energy improvements. See our Links and Other Information page for further guidance.
- While you are at it...make sure to examine your building for safety. Radon monitoring and tests need to be done, carbon monoxide monitors deployed, and you should also inspect for gas leaks. Also comply with asbestos laws and policies.
