Background
Many buildings and rooms at the University of Waterloo are not performing at the level they were designed to operate at. Recommissioning is the process of identifying and addressing systems that are not operating at optimal levels and also includes considerations of how different systems interact to affect overall performance.1 Recommissioning some of the worst performing rooms can be a cost effective way to achieve quick and easy wins for energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions reductions. In fact, 62.3% of the University’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2018 came from the natural gas and electricity used to operate our buildings. Achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and a 17.5% reduction in emissions below 2015 levels by 2025 will require major investments in building operating systems as highlighted by three initiatives in the Shift Neutral Climate Action Plan:
14. Reduction/Action: Complete an audit of campus buildings to determine a mix of short-term energy efficiency and carbon reduction projects (through 2025)
16. Reduction: Initiate a recommissioning program for top energy-consuming buildings to ensure controls and sequence of operations are operating as efficiently as possible
20. Consideration: Calibration and optimization of building scheduling and setpoints should be considered on an ongoing basis
This work also relates to the UN Sustainable Development Goals 7 and 13, for affordable and clean energy and climate action.
Scope of Work Could Include
- Consult with Plant Operations to identify a room that is performing poorly, and assemble any available information on building design and performance.
- Assess the design capabilities and measure the performance of the room in terms of
- Lighting
- Temperature
- Air flow
- Energy use
- Lighting and temperature controls through the day/week/year
- Acoustics
- Air quality
- Identify problems with the room’s performance.
- Perform a cost-benefit analysis of possible solutions to the problems identified.
- Recommend improvements to the room systems and project the magnitude of the problems identified in that room for the entire campus.
- Estimate the number of rooms that have similar performance gaps and the magnitude of the impact addressing them would have on total campus energy use and emissions.
Resources
A list of recommended reading can be found below. The Sustainability Office can facilitate engagement with Plant Operations to access information on buildings, to access building systems and to answer questions about campus systems. Equipment is also available through the Sustainability Office for measuring room performance.
Stakeholders
- Sustainability Office
- Plant Operations
Proposed Deliverables
The details of the deliverables are flexible but must meet the requirements set out by the course instructor. Some proposed deliverables include:
- A work plan early in the term outlining key milestones and responsibilities.
- Updates on progress at least once during the term.
- A final report outlining the outcomes of the feasibility study, including cost estimates from local sources.
Recommended Readings
Mills E. Building commissioning: a golden opportunity for reducing energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Energy efficiency. 2011;4(2):145-173. doi:10.1007/s12053-011-9116-8
https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy-efficiency/buildings/existing-buildings/recommissioning/20705
https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/sites/www.nrcan.gc.ca/files/canmetenergy/pdf/fichier.php/codectec/En/2008 -167/NRCan_RCx_Guide.pdf
https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/sites/www.nrcan.gc.ca/files/canmetenergy/pdf/fichier.php/codectec/En/2011 -099/RCx_StMichel_EN_web.pdf
1 Mills E. Building commissioning: a golden opportunity for reducing energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Energy efficiency. 2011;4(2):145-173. doi:10.1007/s12053-011-9116-8