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In a recent commentary on the U of I’s progress toward
goals from its Climate Action Plan, I noted that much of the credit for that
progress goes to a team from Facilities & Services known as the
Retrocommissioning Group. Since then, through conversations on campus and
elsewhere, I’ve been reminded that few people know much about the group or the
work they do. Given our long-term interests in conserving resources and saving
money, that’s too bad, because the people who do retrocommissioning are
champions of both.
So let me bring you up to speed.
In a nutshell, retrocommissioning refers to a
process of analyzing the energy-dependent systems in a building—heating,
ventilation and cooling, as well as lighting—and then doing what’s necessary to
get those systems operating as efficiently as possible.
Facilities & Services first formed a team
dedicated exclusively to retrocommissioning in 2007. It was composed of five
people and led by Karl Helmink an engineer with long experience in heating and
cooling. Their tongue-in-cheek slogan then was “Saving the planet one building
at a time.” Since then, the group has grown to 20 people and it now operates in
two teams, so they’ve updated their slogan to “Saving the planet two buildings
at a time.” Both teams include engineers,
field technicians, tradesmen and student interns.
The teams typically spend about two months on a
building, and they employ a highly systematic approach. Their work entails a
thorough analysis of available documentation on mechanical systems by engineers,
and a comprehensive investigation of operating conditions, equipment, and more
by field technicians and tradesmen.
Members of the team also confer with
representatives from the buildings where they work throughout the process to
make sure their needs are met. “When our work is finished,” says Helmink, “they’ve
got to be happy with the building”.
One straightforward thing the retrocommissioning teams do is
identify maintenance issues that tend to multiply in overlooked places as
facilities age—things like clogged ducts, stuck dampers, damaged coils and worn
out sensors. Beyond attending to such issues, they also focus on ensuring that
lights and heating and cooling are on only as they are needed, rather than
around the clock. Toward this end they install occupancy sensors wherever they
can.
Such tune-ups can have really amazing impacts.
The greatest reduction in energy use from one year to the
next? A whopping 56 percent, achieved at the Admissions and Records Building.
But even the average reduction in energy use following retrocommissioning is an
amazing 28 percent. And because retrocommissioning has now been conducted at
more than 50 campus facilities, the cost savings are really adding up, too. Over
the past seven years the work of the Retrocommissioning Group has saved the
University more than 22 million dollars on energy costs.
Critical listeners might wonder whether the gains
achieved by Retrocommissioning are lost over time; I’m happy to report they are
not. That’s because the process also involves adding buildings to a centralized
computer system monitored by a team member, who can dispatch crews to fix significant
problems as they arise. So, for example, if a valve gets stuck open leaving
heat on when it’s not supposed to be, it takes little time for the problem to
be discovered.
In fact, Helmink pointed out, problems are often
corrected before building users are even aware of them. Kind of makes you wish
you could have the Retrocommissioning Group work at your home, doesn’t it?
