Category Archives: Tools

CoreNet Global, Rocky Mountain Institute Offer Energy Road Map | Commercial Property Executive

“Energy efficiency and renewable investments provide an opportunity to reduce energy costs, offer an effective way to deploy capital through a variety of debt financing programs, and ultimately a new avenue to improve the company’s financial position.”–Craig Van Pelt, CoreNet Global’s director,

So why do few corporations adopt energy efficiency measures? Well according to Van Pelt, there is a need to improve the alignment of increasing energy efficiency and with the strategy of the business.

Next Generation Energy Management a new report by CoreNet Global and the Rocky Mountain Institute identifies nine key factors that enable and require “next-generation energy management”.

Van Pelt also perceives a need for change in corporate perception–“Energy efficiency and renewable investments provide an opportunity to reduce energy costs, offer an effective way to deploy capital through a variety of debt financing programs, and ultimately a new avenue to improve the company’s financial position.”

Do you agree?

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ASHRAE: Service Life and Maintenance Cost Database

Free information on equipment service life and annual maintenance costs for a variety of building types and HVAC systems is available through an ASHRAE Owning and Operating database.

According to ASHRAE, “the purpose of this database is to provide current information on service life and maintenance costs of typical HVAC equipment. Engineers depend on accurate owning and operating data to make decisions involving the life cycle and functionality of buildings. However, lack of sufficient up-to-date data makes it difficult to provide a solid basis for those decisions. Previous efforts to collect data through traditional survey methods have produced less than acceptable results.”

Three fields are created, each with a Query that allows an individual to create customizable search criteria:

  • Equipment Service Life Evaluation (here): Creates both lists and summaries of service life data customized to match specific criteria.
  • HVAC Maintenance Cost Evaluation (here): Creates both lists and summaries of maintenance data customized to match specific criteria.
  • Submit HVAC Data (here): The database is open for public data submissions. Registration is required.

 

Database

Whole Life Cycle Assessment of the Sustainable Aspects of Structural Systems in Tall Buildings.

A collaborative research project involving 12 leading structural engineering firms to study the life cycle assessment of 16 different structural scenarios for a 248-metre tall tower, and for a 490-metre-tall tower.  One of the objectives is to create a definitive comparison of the life-cycle implications of steel, concrete and composite structural systems in tall buildings.  Additionally, a methodology for the assessment of life cycle energy and carbon use in tall building structural systems will be developed.

Could this methodology be used as a standard?

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“High Performance Tenant Demonstration Project”

“The Natural Resources Defense Council’s Center for Market Innovation (CMI) has established a High Performance Demonstration Project (the “Project”) aimed at accelerating demand for high performance tenant spaces in the commercial office market by demonstrating their economic benefits. CMI is introducing the Value Analysis as the first module to the guide, as it serves to anchor the economic case for energy performance during the tenant’s lease cycle. The Value Analysis combines data generated by the Energy Modeling and Incremental Costing steps, to identify and recommend the highest value set of Energy Performance Measures (EPMs) to incorporate into the design of a tenant’s new premises.”–NRDC

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Latest Review of a Software for Tracking Energy Use in Buildings

WegoWise, is one of several IT firms that has created software for tracking energy use in buildings.  Stephen Lacey of Green Tech Media argues that Wego Wise  has one of the most creative ways to present energy use data that is being collected in their database of buildings. Visualizing Building Efficiency is a new website setup by WegoWise that is designed to help individuals “visualize building efficiency”.  A few of the visuals that Stephen Lacey explores are:

  • Savings from a toilet retrofit look like a toilet flushing
  • Building energy use intensity looks like a flock of birds
  • Regional energy consumption differences look like a rubber band

See more examples.

 

Retrocommissioning Sensor Suitcase project

“The turnkey product is embedding the knowledge and skills of an experienced building commissioning practitioner into a scalable hardware and software package that can be deployed by a variety of building services personnel.The Retrocommissioning Sensor Suitcase is targeted for use in small commercial buildings of less than 50,000 square feet of floor space that regularly receive basic services such as maintenance and repair, but don’t have in-house energy management staff or buildings experts.” —Linda Hardesty

Would greater use of information-based programs and social networking help with energy-related decisions?

Reducing waste in energy consumption: Do flawed models equal sub-par results? “One of the most important omissions from our models is time, as a scarcity factor entering into the economic decisions of both energy suppliers and consumers. In advanced wealthy economies, time is often the most binding constraint on decision-making, not income or wealth, around which most of our economic models are designed. Time scarcity can create binding constraints on both households and businesses in many energy-related decisions, even when energy efficient products and services may be available in the marketplace, often at competitive prices.

 

Veolia launches new tool to determine true cost of water

“The metric tool, called the ‘True Cost of Water’, will help businesses and municipalities to assess the financial implications of various risks and impacts concerning water, allowing them to make better decisions in managing water.”–Johann Clere, Veolia global director for business development, industrial markets

 

Smart Cities Readiness Guide advances smart city development with first-of-its-kind tool for city leaders around the world

Readiness Guide is the first vendor-neutral comprehensive roadmap for smart city development

“Critical to our future success as a smart city is a clear understanding of how to procure technology effectively,” said Hartford, Connecticut Mayor Pedro E. Segarra.  “In fact, our core values drive us to create a collaborative work environment that promotes sharing, creativity, and openness to new ideas. The Smart Cities Council Readiness Guide offers us new ideas and has helped set the foundation for our 2030 planning. It is the tool that will help Hartford move forward.”