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Title: Unlocking Energy Efficiency in Small Commercial Buildings through Mechanical Contractors

Abstract

Although buildings smaller than 4,645 m2 account for nearly half of the energy used in U.S. commercial buildings, energy-efficiency programs to date have primarily focused on larger buildings. Stakeholder interviews conducted during a scoping study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) indicated interest in energy efficiency from the small commercial building sector, provided solutions are simple and of low cost. To address this need, an energy management package (EMP) was developed to deliver energy management to small commercial buildings via HVAC contractors, because they already serve these clients and the transaction cost to market would be reduced. This energy-management approach is unique from, but often complementary to, conventional quality maintenance or retrofit-focused programs targeting the small commercial segment. Furthermore, this paper presents an overview of the EMP, the business model to deliver it, and preliminary demonstration findings from a pilot use of the EMP. Results from the pilot validated that contractors could deliver the EMP in 4–8 h per building per year and that energy savings of 3–5% are feasible through this approach.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [3]
  1. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Building Technology and Urban Systems Division
  2. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Commercial Building Systems Group
  3. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
  4. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Commerical Building Systems Group
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Energy Efficiency Office. Building Technologies Office; Building Technology & Urban Systems
OSTI Identifier:
1379747
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1345195
Report Number(s):
LBNL-1006015
Journal ID: ISSN 1076-0431; ark:/13030/qt4zt7f21w
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC02-05CH11231
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Journal of Architectural Engineering
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 23; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 1076-0431
Publisher:
American Society of Civil Engineers
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION

Citation Formats

Granderson, Jessica, Hult, Erin, Fernandes, Samuel, Mathew, Paul, and Mitchell, Robin. Unlocking Energy Efficiency in Small Commercial Buildings through Mechanical Contractors. United States: N. p., 2017. Web. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)AE.1943-5568.0000225.
Granderson, Jessica, Hult, Erin, Fernandes, Samuel, Mathew, Paul, & Mitchell, Robin. Unlocking Energy Efficiency in Small Commercial Buildings through Mechanical Contractors. United States. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)AE.1943-5568.0000225
Granderson, Jessica, Hult, Erin, Fernandes, Samuel, Mathew, Paul, and Mitchell, Robin. Wed . "Unlocking Energy Efficiency in Small Commercial Buildings through Mechanical Contractors". United States. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)AE.1943-5568.0000225. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1379747.
@article{osti_1379747,
title = {Unlocking Energy Efficiency in Small Commercial Buildings through Mechanical Contractors},
author = {Granderson, Jessica and Hult, Erin and Fernandes, Samuel and Mathew, Paul and Mitchell, Robin},
abstractNote = {Although buildings smaller than 4,645 m2 account for nearly half of the energy used in U.S. commercial buildings, energy-efficiency programs to date have primarily focused on larger buildings. Stakeholder interviews conducted during a scoping study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) indicated interest in energy efficiency from the small commercial building sector, provided solutions are simple and of low cost. To address this need, an energy management package (EMP) was developed to deliver energy management to small commercial buildings via HVAC contractors, because they already serve these clients and the transaction cost to market would be reduced. This energy-management approach is unique from, but often complementary to, conventional quality maintenance or retrofit-focused programs targeting the small commercial segment. Furthermore, this paper presents an overview of the EMP, the business model to deliver it, and preliminary demonstration findings from a pilot use of the EMP. Results from the pilot validated that contractors could deliver the EMP in 4–8 h per building per year and that energy savings of 3–5% are feasible through this approach.},
doi = {10.1061/(ASCE)AE.1943-5568.0000225},
journal = {Journal of Architectural Engineering},
number = 1,
volume = 23,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2017},
month = {Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2017}
}