Retrocommissioning helps Xerox go into energy-saving mode

By Dave Rengel, Climate Corps fellow at Xerox, MBA Candidate at Ross  School of Business, University of Michigan, Member of Net Impact

One of the biggest takeaways from my EDF Climate Corps fellowship at Xerox this summer is that there is always opportunity for improvement in the space of sustainability – even at an organization as progressive as Xerox.  Companies that adopt a strategy toward energy efficiency must look past the low-hanging fruit to the less obvious wastes of energy, while monitoring implemented changes to ensure picked fruit doesn’t grow back.

To paint a quick picture of Xerox’s successful sustainability initiatives:

• Running with the best: The company is ranked 28th in Newsweek’s ‘Green Rankings’ list of top 500 U.S. companies.
• Manufacturing green products: Xerox’s WorkCentre 7428 and 7435 multifunction printers have received accolades for energy efficiency, and its ColorCube product line is well regarded for its waste reducing solid ink technology.
• Setting green goals: Xerox implemented its Energy Challenge 2012 program, which initially aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10% from 2002 to 2012.  After successfully surpassing its goal by 2006, the bar was raised to 25% GHG reductions by 2012.
• Keeping track of progress: The site and facilities energy team on the Webster, NY campus has a running list of energy efficiency opportunities and monitors energy use of the 50+ buildings on campus.

With so many bases covered, where did I find my opportunity to help Xerox see past its low-hanging fruit?  Retrocommissioning.

What’s old is new again

When buildings are built, they are typically designed for a specific use and occupancy.  This tends to change over the years.  Building systems should be commissioned as construction is completed to verify that they operate as designed, but often the commissioning process is neglected. A National Energy Management Institute study estimates less than 5% of existing buildings have been commissioned. Buildings that have changing uses and those that haven’t been commissioned after construction can be secretly wasting energy.  In both cases, retrocommissioning can help.

As my fellow Climate Corps colleague Sarah Will posted in a blog last month, retro-commissioning is like a car tune-up for a building.   While cars have a check engine light, buildings have their own warning signs.  A building may be a prime candidate for retrocommissioning if:

• It uses more energy than comparable buildings in your region, using Energy Star’s building Portfolio Manager
• Occupants complain about being too hot or too cold in the building
• Operations and maintenance staff have problems running or fixing building equipment

It’s cool to go Retro

Retrocommissioning sounds complicated, but there are many engineering contracting firms that are qualified for the job.  Plus, your utility company and government agency probably offer incentives or rebates to help defray the cost of hiring a contractor. For instance,  The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has a program that works to share up to 50% of the costs of the study.  Add that to the short payback (typically less than 2 years) and even at the low end of the typical 5-15% in energy reductions, retrocommissioning looks appealing to a CFO.

During my summer with Xerox, I’ve helped start a pilot program to retrocommission four buildings.  The intention is to document energy and financial savings from the pilot and develop a plan to expand the program to include all 50+ buildings on the Webster campus.

Two weeks after bringing the contracting company on board, we had already come up with a list of 40 needed fixes for the buildings, including sensors that are improperly calibrated and variable speed drives that run pumps at 100% all the time.  While it’s still too early to quantify results, I think we’ll easily meet the typical range of savings (5-15% in energy reductions)

Pages: 1 2

Related Articles:

1. Time for a Tune Up: EDF Climate Corps Fellow responds to ‘Check Engine’ light at REI
2. eBay Bids on Energy Efficiency and Wins
3. Environmental Health Checkups: EDF Climate Corps Fellow searches for energy savings in healthcare facilities
4. The Fundamentals of an Effective Energy Efficiency Program: Don’t Overlook the No-Brainers
5. Building Energy Efficiency: “Cities are the answer! What was the question?”