Slash your HVAC costs

Here are ten things you can do right now

By Alan Barnes, Jr. September 18, 2001

When President Bush outlined his energy plan earlier this year, he encouraged U.S. companies to explore new ways to conserve energy resources, including improving the efficiency of high-use commercial and industrial systems. For plant managers, this is a signal to take a closer look at their heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. An HVAC system can account for as much as 30 percent of a building's energy consumption. As much as 15 percent of that energy can be conserved by changing existing practices. Surprisingly, it's not the primary HVAC equipment, such as chillers, that consume the most energy. Instead, it's the auxiliary equipment. In the U.S., HVAC auxiliary equipment uses approximately 1.5 quadrillion BTUs annually, the same amount of energy that it would take to run 23 million automobiles, according to the U.S. Dept. of Energy. This energy operates the fans and pumps that provide office and building ventilation, distribute heating and cooling, and support the primary HVAC equipment. The increased energy usage by auxiliary equipment is attributable to several factors, including indoor air quality concerns, greater filtration and higher ventilation rates. How can you reduce the amount of energy your system uses and cut operating costs? The solutions run from the simple to the complex. A combination of the following suggestions can reduce your energy waste by as much as 15 percent.

Ten tips for slashing HVAC costs

Schedule an energy audit. An HVAC auditor evaluates the efficiency of primary and auxiliary equipment, determines the condition of the system and analyzes the impact of potential system improvements. Upon

completion of the audit, you'll receive a report that documents the use and occupancy of your building, its condition and that of the HVAC system. The report also recommends ways to increase efficiency through improvements in operation and maintenance items, as well as through the installation of energy conservation measures. Facility managers can request energy audits from most utility companies and mechanical service providers. Have the HVAC design evaluated. Is your HVAC equipment properly sized? If you're in the market for a new system, determine the life-cycle cost of several HVAC systems to find the best design for long-term use. For a new system, also consider installing modular boilers or dual-fuel boilers. Check your distribution systems. Make sure that hot water and steam pipes are insulated properly and that ducts are gasketed or sealed with mastic. If you're considering a new system, avoid fiberboard ducts and make sure that flexible duct runs are no longer than 10 ft. In addition, specify low-leak dampers, and remember that areas with high ventilation rates are good candidates for heat-recovery equipment. Evaluate HVAC controls. If you haven't done so already, install programmable thermostats or timers to regulate the temperature in unoccupied areas and consider purchasing demand-limiting controls. In addition, consider installing an energy-management system and zoning your building, which is an effective control strategy for larger facilities. And remember that ventilation equipment should be off or closed when the building is unoccupied. Re-evaluate heating equipment before winter. Remember to avoid any form of electric resistance heat if possible. If you're considering a new system, specify high-efficiency units with a low KW/ton rating for packaged units. The higher upfront cost will pay for itself over time because of long-term energy savings. Automate your HVAC system. One of the least expensive methods of reducing your HVAC energy consumption is to program the system to minimize its run time, to operate in the most efficient operating ranges and to alert operators when the equipment is drifting from its maximum efficiency. A computerized control system can eliminate as much as 5 percent of energy waste. Look for "free cooling" opportunities. If the facility doesn't need to control humidity, use a water-cooled or free-cooling system. Free cooling can be accomplished in two ways. Water-side economizers use water from cooling towers to satisfy partial loads. Air-side economizers satisfy partial loads by using 100-percent outside air in the air-handling system. Optimize your operations. Depending on the complexity of the HVAC and control systems, you can use additional system optimization

measures to increase efficiency. These can include sequencing the startup of boilers and chillers for optimal loading in the daily cycle, timing boiler or chiller startup to meet building temperature requirements at opening times with minimal off-hours waste, and fine-tuning temperature controls and air-supply systems so that fans, chillers and boilers operate at optimum efficiency during the day. Keep your HVAC system clean. Careful maintenance improves system efficiency; a dirty one must work harder and uses more energy. Cleaning equipment and replacing filters on a regular basis will save energy and lower costs. Schedule an annual HVAC maintenance review. This includes inspecting parts, verifying fan speeds, making seasonal adjustments in mild weather and checking refrigerant levels in the sealed subsystems of chillers, heat pumps and air conditioners. Each of these measures can help facilities to reduce energy consumption and costsand the time to do them is now. Energy experts project that the energy crisis currently crippling California will eventually move from West to East, leading to higher energy costs and potential black-outs. For this reason, it's imperative that some businesses especially those that can't afford a capital-intensive HVAC project for their industrial and manufacturing facilitiesadopt conservation measures and install cost-cutting devices and materials. Alan Barnes Jr. is chief operating officer of Atlanta-based Aircond Corp. He can reached via e-mail at mailto:albjr@aircond.com.