Commissioning metering systems: case studies from LBNL's Light Source User Support Building and Molecular Foundry

Steve Greenberg, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

If you can't measure it, you can't manage it. And you can't measure it if your meters don't work! Follow along as we count the ways Murphy's Law can wreak havoc with the best laid plans for coherent submetering in two facilities at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. And best of all, learn from others' mistakes on how to avoid the common and less common pitfalls of modern submetering. In one facility, fully half of the submeters did not work properly when checked. Reasons included: 1. voltage and current sensors incorrectly connected (with several variants) 2. wrong number of turns of wire through current sensors 3. data acquisition system programmed for wrong meter type 4. meter programmed incorrectly 5. flow meter not programmed properly 6. temperature sensors not installed properly or defective 7. configuration of main and submeters not properly understood 8. meter selected for wrong flow range 9. submeter address wrong in master meter All of these pitfalls will be described and specific measures to address them will be suggested. End-to-end checks using portable instrumentation will be described and advocated as a fundamental commissioning technique to ensure proper meter operation.

Biography:

Steve Greenberg holds a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and a master's degree in Energy and Resources, both from the University of California at Berkeley, and is a registered Mechanical Engineer in California. He is also a LEED Accredited Professional by the U.S. Green Building Council and a Certified Energy Manager. Now a Senior Energy Management Engineer at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, he has researched and applied energy-efficient building and industrial systems, for a variety of clients on three continents over the past 33 years. He is currently working with the Lab's Environmental Energy Technologies Division, performing research on energy efficiency in laboratories, data centers, and other high-tech buildings, as well as working with the Lab's Facilities Division on several new building projects. He has been involved in design, design review, commissioning, and retrofit.

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