Justifying Lab Retrofits Through Mechanical Masterplanning

David Leever, Burns & McDonnell
Joshua Morejohn, University of California, Davis

Retrofitting an old lab building with 21st century controls takes real capital. While lab retrofits offer great energy savings potential, sometimes the investment is difficult to fund. Campus budgets are stretched thin and other campus needs can compete for funding. A Mechanical System Master Plan can provide an innovative approach to moving lab buildings to the top of the campus retrofit priority list.

A Mechanical Master Plan is similar to a campus master plan, but focuses on the campus utility system and the building mechanical systems. The goal is to develop strategies for future spending toward mechanical systems. These strategies are prioritized by many factors, most commonly a return on investment (ROI). With their high ROI, lab retrofit projects filter to the top of the recommendation list.

This presentation will detail how to get a Mechanical Master Plan started, the benefits and business case, including how to align equipment replacement funding with energy savings funding. Case studies will show how a Mechanical Master Plans have developed a roadmap to focus the campus resources.

Planning and economics are required for a successful project. How to benchmark, capitalize deferred maintenance, capture incentives and other lessons learned will be presented. Strategies to leverage the funding for the energy projects can supplement the cost to update equipment and systems that are long overdue for a refresh. A high payback installation, like cleanroom demand-controlled filtration, might be combined with an O&M project, like a pneumatic to DDC controls upgrade, and still yield a financially attractive project.

Finally, case studies will be used to illustrate how ROI comparisons can drive design. A ROI approach can decipher the variables that make the best design differ from project to project. Lessons learned include showing how careful infrastructure surveying in the cost estimating phases will assure the projects achieve their financial goals. A case study will be used to compare the ROI from upgrading a CAV exhaust system to a VAV exhaust system that uses a wind anemometer to reset the exit velocity and to adjust the exhaust stack outlet area.

Most facility owners have committed to developing energy reduction projects for their facilities, some having formal commitment processes. Often, campus executives and facility managers do not know where to concentrate their efforts or how to derive the most benefit for each dollar invested. The Mechanical System Master Plan helps owners pinpoint savings strategies and develop a strategic plan for investment. And those plans will lead to funding for Lab Retrofits.

Learning Objectives

  • What a mechanical master plan is and how it can help fund lab retrofits.
  • How to plan during the energy evaluation and budgeting phase to assure the results align with expectations.
  • How to use energy savings to supplement costs for other needs and find a balance that will fund multiple goals.

Biographies:

David Leever serves as an Associate Mechanical Engineer in the laboratory, pharmaceutical, and biotech industry for the Burns & McDonnell Healthcare & Research Facilities Global Practice. His projects include life-cycle and energy efficiency driven designs for higher education as well as process HVAC and process piping for classified laboratories and other room pressurization driven environments such as filling suites, compounding areas, solutions areas, aseptic cleanrooms, and gowning suites.

Joshua Morejohn is the Energy Manager for Facilities Management at UC Davis. He provides leadership for the Energy Conservation Office which focuses on the development and implementation of energy retrofits in campus buildings and outreach to the campus related to energy conservation. He double-majored in Spanish and Mechanical Engineering at UC Davis, has worked in the mechanical consulting and power industries, and is a licensed Professional Engineer and a Certified Energy Manager.

 

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