Tools and Techniques to Identify Energy Efficiency Actions in Existing Laboratories
Paul Mathew, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Geoffrey Bell, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Many organizations have specific goals to reduce energy use in their existing laboratory facilities. For example, federal government agencies are required to reduce energy use by three percent every year for the next 10 years. For organizations that have a portfolio of laboratories, this presents a challenge in that they might not have adequate time and resources to conduct detailed "investment-grade" energy audits of all their facilities to identify efficiency actions. Such audits usually involve significant onsite data collection and analysis by an energy consultant.
In this presentation, we present techniques to profile energy efficiency opportunities in existing laboratories. These techniques, designed to be used by facilities personnel, serve as a preliminary assessment that requires less time and resources than a detailed audit. The results from the profiling can then be used to screen efficiency actions that require a more detailed analysis by an energy expert. Thus, while profiling is not a replacement for a detailed audit, it can help to screen and focus the scope for a detailed audit. In some cases, the efficiency actions identified by the profiling process might not even need any further analysis.
These techniques include the use of energy benchmarking at the whole building and system level, as well as assessing building characteristics and energy management practices. The techniques allow for different levels of accuracy, depending on data availability.
The presentation features results from applying these techniques in several laboratories at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. It also presents a preview of a Web-based tool, the Laboratory Energy Efficiency Profiler (LEEP), which incorporates these techniques.
Biographies:
Paul Mathew is a staff scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he conducts applied research and market transformation activities on energy use in buildings. His current work is focused on energy efficiency and green design for laboratories and data centers, as well as energy benchmarking tools and techniques for commercial buildings. In addition to technical research and consulting, Mr. Mathew also teaches courses on energy-efficient design. Prior to joining LBNL, he worked at Enron Energy Services and the Center for Building Performance at Carnegie Mellon University. He has a Bachelor's degree in architecture, and a Ph.D. in building performance and diagnostics.
Geoffrey Bell is an energy engineer in the Environmental Energy Technology Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He is credited with a number of publications, and served as a principal author of the Design Guide for Energy Efficient Laboratories. This publication is intended to assist facility owners, architects, engineers, designers, facility managers, and utility energy-management specialists in identifying and applying advanced energy-efficiency features in laboratory-type environments. Mr. Bell is a Certified State Energy Auditor in New Mexico and a Registered Professional Engineer in both New Mexico and California. He has served as an investigator for the U.S. Department of Energy, a teacher at the University of New Mexico, and an energy engineer contractor to Sandia Corporation, in addition to various other mechanical engineering consulting positions. Mr. Bell received his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Newark College of Engineering and a Master of Architecture degree in environmental design from the University of New Mexico.