An Aggressive State Energy Requirement Meets Laboratory Health and Safety in Minnesota
Mike Austin, University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus (UM) has reduced energy consumption 5 percent for two consecutive years despite adding a new 330,000-square-foot research building, an 115,000-square-foot science teaching building, and a football stadium. In these two years the university has avoided about $4.6 million in energy costs. Currently UM has 17 new building projects totaling $657 million and 19 large capital renovation projects totaling $329 million, as well as 352 small and mid-range renovations totaling $61 million. In Minnesota the current legislated goal for new state bonded buildings is to reduce energy usage by 60 percent when compared to a building that meets minimum code requirements. If the goal will not be met, the institution must apply for a variance using modeled data to show why such a reduction is not feasible. In addition, UM's heating plant is operating close to capacity so to add to the built area requires reduction in energy use per square foot. The new buildings are only a small part of the inventory of nearly 500 buildings so considerable attention has been paid to reducing energy use in existing buildings. Most of the savings have come from control system upgrades and re-commissioning of approximately 220 facilities. The return on investment has generally been three to four years.
The UM Environmental Health and Safety department is an integral part of the university's new construction and renovation team and their job is to ensure that the facilities provide adequate safety while meeting the energy conservation goals. This presentation will discuss the methods that are being considered for reducing laboratory energy consumption, including design based on risk management and chemical safety, sub-metering, occupancy sensing or scheduling, HVAC upgrades including digital control systems, a community behavior campaign called "It All Adds Up", laboratory inspection, in-house commissioning and new building start up, and an aggressive re-commissioning schedule. The effectiveness of the methods that were employed will be discussed, as well as effects on safety and productivity.