Industrial Recommendations
LABORATORIES
Energy Use
These notes address laboratories generally, from biological or chemical
facilities at universities to experimental and production facilities operated by
industrial concerns. Most such facilities have very high energy use, primarily
due to large HVAC demands. Because of the risk of microbial or chemical
contamination, high ventilation rates with 100 percent fresh air are required in
laboratory areas because conditioned air cannot be circulated as is the case
with most other buildings. Some laboratories also have significant process loads
for sterilization or for the need to maintain computer, animal, or equipment
areas at specific temperatures. Plug loads for serving special purpose
equipment, much of which must be functioning 24 hours per day, also contribute
to high electric energy use.
Efficiency measures that are frequently found to be cost-effective include
the following:
HVAC
- Separate areas in the building that must have once-through air from those
which can recirculate air. This allows for substantial economies in the areas
where air may be recirculated. Care in air sealing the
environmentally-sensitive areas from those where air is recirculated is
essential, and environmentally-sensitive areas should be maintained at
negative air pressure with respect to the remainder of the building.
- Use modern variable air volume (VAV) fume hoods equipped with occupancy
sensors. VAV systems respond to the degree to which the hood is opened so as
to maintain constant negative pressures across the opening to whisk
potentially contaminated air up the exhaust. Occupancy sensors which increase
hood exhaust rates when scientists are using the system further protects air
quality and user health while maintaining flows that are as low as practical.
- Use high-efficiency motors with variable speed drives to adjust exhaust
and make up air fans in HVAC systems serving laboratory areas. Employ controls
that vary air flow rates in response to instantaneous exhaust hood usage. When
fume hoods are used only moderately, air exchange rates may be safely lowered,
thereby saving substantial fan power and conditioning energy. When
laboratories are equipped with modern fume hoods with VAV equipment, it is
frequently possible to downsize HVAC system fans.
- Recover heat from central plant equipment by installing heat-recovery
coils in the exhaust air handlers to capture waste energy without the risk of
contamination.
- Recover waste heat from exhaust stacks of boilers to preheat boiler makeup
water or combustion air.
- Recover heat from sterilization equipment, laundries, dishwashers, and
cleaning equipment to pre-heat fresh hot water.
- Install a waterside economizer for nighttime and winter cooling.
- Install a high-efficiency chiller in new facilities or existing facilities
when replacing an older chiller. Right-size the chiller in consideration of
other efficiency measures that lower cooling loads, like energy-efficient
lighting.
- Use condensing boilers with large turn-down ratios whose efficiencies
improve with turn-down.
- Switch over to direct digital controls.
- Upgrade the energy management system; optimize settings to reflect usage,
respond to changing weather patterns, and control peak electric loads. Lights
and air conditioning in spaces occupied only during business hours are often
left on all the time. The energy management system can automatically shut off
lighting and set back HVAC systems in spaces occupied only during the daytime.
A combination of occupancy sensors and time switches can accommodate
scientists who arrive early or stay after the end of the business day.
- Verify economizer function and control.
- Consider using cool air from the cooling tower with water-cooled chillers.
- Consider indirect-direct evaporative cooling.
The Consortium for Energy Efficiency designates
specifications for high-efficiency commercial packaged
air conditioning equipment and maintains a database of
qualifying products at
www.cee1.org.
| Utah Power has organized an HVAC Energy
Efficiency Alliance, whose members are vendors,
contractors, or distributors involved in promoting
energy-efficient heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning equipment. The link below will connect
you to Utah Power’s HVAC vendor list on the Utah
Power website. This vendor list is updated on a
regular basis.
|
Combined Heat and Power (CHP) System
- Install a combined heat and power system to supply electricity, space
heating, hot water, steam, and (through a waste heat-fired absorption chiller)
cooling needs. When properly sized and designed, such a system can save
substantial money, avoid the large thermal losses associated with conventional
power generation at utility plants, avoid the transmission and distribution
losses associated with delivering the power over power lines, and avoid
separate fuel usage for heating and steam. An absorption chiller that runs off
the waste heat from a CHP system drastically cuts down on peak-time
electricity used for cooling loads. Many laboratories also value the
protection from grid outages, dips, or surges that an onsite CHP system
provides.
Learn more about CHP on the
CHP Energy
Efficiency Measures page, or by visiting the website
of the
Intermountain CHP Center. The Center works in the
areas of project support and facilitation, education and
outreach, market assessment, policy review, and
coalition building. Visit the
Intermountain CHP Buyer’s Guide website to access
information about vendors, contractors, and distributors
who can turn your project idea into reality.
Lighting
- Install compact fluorescent bulbs in place of incandescents in
laboratories, halls, and elevators.
- Install energy-efficient lighting in all other spaces, being sure to
replace T-12 fixtures with T-8 or T-5 fixtures with electronic ballasts.
- Install and calibrate automatic lighting controls in conjunction with
skylights and clerestories in open areas to dim lights in response to
daylight.
- Install LED exit signs.
- Upgrade parking lot lighting to save energy and reduce environmental
impacts due to light spillage.
- Upgrade garage parking lighting.
Find a list of ENERGY STAR-qualified CFL bulbs at
www.energystar.gov/ia/products/prod_lists/cfl_prod_list.pdf.
A list of ENERGY STAR-qualified LED exit signs can be
found at
www.energystar.gov/ia/products/prod_lists/exit_signs_prod_list.pdf.
| Utah Power has organized a Lighting Energy
Efficiency Alliance, whose members are vendors,
contractors, or distributors involved in promoting
energy-efficient lighting. The link below will
connect you to Utah Power’s lighting vendor list on
the Utah Power website. This vendor list is updated
on a regular basis.
|
Building Envelope
- Install high-efficiency, specularly-selective glazing carefully chosen for
sun exposure on each facade and other variables. ENERGY STAR windows with low
solar heat gain coefficients are frequently good choices.
- Install interior or exterior shading devices.
- Install insulation in strategic locations.
- Undertake strategic air sealing, including duct work.
- Install an ENERGY STAR rated cool roof.
Learn more on the
Building Envelope Energy Efficiency Measures page.
Plug Loads
- Use low-energy sleep functions on computers, monitors, printers, and
copiers.
- Choose ENERGY STAR office equipment and appliances.
Details on office equipment that meet ENERGY STAR
criteria for energy efficiency are available at
www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=ofc_equip.pr_office_equipment.
Employee
- Ensure that key maintenance people are trained to properly use and monitor
the building’s energy management system.
Benchmarking
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and
Department of Energy through the ENERGY STAR® Program
have developed an energy performance benchmarking
tool. The tool enables building owners to evaluate
the energy performance of their buildings on a scale of
1-100 relative to similar buildings nationwide. The
rating system accounts for the impacts of year-to-year
weather variations, as well as building size, location,
and several operating characteristics. Buildings rating
75 or greater qualify for the ENERGY STAR label.
Eligible space types, representing over 50% of U.S.
commercial floor space, include:
- Offices (general offices, financial centers, bank
branches, and courthouses)
- K-12 Schools
- Hospitals (acute care and children's)
- Hotels and Motels
- Medical Offices
- Supermarkets
- Residence Halls
- Warehouses (refrigerated and non-refrigerated)
For further information or to download the
performance benchmarking tool, see
www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=evaluate_performance.bus_announcing.
Assistance
Utah Power has a host of programs targeted to
meeting its customer’s energy efficiency needs. Visit
the
Utah Power profile page by
clicking here. |
