EXISTING CONDITION:
After viewing a proposal from another contractor of over $300,000 and a 30 year payback, Tower Energy proposed a 40% reduction in energy usage with a 3 year payback under the same scope of work while providing a free energy assessment
Tower also did not charge for this audit.
THIS BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED CHURCH HAD NO FUNCTIONAL BUILDING CONTROL SYSTEM
The existing heating and cooling system were on pneumatics that had to be controlled manually in order to set back or adapt to actual usage. This left the building being over heated and over cooled. There was also no way to separate the large cooling system of the church from the lower halls that were not used at the same time. They had to cool the entire church to cool the meeting halls.
VAV’S ADDED TO SEPARATE THE TWO MAIN ZONES
In order to separate the two zones, Tower Energy added VAV (variable air volume) ducting control that separated the church from the lower areas. Then a VFD (variable frequency drive) was added to the blower motor, set to maintain static pressure and modulate with the variable load. Two separated zones were set up with individual controls that set the temperatures and schedules, resulting in the downstairs being on while the church is off.
PNEUMATICS SEPARATED FROM HEATING AND AIR HANDLING COOLING SYSTEM
The heating system was controlled by pneumatics that were operational but lacking in controls. Tower Energy first checked all the thermostats and replaced or repaired the ones that needed repairing. Then a modern control set-back system was added to the boiler to turn on the compressor, dryer and boilers with associated pumps all at the same time based on a variable outside air set-point. Previously this system was running 24/7 all year with only the boiler turned off manually when it was warm enough. This improvement will save over 40% of their heating costs throughout the year.
INITIAL THERMS SAVED PER MONTH WITH NEW CONTROL SYSTEM
| DATE | 3YR AVG | 2016 | SAVINGS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6/9/16 | 507 | 283 | 44% |
| 11/8/16 | 977 | 590 | 39% |
| 12/8/16 | 1,760 | 1,499 | 14% |
THREE MONTH HEATING SAVINGS
26%
Entire Facility Upgraded To LED Lighting
Regular incandescent and florescent lighting was not only inefficient but was stressing the volunteers and paid maintenance staff by constantly replacing worn out bulbs and ballasts. The lighting was also poor and the parishioners could not read passages during service. In these situations, the maintenance and performance of the lighting is equally as important than the energy savings while they still cut energy costs over 40%.
ELECTRIC SAVINGS KWH WITH MAINTENANCE
| DATE | 2014 (KWH) | 2015-16 (KWH) | SAVINGS / MONTH |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7/19/16 | 10,410 | 6,600 | $ 727.67 |
| 8/19/16 | 13,080 | 7,920 | $ 924.77 |
| 9/19/16 | 11,775 | 5,920 | $ 1,200.91 |
| 10/19/16 | 9,931 | 4,568 | $ 1,133.45 |
| 11/11/16 | 9,309 | 5,032 | $ 984.48 |
5 MONTH SAVINGS:
$ 4,971.28
PROJECTED ROI ON COMBINED PROJECT
TEN YEAR PROJECTED SAVINGS
MECHANICAL PROBLEMS SPOTTED
Leaky valves were wasting compressed air and bypassing heat through the building circulation system into the return lines. This caused the boiler and compressor to keep operating when not needed. The other pneumatic controls that were not operating were not allowing the system to set-back at night. This alone could save 30% of the heating costs.
The main air handler filtration system was badly clogged preventing adequate return and supply off the condensers. This caused excessive load during operation as the four stage system could not get enough air to condition the space.
LED LIGHTING
LED lighting was used to upgrade the entire facility and reduce maintenance costs. These ceiling lights had a new fixture insert that was also dimmable for maximum versatility and savings.
REAL-TIME MONITORING AND CONTROLS
Real-time monitoring and controls spot problems in the BAS and plant operations based on energy usage not just performance. Usage spikes out of the norm indicate equipment or control malfunctions long before they would normally show up on the utility bill. Other issues concerning parts failure are also spotted in advance preventing costly maintenance.
CUSTOM CONTROLS
Tower developed a control strategy that didn’t interfere with the existing oxidizer operation and maintained discharge air pressures through the stack. Safety issues were also integrated for fire and low discharge air temps to prevent the system from cooling in the event of oxidizer shit down or failure. Additional integration allows visibility through the existing new BAS and provided data for temps throughout the plant and heating control of the MUA units. The MUA units were controlled also to maintain slightly negative building pressure in the areas served. This allowed the units to fully take ad- vantage of the MUA provided by the new system and modulate down based on building pressure.
TOWER ENERGY MECHANICAL
Licensed mechanical contractors with 30+ years of experience. Licensed master electricians specializing on controls. Practical customized engineering experience to spot opportunities and estimate payback and costs.