The latest CEE Industry Partners meeting in New Orleans featured a fresh look at the topic of office building efficiency. Members conducted a two-day series of commercial sessions called "The Office" to discuss the evolution of energy solutions from focusing on components to more integrated, building-wide systems solutions. Forty-one participants attended either on-site or via teleconference, including partners from the commercial lighting, HVAC, and controls industries. Thirty-six CEE member organizations were represented.
Over the course of two days, experienced efficiency program managers shared their perspectives on the past, present, and future of commercial efficiency programs. Industry representatives and program managers discussed their common need to address building systems, while brainstorming ideas for moving forward together.
Jason Erwin, CEE commercial sector leader, highlighted the traditional efficiency industry focus on equipment performance and how new drivers are shifting attention to building and system performance. Fred Gordon, of the Energy Trust of Oregon, chronicled the evolution to new and bigger program savings goals and the challenges inherent to the traditional program focus.
Among other challenges, Gordon noted that there are limitations to approaches focused on component efficiencies including a finite conservation supply, disjointed design and building operating processes, no "efficiency profit center" in building business plans, proprietary communications and controls systems and minimal energy use feedback for building operators and other key audiences.
In contrast, Gordon said, more integrated program approaches include coordination of stakeholders, integrated design processes for new construction and build-out, interoperability of components, and meaningful feedback to designers and operators on energy use.
Typical of this new direction are programs exploring "next generation" offices, such as the research initiative at Southern California Edison (SCE), "Office of the Future." Doug Avery, from SCE, explained that their research explores solutions for improving the energy efficiency of all connected electric loads in office spaces, such as lighting, HVAC, plug loads, and so on. SCE will be developing design templates for different office types, which they can then offer to their commercial customers.
SCE aims to achieve net-zero energy solutions by 2030 for commercial new construction. Once technical packages are completed, they'll begin developing demonstration projects to encourage investment in this approach by corporations, building owners, tenants, and others.
Participants not only discussed industry trends and current efforts by the lighting, HVAC, and building controls industries, but also identified broader needs: new performance metrics, system interoperability, supply chain and market information, demonstration sites and projects, program design and development assistance, and helpful resources such as an information clearinghouse.
Working from the needs identified in these sessions, smaller groups then huddled on how to take the next step, turning goals into actual action steps.
There are clear needs to meet new savings targets and focus program resources on building and system efficiencies. At this meeting CEE and industry partners began fleshing out several roles that each can play and will continue to develop. Keeping in mind its core strengths related to program development, CEE commercial committees will identify the critical elements for program approaches that focus on key systems and whole buildings. Some of the aspects include new metrics development, interoperability, and controls integration, along with better information systems and feedback. CEE is planning to create a better Web clearinghouse of research and related information in 2009.
Industry partners will be involved, and CEE will work to secure support and buy-in from manufacturers, building owners and designers, trade associations, and others. Further research and development will also be expected, in order to create interoperability definitions and specifications. Finally, market factors will also be investigated, including the importance of key intervention points such as building development, procurement and capital planning decision points, and support for ongoing energy management.
For more information on CEE building performance work, please contact Jason Erwin, jerwin at cee1.org. For related commercial lighting and controls, contact Kate Baldacci, kbaldacci at cee1.org. For commercial HVAC and controls, contact Afroz Khan, akhan at cee1.org.
|
