Energy conservation opportunities in small commercial buildings

Abstract

As part of a joint project between Duke Power Co. and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), a study was performed to determine the energy savings potential of small commercial buildings, located in the Duke Power service territory. This relatively untouched portion of the commercial sector has the potential for reducing energy consumption by 13% - 25%, which corresponds to a reduction in average annual operating costs of $500 - $1000 per building. A database of over sixty customers was used to target five buildings with unusually high levels of energy consumption and/or peak demand. Conservation measures in these buildings were selected on the basis of cost-effectiveness and relative non-intrusiveness on the occupants. Together, ORNL and Duke Power representatives worked on data analysis, site-audits, and measure recommendations. Duke Power supplied hourly and monthly utility data, customer survey information and participated in site-audits. ORNL analyzed the data, developed targeting indices, performed site-audits and corresponding first-order energy simulations on candidate buildings, and recommended individualized conservation retrofits. For the five buildings examined, retrofits including lighting, controls, and HVAC systems accounted for a total reduction in consumption of 32%, and in peak demand of 22%. In addition, the study emphasizes the importance of continuous attention to the operating conditions of HVAC equipment and controls, in order to ensure long-term sustainability of these energy savings.