Energy Tips

• Boilers
• Building Envelope
• General
• HVAC
• Indoor Lighting
• Maintenance
• Motors
• Office Equipment
• Outdoor Lighting
• Piping
• Pumps
• Roof
• Water Heating
• Windows

Boiler

• Inspect and maintain boilers
  
• Install an economizer to increase the efficiency of a boiler
  
• Keep boiler insulation in good condition
  
• Minimize excess air in boiler operations using 02 trimmers
  
• On any large boiler, use a blow-down heat exchanger
  

Building Envelope

• Add Roof Insulation
  
• Allow elevators to shut down slowly
  
• Aluminum Windows Need Thermal Breaks
  
• Artificial Lighting and Air Conditioning
  
• Consider installing new elevators
  
• Control heat flow and light energy
  
• Daylighting
  
• Fix Air Leaks
  
• Incorporate Low-E Glazing
  
• Insulate Brick Walls
  
• Insulate Uninsulated Brick Walls
  
• Interior Window Treatments
  
• Keep an Eye Out for Solar Heat Gain
  
• Landscape properly
  
• Landscape to Reduce Energy Consumption
  
• New Facilities and Renovation Decisions
  
• Seal outlets and gaps
  
• Selecting Replacement Windows
  
• Use low-E glazing in windows
  
• Wall Color Is Important
  
• Window Films Cut Cooling Costs
  

General

• 101 Energy-Saving Ideas
  
• Consult the experts
  
• Perform energy audits
  

HVAC

• Add Enthalpy Control for "Free Cooling"
  
• Calibrate pneumatic thermostats every three to six months
  
• Change Filters Regularly
  
• Change or Modify the Pump
  
• Change to a Variable Air Volume System
  
• Choose strategies that make the HVAC system more efficient
  
• Choose the Proper Pipe Insulation
  
• Clean and maintain the HVAC mechanical system
  
• Consider a New Cooling Tower
  
• Consider Evaporative Rooftop Cooling
  
• Consider Thermal Storage System
  
• Consider Variable Speed Drives on Pumps and Fans
  
• Consider Water-Loop Heat Pumps
  
• Control Cooling Tower Fans by Sensing Ambient Wet Bulb Temperature
  
• Control Multiple Fans with One Variable Frequency Drive
  
• Convert a terminal reheat system to a variable air volume system
  
• Decrease pump and fan capacities using low-cost modifications
  
• Free Hot Water When You're Cooling!
  
• Implement new design features when the air conditioning system is replaced
  
• Increase the Size of Distribution Piping
  
• Inspect and Repair Boilers
  
• Install a Blowdown Heat Exchanger in Steam Boilers
  
• Install a Boiler Economizer
  
• Install instrumentation to monitor realtime, cooling plant efficiency in kw/ton
  
• Insulate Piping
  
• Investigate using the economizer cycle to cool a building at night
  
• Look at System Efficiency Not Just Unit Efficiency
  
• Lower the Cooling Tower Fan Horsepower
  
• Make minor repairs and improvements to the HVAC mechanical system
  
• Make Sure Everything Is Working Properly
  
• Minimize Excess Air in Boiler Operations
  
• Minimize Leaks
  
• Minimize leaks in the condensate return system
  
• Monitor outside air temperature and humidity to control chilled water supply temperature
  
• Monitor Your Efficiency
  
• Multiple Tower / Chiller Installations
  
• Prevent simultaneous heating and cooling
  
• Raise Chilled Water Supply Temperature and Lower Condenser Water Temperature
  
• Raise the Cold Air Temperature Set Point at the Thermostat
  
• Raise the temperature of the chilled water supply, and lower the temperature of the condenser water
  
• Raise the thermostat setpoint
  
• Recover energy from steam
  
• Recover Flash Steam
  
• Reduce Pumping Power in Cooling Systems
  
• Repair or Replace Boiler Insulation
  
• Reset Chilled Water Supply Temperatures
  
• Run all the water over the cooling tower fill
  
• Should You Have 100 Percent Redundancy?
  
• Shut down unnecessary auxiliary HVAC equipment
  
• Shutdown Unnecessary Auxiliary Equipment
  
• Subcooling the Building?
  
• Survey Your Mechanical Systems
  
• Use a thermal storage system in the chiller plant
  
• Use an economizer in air handling units
  
• Use Cooling Towers for "Free Cooling"
  
• Use cooling towers to save energy
  
• Use Electronic Air Cleaners
  
• Use Energy Estimating Software as an Analysis Tool
  
• Use energy estimating software to identify inefficiencies
  
• Use More Smaller Units Rather Than One Large
  
• Use Steam Turbines to Capture Pressure Reducing Valve Energy Losses
  
• Use variable frequency drives to control the motors of variable air volume fans
  
• Use variable speed drives on pumps, fans, and compressors operating at varying loads
  
• Variable Speed Fans
  
• Watch Out for Simultaneous Heating and Cooling
  
• Water-Side vs. Air-Side Economizer System
  
• When practical, recover and reuse waste heat
  

Indoor Lighting

• 3 simple and effective light savers
  
• A good lighting design is worth the investment
  
• Balance ballast costs with bulb life cost savings
  
• Consider a T8 System Retrofit
  
• Consider Dimming Systems
  
• Consider Motion Detectors
  
• Consider the cost of energy when retrofitting lighting systems
  
• Distribute daylight evenly
  
• Every Facility Is Different
  
• Exit Signs can be a fast way to cut costs
  
• Flourescent light dimming systems can save big
  
• Improve Your Lighting Control
  
• In lighting systems, one size does not fit all
  
• Incorporate motion detectors where they make sense
  
• Increase natural light
  
• Lighting control systems are a good long-term investment
  
• Look into a T8 lamp conversion
  
• Replace Exit Signs
  
• Replace incandescent lamps with compact flourescents
  
• Replace Incandescent with Compact Fluorescent
  
• Replace inside and outside mercury lamps
  
• The lowest cost lighting isn’t usually the lowest purchase price
  
• Update a system using energy core-coil ballasts and "watt miser" lamps to a T8 system for further savings
  
• Use Task Lighting Where Possible
  

Maintenance

• Operate well-maintained equipment with properly-trained staff
  

Motors

• Be aware that there are benefits to "soft starting," but energy conservation is not one of them
  
• Carefully evaluate whether to replace a functioning motor with a more energy efficient one
  
• Choose a motor with a sufficient horsepower rate
  
• Compare brands and prices of motors based on NEMA value rather than hype
  
• Consider certain factors when troubleshooting problems with motors
  
• Consider Energy Efficient Motors
  
• Consider the average life of a motor to be at least 15 years
  
• Do not invest in "power factor controllers" to save energy
  
• How Long Do Motors Last?
  
• Motor Change Economics
  
• Nameplates
  
• Selecting the Motor Size
  
• Should You Install Power Factor Controllers?
  
• Soft Starting Opportunities
  
• Study the nameplates on motors for important information
  
• Troubleshooting Tips
  

Office Equipment

• Turn off computer equipment and copiers when they not in use
  

Outdoor Lighting

• Build Your Own Conservation Program
  
• Consider the cost of energy when retrofitting lighting systems
  
• Don't Think About First Cost Only!
  
• Replace inside and outside mercury lamps
  
• Replace Mercury Lamps
  
• The lowest cost lighting isn’t usually the lowest purchase price
  
• Use Life-Cycle Costs to Make Decisions
  

Piping

• Increase the size of distribution piping, or add parallel pipes
  
• Insulate pipes
  
• Select piping insulation based on both minimum and maximum temperatures
  

Pump

• Trim the pump impeller in the cooling plant's distribution system
  
• Use pumps to reduce pressure losses in the distribution system of the cooling plant
  

Roof

• Add roof insulation
  

Water Heating

• Consider Making Hot Water from Boiler Stacks
  
• Increase Water Heating System Efficiency
  
• Install a pressure-reducing valve when water pressure exceeds 40 to 50 pounds
  
• Raise hot-water system efficiency
  
• Reduce the Water Pressure
  
• Use a heat reclaimer rather than an economizer for process heat
  

Windows

• Design and place windows based on internal wall characteristics
  
• Use insulation in aluminum frame windows
  
• Use interior window treatments
  
• Use proper U-value in replacement windows
  
• Use solar control glass
  
• Use window films