City of Houston: Jesse Jones Central Library

Background

The Jesse Jones Central Library is a six-story public library built in 1975 that is comprised of 330,000 sq. ft. of reading, meeting, office and historical records storage space. A complete interior renovation was finished in 2008, and in 2009 the City of Houston pursued a formal survey through participation in the Clinton Foundation’s Climate Initiative Building Retrofit Program to improve energy efficiency, operations and comfort through a performance contracting partnership with Schneider Electric.

Budget cutbacks forced a delay in final development of the project. However, the City did not give up on the idea of renovating its central library visited by thousands each year. In November 2012, voters approved a public improvement bond that included upgrades to the Jesse Jones Library. In April 2014, a performance contract that included the Jesse Jones Central Library and 17 other public libraries was awarded to Schneider Electric with construction completed in 2015. The entire project will be funded through guaranteed savings over a 15 year period and will reduce energy use by 33%.

Solutions

Schneider Electric reviewed architectural, mechanical, and electrical drawings and conducted field surveys for lighting, temperature controls, HVAC systems, domestic water use and building envelope. Next, they gathered information and data, which was analyzed in order to identify energy conservation measures for inclusion in a performance-based design solution.

Lighting – converted T12 lamps to more efficient T8. Installing over 1,200 occupancy sensors that turn off lights when spaces are unoccupied.

Water – retrofitted lavatories and sinks with low flow fixtures.

HVAC – air handling units were converted to a more efficient variable speed operation.

Building Automation System – a full re-commissioning and upgrade of chiller & boiler plant controls and air handler controls performed for more energy efficient operation.

Variable Flow Conversion – variable speed controls for pumps and motors were included.

Energy Manager Monitoring – this building is included in the group of buildings monitored and review by a full-time, on-site Energy Manager employed by Schneider Electric.

ANNUAL ENERGY USE

(Source EUI)

ANNUAL ENERGY COST

ANNUAL WATER USE

ANNUAL WATER COST

ANNUAL PLANT ELECTRICITY USE

ANNUAL PLANT ELECTRICITY COST

IN BUILDING ENERGY USE

IN BUILDING ENERGY COST

ACROSS NETWORK USE

ACROSS NETWORK COST

ANNUAL EMISSIONS

USE

COST

Jesse Jones Library

City of Houston: Jesse Jones Central Library

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