LBA Realty: Park Place

Solutions

During Park Place’s redevelopment, LBA recognized that some of the existing central plant systems and equipment needed to be replaced. Instead of simply replacing the equipment on a like for like basis, LBA saw the opportunity to pursue a full energy retrofit. After extensive energy modeling, LBA decided on a four phased approach. Phase I was to upsize the new cooling towers; Phase II reconfigured and upsized the cooling coils for better heat transfer; Phase III modified the central plant chiller piping to allow parallel and series water flow and Phase IV installed a smart energy package (LOBOS) to optimize system control. LOBOS did not replace the typical building automation system (BAS), rather it enhanced the system by constantly monitoring and recalibrating the system’s functionality according to the building’s operating requirements to ensure all systems are running at rates of maximum efficiency. LOBOS looks for overall system trends instead of singular BAS set points to maximize savings by considering the larger picture. The system then makes incremental adjustments to a variety of BAS points to produce tenant comfort with the most efficient use of energy. These design decisions increased the overall project costs but provided a sustainable long-term energy solution.

The additional energy-efficiency solutions that were implemented in the building’s central plant in conjunction with the four phases described above include:

A new condenser water pumping station
Variable frequency drives on all supply and return fans
Upgrade to controls in Siemens Energy Management System
Commissioning of systems to maximize efficiency and comfort

LBA also installed a 1.3-MW intelligent energy storage system after the central plant upgrades were completed. It is currently the largest indoor storage system of its kind in the United States. The system, provided by industry leader Stem, combines cutting-edge battery technology with learning software to store power when electric costs are low. The storage system is then deployed during peak energy hours to avoid expensive spikes in energy use. Substantial cost savings are achieved automatically with no impact to tenant comfort or normal operations. The system is also a vital component in Southern California Edison’s commitment to deploy 85 MW of energy storage. The system will free up local grid capacity, which is critical after the decommissioning of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, which has resulted in concerns for power grid reliability. The battery storage project not only delivers automated electricity savings to the property, but also serve California’s electricity grid by providing on-call demand reduction to help SCE balance the grid during peak times. The year one savings were approximately 40% more favorable than initially anticipated.

Other Benefits

LBA has implemented a progressive indoor air quality monitoring program to ensure tenants have a healthy, productive indoor environment. LBA contracted with Healthy Buildings International to proactively test and monitor indoor air quality in order to manage the indoor environment at Park Place. The air quality monitoring program has resulted in tenant confidence that their office environment is a healthy place to work, providing an environment that improves cognitive function where employees can be more productive. Additionally, relocating and replacing the three cooling towers to the loading dock mitigated noise adjacent to the residential towers and helped manage project load and reliability. All of the improvements made to Park Place resulted in the building receiving a LEED Gold certification in 2017.

ANNUAL ENERGY USE

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

Park Place complex

1.3-MW energy storage system

Central plant

LBA Realty: Park Place

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Park Place complex

1.3-MW energy storage system

Central plant