Michigan State University: Erickson Hall

Solutions

The existing building commissioning process included the following measures:

Documenting existing systems, compiling the original system configurations and settings along with all the modifications made over 50+ years.
Assessing and testing controls for all the major HVAC systems.
Re-balancing air and water flows through the HVAC systems.
Evaluating building use and any known problems.
Implementing low-cost and no-cost adjustments and calibration.

Once the EB Cx process was completed, and the list of deficiencies and energy conservation opportunities was developed, items considered standard maintenance and repair issues were referred to maintenance staff. Other items requiring additional capital funding were prioritized for implementation, based on simple payback.

MSU internal staff conducted the EB Cx study and then implemented the identified energy conservation measures (ECMs) to improve reliability and efficiency. The commissioning process informed the development of ECMs for the building. The measures that yielded the largest energy reductions included:

Sealing openings in architectural supply-air plenums
Converting pneumatic constant volume air-handling systems to electronically controlled (DDC) variable air volume systems
Re-calculating outdoor air ventilation rates based on current code requirements
Installing air-flow monitoring devices and new outdoor air dampers to correctly monitor and adjust for the appropriate volume of outdoor ventilation air
Re-calculating heating/cooling loads to reduce maximum fan speeds
Focused re-zoning of the air-distribution system to meet occupant comfort requests and improve overall system performance
Implementing annual steam trap testing and replacement program

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

Southeast Face

Northeast Face

North Face

East Face