Continuous Commissioning of a Medical Research Facility

This paper presents a case study for Continuous Commissioning (CC) of a 520,000 square foot medical research facility. All of the primary energy using systems in the building were investigated to determine their existing condition and operation. Using these findings, the needed CC measures were developed. Some of the CC measures include repairing the heat exchangers, valves, and dampers that are not working. Also, reset schedules for air handling unit supply temperature and static pressure were created. Chilled and hot water loop ∆P setpoints were fine-tuned. Economizer operation and air-to-air heat exchanger operation were also optimized. The airflow stations in many of the terminal boxes were found to be in need of cleaning and addition of filters. From January 2004 through March 2006 the CC engineers implemented the CC measures with the assistance of facility staff. Cumulative CC savings from April 2004 to July 2006 was over $1,900,000 and the building experiencd significant comfort improvements. INTRODUCTION The case study building is a 520,000 square foot facility that houses medical research. A CC assessment of the building operation was performed in 2003. During the CC assessment process, it was noted that although the building was well run, many opportunities existed to improve the building operation. It was determined that a significant amount of energy savings could be achieved by making adjustments to the operation of the system. The CC process subsequently began in January of 2004 and was substantially completed in March of 2006. All of the primary energy using systems in the building were investigated to determine their current condition and operation. Using these findings, the needed CC measures were developed and implemented. This paper discusses the issues identified and the measures implemented. HVAC SYSTEM INFORMATION Ten single-duct variable air volume (VAV) air handling units (AHUs) provide conditioned air to the building. Table 1 lists the maximum airflow, number of supply fans and sizes of motors for all the AHUs. AHU # of Fans Fan Size