New Buildings Institute (NBI) has developed the first ever set of plug load energy use metrics, which will allow commercial building owners and managers to more easily gain insight into their buildings’ energy use and become more energy efficient. Earlier this year, PECI used the NBI metrics to assess plug load energy use at PECI headquarters in the First and Main building in downtown Portland, Oregon. The study, which informed an energy-saving campaign, resulted in an 18 percent kWh reduction of PECI’s plug load.
Review New Buildings Institute Metrics, “Methodology for Reporting Commercial Office Plug Load Energy Use” and PECI case study, “Analyzing Plug Loads.”
According to the Energy Information Agency, plug load – which is defined as electricity use by equipment that plugs into a building’s electrical outlets – is one of the fastest-growing sources of energy use in commercial buildings. In typical offices, 15 to 20 percent of energy use can be attributed to the plug load of computers, monitors, printers, desk lamps, telephones, etc. In buildings with HVAC and/or lighting systems that have been upgraded or improved to be more energy-efficient, plug load can reach as high as 50 percent of total energy use.
The intent of NBI’s new metrics is to set a benchmark for plug load energy use and make it easier for building owners and managers to spot opportunities to improve energy efficiency. The methodology allows an apples-to-apples comparison of plug load energy use across commercial buildings, even if they have vastly different plug load makeups and characteristics.
PECI helped NBI test the theories behind their metrics during a study conducted in the Portland offices of PECI. PECI’s LEED Platinum office is equipped with an energy management system that allows circuit-level monitoring of energy use throughout the office space. This fact, coupled with PECI’s commitment to the study, practice and influence of responsible energy management, made the site – and the pairing – ideal.
NBI’s metrics showed that PECI’s plug load performance during business hours was already quite good, with numbers comparable to the metrics’ lowest reference value. Overnight, however, PECI’s plug load rated more poorly, with values above the metrics’ median.
“We discovered our higher overnight plug load was primarily due to people leaving their computers in ‘sleep mode’ when they left the office for the day,” said Joan Effinger, Engineering Manager at PECI. “We were excited to use the findings as an opportunity to improve.” PECI launched an internal campaign to motivate people to completely shut off their computers at the end of the day, which contributed to an 18 percent kWh reduction of plug load.
“It was very valuable to conduct such a successful test in a real-world situation,” said Cathy Higgins, Research Director of NBI. “Hopefully this is the first of many cases when people use these new metrics to improve the performance of buildings and reduce energy and cost.”
[1] Plug loads are a part of what is known as Miscellaneous Electrical Loads (MELS)
About PECI
PECI is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to creating the new energy economy. We are leaders in the field of energy resource management, with expertise in designing and implementing energy efficiency programs for utility and government agency clients. Our work helps millions of residential, commercial and industrial utility customers reliably save energy and money. We were founded in 1979 in Portland, Oregon and currently work with clients nationwide. To learn more, visit www.peci.org.
About NBI
Established in 1997, New Buildings Institute (NBI) has been a driving force in advancing energy code stringency, most notably with the adoption of the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), which was based largely on NBI's Core Performance Guide--a prescriptive approach to high performance commercial buildings. The organization also advocates for measuring building energy performance in occupancy rather than relying on modeled predictions to assess efficiency levels, and has become a clearinghouse on zero-net energy policies and practices. To learn more about NBI go towww.newbuildings.org or call 360.567.0950.
Related Stories
Museums | Aug 11, 2010
Design guidelines for museums, archives, and art storage facilities
This column diagnoses the three most common moisture challenges with museums, archives, and art storage facilities and provides design guidance on how to avoid them.
| Aug 11, 2010
Broadway-style theater headed to Kentucky
One of Kentucky's largest performing arts venues should open in 2011—that's when construction is expected to wrap up on Eastern Kentucky University's Business & Technology Center for Performing Arts. The 93,000-sf Broadway-caliber theater will seat 2,000 audience members and have a 60×24-foot stage proscenium and a fly loft.
| Aug 11, 2010
Citizenship building in Texas targets LEED Silver
The Department of Homeland Security's new U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services facility in Irving, Texas, was designed by 4240 Architecture and developed by JDL Castle Corporation. The focal point of the two-story, 56,000-sf building is the double-height, glass-walled Ceremony Room where new citizens take the oath.
| Aug 11, 2010
Carpenters' union helping build its own headquarters
The New England Regional Council of Carpenters headquarters in Dorchester, Mass., is taking shape within a 1940s industrial building. The Building Team of ADD Inc., RDK Engineers, Suffolk Construction, and the carpenters' Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee, is giving the old facility a modern makeover by converting the existing two-story structure into a three-story, 75,000-sf, LEED-certif...
| Aug 11, 2010
Utah research facility reflects Native American architecture
A $130 million research facility is being built at University of Utah's Salt Lake City campus. The James L. Sorenson Molecular Biotechnology Building—a USTAR Innovation Center—is being designed by the Atlanta office of Lord Aeck & Sargent, in association with Salt-Lake City-based Architectural Nexus.
| Aug 11, 2010
San Bernardino health center doubles in size
Temecula, Calif.-based EDGE was awarded the contract for California State University San Bernardino's health center renovation and expansion. The two-phase, $4 million project was designed by RSK Associates, San Francisco, and includes an 11,000-sf, tilt-up concrete expansion—which doubles the size of the facility—and site and infrastructure work.
| Aug 11, 2010
Goettsch Partners wins design competition for Soochow Securities HQ in China
Chicago-based Goettsch Partners has been selected to design the Soochow Securities Headquarters, the new office and stock exchange building for Soochow Securities Co. Ltd. The 21-story, 441,300-sf project includes 344,400 sf of office space, an 86,100-sf stock exchange, classrooms, and underground parking.
| Aug 11, 2010
New hospital expands Idaho healthcare options
Ascension Group Architects, Arlington, Texas, is designing a $150 million replacement hospital for Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello, Idaho. An existing facility will be renovated as part of the project. The new six-story, 320-000-sf complex will house 187 beds, along with an intensive care unit, a cardiovascular care unit, pediatrics, psychiatry, surgical suites, rehabilitation clinic, and ...
| Aug 11, 2010
Colonnade fixes setback problem in Brooklyn condo project
The New York firm Scarano Architects was brought in by the developers of Olive Park condominiums in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn to bring the facility up to code after frame out was completed. The architects designed colonnades along the building's perimeter to create the 15-foot setback required by the New York City Planning Commission.
