| Northwest grid operators and other stakeholders are poised to expand demand side resources, energy storage, and other flexible energy solutions. Join the discussion about how to move forward effectively.Ā Over 165 professionals attended last yearās Northwest DR Symposium. We expect well over 200 this year. You should be one of them.
DEMAND RESPONSE:Ā Get up to date on DR seasonal trends, behavioral vs. automated, DR combining DR and EE, the direction for DER, and more. ENERGY STORAGE:Ā Weāll explore where to locate storage, how to procure it, the value stack for our region, and more. Join us to find out. The 2017 Northwest Demand Response + Energy Storage Summit:Sept. 27 and 28, 2017 World Forestry Center (next to the Oregon Zoo) 4033 Southwest Canyon Road Portland, OR 97221 GetĀ more details about the DR + Energy SummitĀ on our website or inĀ this PDF prospectus.
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Quick Tips for Summer Energy Savings!
Looking for more ways to save energy during the summer cooling season? Check out these tips to keep your building running efficiently and keep occupants comfortable:
- Keep programmable thermostats set to turn air conditioning on 30 minutes before people arrive and off 30 to 60 minutes before they leave. Make sure your system is operating within the building policy set points.
- Shade windows, doors and skylights with awnings, sunscreens and blinds.
- Shut off exhaust fans when the rooms they serve are unoccupied unless health codes require constant ventilation.
- Turn off air conditioning when not needed.
- If you are in a mild climate and your building has an automation system, consider cooling the building at night with outside air. This strategy lowers the temperature of the overall building mass, resulting in a smaller cooling load during the day.
Find out more about building scheduling at http://betterbricks.com/system-diagnostic-toolss/equipment-operates-during-unoccupied-hours
Brought to you by BOCĀ® – Building Operator Certification
Energy Efficiency through Operator Training
2017 Energy Facilities Connections Conference Innovations Award Winners Announced
Innovative leaders working to save energy, improve public safety, and meet labor force demands recognized by the WSU Energy Program. The Northwest Energy Efficiency Council and the BOC program are proud sponsors of the Energy Facilities ConnectionsĀ conference and the award.
This information is shared courtesy of the WSU Energy program.Ā
Challenges are less daunting when we leverage lessons of others who have solved similar problems. Local leaders who are taking innovative steps to save energy, improve public safety, and meet labor force demands shared their ideas at the recent Energy/Facilities Connections Conference hosted by the WSU Energy Program. Their efforts earned them Energy/Facilities Innovations Awards, sponsored by the Northwest Energy Efficiency Council.
University of Washington ā Bothell
The combined UW Bothell & Cascadia College campus is new and modern, but is experiencing growing pains. Commuters fill the two garage facilities to capacity, which causes poor traffic flow and backups. In turn, drivers become frustrated, which increases the risk for accidents where car traffic and pedestrians try to use the same spaces at the same time.
Associate Vice Chancellor of Facilities, Tony Guerrero, developed a vision comprised of several strategic projects to improve vehicle and pedestrian safety on campus.
Light emitting diodes (LEDs) were installed in crosswalks. This system includes motion sensors that activate flashing LEDs when pedestrians enter the crosswalk. These lights are piercing and difficult for drivers to ignore when activated by an approaching pedestrian. The lights are also highly visible to pedestrians, which may make them more aware of their surroundings when crossing the road. There have been no pedestrian-involved accidents since the system has been in operation.
LED area lighting was added in the covered levels of the parking garages so drivers and pedestrians can see better and feel safer. This upgrade is particularly beneficial in areas that are farthest away from natural lighting sources. By adding daylight and occupancy sensors to the already-efficient LED lighting system, this improvement also enhances energy savings by providing illumination only when needed.
Vehicle sensors were added in the parking garages to monitor traffic flows and illuminate signs to indicate how many spaces are available on each level. Color LEDs over each parking space indicate if a space is available, full, or designated for carpools, ADA accessible, or other special cases. If drivers donāt see a green light down the row, they can quickly move on. These upgrades have reduced the frequency and duration of traffic jams in the parking garages. Reduced wait and idle times also reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Finally, a mobile parking app lets drivers check parking availability in real time, before they even arrive on campus, so they can plan ahead to find an available parking spot.
South Seattle College
For tech tourists, the new smart buildings in the Puget Sound region are visitor attractions on par with the Microsoft campus and Nintendo headquarters. These buildings use complex and interconnected technologies to ensure that the people who work in them are comfortable and productive, so facilities managers with specialized knowledge are needed to run them.
But as the pace of smart building development accelerates, the availability of qualified people to manage them is dwindling. Industry leaders have identified a looming gap in the next 10 years of qualified facilities management personnel in the region.
To address this need, an innovative Bachelor of Applied Science in Sustainable Building Science Technology was created. Victoria Hardy, Sustainable Building Science Technology Faculty Coordinator, mentions three unique features of this degree: it builds on technical Associate degrees, is delivered in a hybrid format that is 80% online and 20% face-to-face one Saturday a month, and is designed for working adults with experience in the built environment and veterans with STEM backgrounds.
According to the program website, āThe Sustainable Building Science Technology BAS program is a unique bachelorās degree designed to meet the needs of industry by providing professionals an understanding of building function and project finance, further enabling them to maintain buildings in healthier, more durable, sustainable and economical ways.ā
The program was launched in fall 2014. Since then, 49 people have enrolled and 11 have already graduated. The persistence rate in the program is 89%. Enrolled students have seen salary increases of as much as 31% and significant promotions.
Congratulations to these 2017 EFC Innovations Award winners. Public, nonprofit, and tribal organizations are eligible for consideration. Innovations must be facilities related, such as maintenance, custodial, new construction and renovation, security, grounds, and emergency preparedness. See the WSU Energy Program website for details.
Power Meters and Energy Logging
Measuring electric power consumption of mechanical and lighting equipment is a useful method to establish energy consumption, verify energy savings from a project, or determine the electric load on distribution panels and transformers in commercial buildings. The Tool Lending Library at the Smart Buildings Center in Seattle, Washington has portable power meters from Fluke and Dent Instruments that are simple to use and provide a wealth of data for electric energy consumption and load studies.Ā These instruments are available for loan free of charge to building owners, electrical contractors, and energy service providers in Washington and Oregon.
FLUKE 1730 Energy Logger
The Fluke 1730 Energy Logger provides a simple method to measure and log energy use of single and three phase electrical equipment and systems. The integral color display provides a convenient method to perform in-the-field analysis and data checks.Ā The logger can be powered by an integral battery pack for short term studies up to 4 hours. For longer term studies, the logger can be powered directly by the measured circuit.Ā More than 20 separate logging sessions can be stored on the instrument. All measured values are automatically logged and can be reviewed during logging and before downloading for on-the-go analysis.
The Fluke 1730 Energy Logger includes flat cables for reference voltage and 10-inch flexible rocoil type current transducers rated at a maximum of 1500 amps up to 600 volts. The logger includes a USB port for downloading the energy data for analysis using the Fluke Energy Analyze software. The data can also be exported for use in spreadsheet programs for further analysis.
DENT INSTRUMENTS ELITEPRO XC
The Dent Instruments ELITEpro XC is a complete solution for pinpointing electrical usage and quantifying energy usage. It is capable of measuring, storing, and analyzing electrical consumption data which is derived from the voltage and current inputs. These meters can capture kWh/kW energy and demand data as well as virtually all relevant energy parameters for diagnostics and monitoring on three-phase and single-phase circuits. The meterās fast sampling rate allows for real-time display of voltage, current waveforms and harmonics.
The portable meter measures up to four channels of energy metrics with currents ranging from 0-6,000 amps. The meter also has the capability of recording analog data with a configurable input range for voltage (0-10 VDC) or current transducers (0-20 or 4-20 Ma). These analog inputs are used for process or environmental correlation studies with power.
The meter is easily configured using ELOG software. A Setup Table is the file that programs the logger for the project. When the Setup File is sent to the logger the meter is ready for deployment. The meter is powered directly from the phases of the service being measured. Measurements are stored in on-board memory which allows for long term logging sessions. The Tool Lending Library has a wide range of current transducers (CTās) for use with the ELITEpro XC. These include 25 and 50-amp split core, 150-amp clamp-on, and 16ā to 36ā rocoils rated at 5-5000 Amps. At the end of the project you connect the meter to a computer with ELOG software and download the data file. Analyze the data and create graphs with ELOG or export the data file for use in spreadsheet programs.
Over 85 different types of building diagnostic tools and meters are available for loan from the Tool Lending Library at the Smart Buildings Center located in Seattle, Washington. For more information visit our website at www.smartbuildingscenter.org/tool-library/.
ACEEE Annual City Energy Efficiency Scorecard Released ā Seattle and Portland among the top 5!
ACEEE has released their 2017 City Energy Efficiency Scorecard for 51 cities across the U.S. The scorecard measures the progress of city policies and programs that save energy while benefiting the environment and promoting economic growth.Ā The top 5 performers were Boston, New York, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Portland.
NEEC and the Smart Buildings Center provide the technical support for the City of Seattle Energy Benchmarking program ā one of the city policies that are recognized as a best practice in energy efficiency measures for cities across the country. Other areas that are assessed in the Scorecard are local government operations, community-wide initiatives, buildings, energy and water utilities, and transportation.
For the full report and to see most improved cities since the last report, click HERE.
NEEC Power Hour – June 22nd, 2017
The Northwest Energy Efficiency Council (NEEC) invites you toĀ attendĀ theĀ upcomingĀ NEEC Power HourĀ at the Smart Buildings Center.Ā Ā These informal after work get togethers, hosted by NEEC several times a year, will feature drinks and light refreshments combined with networking opportunities amongst peers and to hear featured guests bringing news and insights affecting the industry.Ā Join us and hear about the many benefits of being a NEEC member.
Click here to register.
