We live in a digital, data-driven society. In an interview in 2019, Antonio Neri, president of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., stated, “We live in an incredible time — every business has been disrupted by the digital transformation. The core of that transformation is the explosion of the data we are creating. We call data as the new currency.” Buildings and their systems offer a wealth of data; however, data is useless without critical review and analysis.

These not only include energy usage, but also asset maintenance, indoor environmental quality and sustainability initiatives, such as the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

For many managers, the most important metrics relate to energy consumption and demand. If not already established, energy baselines need to be developed for their facilities. The International Organization for Standardization’s ISO 50001:2018 – Energy Management Systems – Requirements with Guidance for Use requires energy baselines be developed and defines these six steps:

• determine boundaries: building, campus, business sector, etc.
• establish the baseline period — typically one year
• gather energy data (consumption by fuel) — create an energy balance
• determine factors heavily influencing energy consumption
• calculate energy use intensity (EUI)
• track and report progress

Developing an accurate baseline of energy use is critical and should subdivide the demand and consumption between the various loads within the facility. Recent editions of the most adopted energy codes (ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2022: Energy Standard for Sites and Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings and the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code) include requirements for submetering to help identify this data. Once developed, the most common baseline metric is EUI, calculated as the annual building energy use (measured in kBtus) divided by the total gross area of the building (measured in square feet).

The accuracy of the energy baseline is important in benchmarking against peer facilities. There are several commonly used benchmarking tools, all employing facilities’ EUIs in some capacity. These include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star Portfolio Manager, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Energy Asset Score and ASHRAE’s Building Energy Quotient. These tools help in comparing the energy performance of similar facilities.

In addition to energy baselines and benchmarks, there are additional metrics — energy performance indicators (EnPI) — for facilities with specific uses. ISO 50001 defines an energy performance indicator as “a quantitative value or measure of energy performance, as defined by the organization.” Examples of EnPIs include:

• BTU per unit of product – assembly plant
• BTU per pound of product – manufacturer
• BTU per number of beds occupied – hotel or hospital
• power usage effectiveness (PUE) – data centers

The EPA works with industry to develop sector-specific EnPIs. These determine how efficiently a whole plant uses energy compared to others in its industry.

Next month, I will discuss common metrics associated with asset maintenance, indoor environmental quality and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Hanson has a number of dedicated engineers and energy management professionals with experience in developing metrics and analyzing same for clients and their facilities. For further information, contact Bob Knoedler at rknoedler@hanson-inc.com or Bill Bradford at bbradford@hanson-inc.com.

The U.S. Green Building Council recognized Orlando International Airport with two sustainability awards.

The airport’s Automated People Mover Complex and Intermodal Terminal Facility received the Marquee Green Building Legacy Award, which is given to buildings or projects that have shown innovation in and a commitment to sustainability.

The new Terminal C received the Sustainable Technology Award, which is given to project teams that improved sustainable design and/or operations through exceptional, innovative technology.

Hanson provided commissioning during construction of the complex, which has about 1.8 million square feet of conditioned space.

Chris Gray, the chief technology officer at RENU Communities, and Bill Bradford, P.E., a senior vice president and Hanson’s energy, sustainability and resiliency principal who works at the Orlando, Florida, regional office, discussed decarbonization and other topics for Hanson’s new video series.

“When you have major players in the industry focusing on decarbonizing real estate, it becomes mainstream … and that’s what we really need,” Chris says during the conversation for “Discussions With Energy Leaders.” Bill interviews top experts and leaders in the fields of energy, sustainability and resiliency about the latest trends and key issues for this series.

RENU Communities is a Boston-based firm committed to a carbon-neutral future in the built environment by offering decarbonized energy solutions for residential and business properties across the U.S.

Watch the discussion to hear about decarbonization in the built environment, finding the most cost-effective methods to meet energy efficiency goals, solar energy and more.

Humans are made of water. Waterways connect us for transportation and recreation. Rain and irrigation grow our crops. Clean water is essential for hydration and sanitation. Too much water, too little water or poor quality water can make or break everyday life for water users — which is to say, everybody.

The US Water Alliance aims to install One Water as the standard approach for water management in the United States, with the goal of creating thriving local economies, community vitality and healthy ecosystems.

One Water is not a new perspective. One of the first ways children are taught to conceptualize water is through the water cycle. However, traditional water planning tends to disregard the cyclical nature of water. Regulatory, financial and government silos prevail, separating drinking water, stormwater and wastewater.

To adopt a One Water ethic, water planners and users must approach present and future water challenges, such as ecosystem degradation, water scarcity, climate change, flooding, aging or inadequate infrastructure and water affordability with the following hallmarks:

• Start with a mindset that all water has value. There is a finite amount of water on the planet. Every drop counts, from agricultural runoff to reservoir contents, and every drop has an opportunity to be managed sustainably.
• Explore solutions that achieve multiple benefits. Ideal One Water solutions find a balance between economic, social and environmental priorities.
• Employ a systems approach. Avoid the traditional silos and acknowledge the complexity of water resources. Neglected water or wastewater infrastructure can create contaminated waterways. Treated wastewater effluent can become the environmental flows necessary to sustain vital habitats. Each water resource is interconnected and interdependent.
• Think and take action at the watershed scale. Zooming out to the watershed level acknowledges the unique geology, hydrology, challenges and opportunities that a community may face. It is at the watershed level that the extent of a water issue can be better understood and better solved.
• Include and engage all stakeholders and partners. The path to a resilient, water-equitable future requires collaboration and partnerships between all water stakeholders (water utilities, industry, agriculture, citizens, etc.). A diversity of perspectives ensures that needs are heard from all arenas and buy-in extends to the public.

Find One Water resource publications at the US Water Alliance website. Hanson can help you develop multipronged solutions to your water problems — contact Michelle Alvarez at malvarez@hanson-inc.com.

Bill Bradford, P.E., a senior vice president and Hanson’s energy, sustainability and resiliency principal who works at the Orlando, Florida, regional office, spoke at the fifth annual Seminole Tribe of Florida Renewable Energy and Sustainability Conference in Hollywood, Florida.

Bill co-presented “Reaching Your Climate and Energy Goals by Implementing Energy Transition Plans” Feb. 8 with Jason Alphonso, a program manager for Tepa Engineering Services.

The conference offers a variety of sessions about energy development and sustainability to tribal representatives from the United States and Canada.

Robert Knoedler, P.E., EMP, CxA, a vice president and an executive staff consultant who works at Hanson’s Orlando, Florida, regional office, discussed key calculations and measurements for energy use and more during the AHR Expo in Atlanta.

Robert delivered his presentation, “Key Performance Metrics for Energy and Facility Managers,” Feb. 6. He talked about the calculations and measurements managers need to monitor and track relating to energy demand and consumption, industry-specific energy performance indicators, asset maintenance metrics, indoor environmental quality/building comfort and greenhouse gas emissions. 

He also taught the Energy Management Association’s Energy Management Professional seminar Feb. 7–8 during the expo.

In October, I joined over 200 representatives from the heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigerating (HVAC&R) industry for a global summit hosted by ASHRAE’s Region-at-Large in Istanbul. The summit attracts people from all facets of the industry — designers, owners, operators, commissioning providers, contractors, manufacturers and professional organizations from around the world — and focuses on the top issues facing HVAC&R. This year’s summit addressed concerns with topics titled “Decarbonization,” “IEQ/Wellness,” “Food Security – The Cold Chain” (the temperature-controlled supply chain), “Climate Crisis Mitigation,” “Energy Security” and “Workforce Development.”

Bringing such a large group of HVAC&R professionals together to discuss these challenges offered a great opportunity to help the industry. After keynote speakers delivered short presentations on the topics, everyone was divided into groups, each joined by an industry expert, to discuss the issues, find their causes and deliberate the ramifications.

I participated in the group that discussed indoor environmental quality and wellness in buildings, and I drew on my experience as a voting member of ASHRAE’s Epidemic Task Force and former chair of its Environmental Health Committee. I found that with the wide range of personalities, experiences and expertise in these groups, the toughest part was making sure to focus on just identifying the problems. The biggest takeaway from my group’s discussion is that everyone is struggling to find the balance between indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and the energy and carbon it takes to provide a comfortable and safer environment than the code-minimum design.

After each group presented their thoughts and answered audience questions, they developed action plans, which became a fairly detailed work plan not just for ASHRAE, but for the entire HVAC&R industry. The audience then provided additional feedback and input on the subject areas for the groups’ proposed plans. The leaders of the breakout groups took this work and input from everyone at the summit to detail the plans for the summit’s final report. You can learn about everything that was presented and discovered during the summit in the report on ASHRAE’s website. The intent is that all the supporting organizations in the HVAC&R industry will adopt these plans to help improve these important issues.

Wade Conlan, P.E., CxA, BCxP, LEED AP® BD+C, is Hanson’s commissioning and energy discipline manager who works at the Orlando, Florida, regional office. He has been extensively involved with ASHRAE. Talk to him about how commissioning can help address these key issues by emailing him at wconlan@hanson-inc.com.

Xin Tong, P.E., an electrical engineer at Hanson’s Orlando, Florida, regional office, recently earned her professional engineer license in Florida.

Xin, who joined the company last year, provides planning and design for electrical systems in education, government, commercial, institutional and aviation facilities.

Robert Knoedler, P.E., EMP, CxA, a vice president and an executive staff consultant who works at Hanson’s Orlando, Florida, regional office, will be a presenter during the AHR Expo in Atlanta.

Robert will give his presentation, “Key Performance Metrics for Energy and Facility Managers,” Feb. 6. He will discuss the key calculations and measurements managers need to monitor and track relating to energy demand and consumption, industry-specific energy performance indicators, asset maintenance metrics, indoor environmental quality/building comfort and greenhouse gas emissions. 

He also will teach the Energy Management Association’s Energy Management Professional seminar Feb. 7–8 during the expo. More information about the expo can be found on the event’s website.

Wade Conlan, P.E., CxA, BCxP, LEED AP® BD+C, Hanson’s commissioning and energy discipline manager who works at the Orlando, Florida, regional office, co-presented a Building Commissioning Association webinar about the benefits of using advanced commissioning diagnostics for indoor air quality and energy efficiency.

Erik Malmstrom, CEO of SafeTraces, and Wade presented “Data-Driven Commissioning for Improved Health and Efficiency” on Jan. 11. SafeTraces offers an indoor air quality verification program that actively measures pathogen risk in a building to help improve the health and efficiency of a heating, ventilating and air conditioning system.