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checkEstablish a baseline for current energy consumption.

Description

Measure whole-building energy performance for a period of at least 12 months. Information collected will establish a baseline that can serve as a starting point for setting goals as well as a comparison point for evaluating future efforts and trending overall performance. (Note: If the facility is submetered, a baseline can be developed for each separately submetered area in addition to the whole-building baseline.)

  • Project Talking Points

    • Understand how energy expenditures contribute to operating costs.
    • Identify high-performing facilities for recognition and replicable practices.
    • Prioritize poor-performing facilities for immediate improvement.
    • Use historical energy use trend as a context for future actions and decisions.
    • Categorize current energy use by fuel type, operating division, facility, product line, end use, and other factors.
    • Establish action thresholds for initiating retrocommissioning activities and rewarding good performance. Submetering and circuit-level metering can provide specific data about the effects of changes on particular systems and end uses.

  • Triple Bottom Line Benefits

    • Cost benefits: Reducing costs begins with understanding how energy expenditures contribute to operating costs. Many facilities have documented energy consumption reductions in the range of 20 to 30 percent from baseline.
    • Environmental benefits: The initial direct environmental benefit of benchmarking is zero. However, the ENERGY STAR database allows facilities to track changes in greenhouse gas emissions compared to the benchmarking base year. Therefore, continuing the benchmarking effort documents the environmental impact of your energy management efforts. 
    • Social benefits: Employee and community engagement in an effort to reduce energy consumption is often improved when data, information, goals, and targets are provided. Thus, benchmarking is crucial to that process.

  • Commissioning Connections

    The ASHE Health Facility Commissioning Guidelines and accompanying Health Facility Commissioning Handbook are good information sources for undertaking this performance improvement measure.

    • Chapter 4 Transition to Operational Sustainability – Many health care facilities have significantly reduced maintenance staffing levels and budgets in recent years. Facility managers must depend on technology to automatically detect inefficient operation and provide guidance for optimizing operation.
      • 4.1.1 The Health Facility Commissioning Authority (HFCxA) should facilitate development of O&M dashboards for key equipment and systems.
      • 4.3 Facilitate Implementation of HVAC Control System Trends – Trends provide critical feedback on space conditions and energy usage. It is vitally important for O&M personnel to have this data to help them manage the facility and minimize energy costs.
    • Chapter 5 Postoccupancy and Warranty Phase
      • 5.1 Review Trend Data – When the facility is occupied and the systems are subjected to actual load conditions, trends provide the facility manager with critical data that he or she can use to optimize system operations for both building comfort and energy management.
      • 5.2 Measure and Verify Actual Energy Performance – establish a Portfolio Manager account on the EPA ENERGY STAR website and enter the required building information, which includes floor areas, parking decks, data centers, pools, and bed count.
      • 5.3 Conduct Post occupancy Performance Tests – the HFCxA must coordinate required seasonal or deferred testing and follow up noted deficiencies until corrections are made.
      • 5.5 Benchmark Energy Performance – After the building has been in service for a year, the actual energy efficiency of the building is benchmarked by the owner or the HFCxA. The benchmarking process is based on actual energy and water consumption and costs as compared to the EPA target.
    • Chapter 6 Retrocommissioning
      • 6.1.2 (2) – Obtain 24 months of natural gas, water, and electricity bills and enter them into the Portfolio Manger account. 
      • 6.1.2 (4) – Establish a target Energy Star rating for the facility.
      • 6.1.2 (10) – Conduct a detailed survey of the facility with a focus on the mechanical rooms, electrical rooms, and energy-consuming equipment and systems (water chillers, boilers, water heaters, air-handling units, exhaust fans, and pumps).
      • 6.1.2 (20) – Compare actual equipment performance to manufacturer’s rated performance data. Identify and document discrepancies.
      • 6.1.3 Striving for Continuous Commissioning – O&M staff can use an electronic commissioning tool that interfaces with the automatic temperature control system to continuously identify problems and dispatch maintenance personnel. The retrocommissioning process should lead toward the implementation of a continuous commissioning effort that is appropriate for the specific facility.

  • How-To

    Who’s on the team: Building engineer, facility manager, building controls technician, commissioning authority.

    1. Gather at least 24 months (36 months, if possible) of monthly energy data from utility bills (e.g., electricity, natural gas, etc.). This data should be readily available from the utility. Note whether the facility submeters specific energy systems. For additional guidance, visit http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=assess_performance.gather_data.
    2. Analyze monthly utility bills to identify overall trends, seasonal fluctuations, and unexplained changes in energy use.
      • An easy way to analyze trends and discover unexplained changes in utility consumption is to use a spreadsheet to track a rolling 12-month average of monthly utility consumption and demand. This method helps screen out seasonal variation and identify underlying energy consumption or demand increases. Conversion to units per square foot also helps you recognize disparities caused by changes in  building square footage. Use the ENERGY STAR methodology for calculating square footage to ensure that data entered in the system is comparable, a necessity for achieving accurate benchmark rating comparisons.
    3. Create an account with EPA ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.
    4. Establish a baseline year (or average of several years).
    5. Enter utility data into EPA ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager to benchmark energy consumption with comparable facilities. Facilities with complex energy systems may choose to use the hospital import template provided by ENERGY STAR.
    6. Note your facility’s baseline ENERGY STAR score. If it is greater than 50, your facility’s energy systems are currently more efficient than half the similar facilities in the United States. If the score is 75 or higher, your facility falls into the top 25 percent of energy-efficient hospitals in the U.S. and is eligible to receive an ENERGY STAR label. The label is valid for one year and requires third party validation of performance. This process can be performed every year if a facility qualifies, and the program covers hospitals, laundries, garages, data centers, health care campuses, and medical office buildings. For additional information about how to apply for the ENERGY STAR, visit: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=evaluate_performance.bus_portfoliomanager_intro
    7. Trend and track ENERGY STAR scores and energy usage overtime to demonstrate improvements. 
    8. Use the Roadmap’s target-setting Energy Reduction Tool to help set goals based on your baseline and benchmark data.
    9. Consider the use of submetering and circuit-level metering to identify and track specific end uses and reductions.

  • Tools

  • Case Studies

    Gunderson Lutheran Health System

    • Key Points
      • $500,000 estimated annual increase in health system’s electricity and natural gas bill if annual price increases hold constant.
      • Analyzed 10+ years of utility bills to establish the health system’s energy baseline.
      • Calculated total annual and kWh of electricity and million ft3 of natural gas and per square foot kBtu of energy use (both electricity and natural gas).

    Saint Francis Care

    • Key Points
      • Awarded Energy Star label every year since 2003.
      • Continuous improvement in energy efficiency linked to monitoring the difference between baseline energy usage and current usage.

    Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital

    • Key Points
      • Use Energy Star Portfolio Manager to track annual energy use.
      • Calculating an energy baseline at the hospital supported its health system’s efforts to adhere to the CERES (Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies) principles for environmental stewardship.

    Tri-City Medical Center

    • Key Point
      • Use Energy Star Portfolio Manager to compare energy use against their own baseline and against other hospitals of similar size.

  • Regulations, Codes and Standards, Policies

  • Cross References: LEED

    • LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations + Maintenance
      • Energy & Atmosphere Prerequisite 2: Minimum Energy Efficiency Performance
      • Energy & Atmosphere Credit 1: Optimize Energy Efficiency Performance
      • Energy & Atmosphere Credit 3.1: Performance Measurement – Building Automation System
      • Energy & Atmosphere Credit 3.2: Performance Measurement – System Level Metering
    • LEED for Healthcare: New Construction and Major Renovations
      • Energy & Atmosphere Prerequisite 2: Minimum Energy Efficiency Performance
      • Energy & Atmosphere Credit 1: Optimize Energy Efficiency Performance
      • Energy & Atmosphere Credit 5: Measurement and Verification

  • Cross References: GGHC

  • Cross References: EEP

    Energy savings

    Reduction in greenhouse gases

  • PIM Synergies

  • More Resources

    The American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) has approved the courses below for continuing education credits. ASHE issues credits in quarter-hour increments, and a total of 10 contact hours equals 1 continuing education credit.

  • PIM Descriptors

    Energy

    Level: Beginner

    Category List:

    • Benchmarking
    • Measurement and Reporting
    • Strategic Operations

    PIM Attributes:

    • Optimize Operations
    • Repair or Optimize Existing Systems (fix what you have)

    Improvement Type:

    • Commission/Retro-Commission
    • Retrofit/Renovations
    • New Buildings
    • Operations and Maintenance

    Department:

    • Engineering/Facilities Management

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