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<\/p>\nEnergy efficiency and sustainability are important ideals for the leadership and student body at Temple University (Temple). Last year, Temple made the decision to make its campus more energy efficient and sent out request\u00a0for proposals (RFPs) to 5 different energy service companies (ESCO), which are companies that focus on making changes that will enhance efficiency and save energy. After reviewing the proposals, Temple chose The Efficiency\u00a0Network (TEN) to manage its energy-efficiency upgrade project, with a 3-year contract to manage ongoing improvements. TEN, as an ESCO, specializes in commercial buildings with a focus on higher education, and partners with\u00a0clients to help bring greater energy efficiency to their facilities. In this project, Temple tasked TEN with finding projects that had a payback period under 5 years. Based on these parameters, TEN came back to Temple with a\u00a0plan outlining measures to save energy, including insulation, lighting, HVAC equipment, and HVAC controls upgrades.<\/p>\n
Temple\u2019s Energy Manager, Andrew Holden, who says that insulation has always been an issue of focus throughout his career, worked with an engineer to create a plan for insulating piping on steam and chilled-water\u00a0systems, as he knows these systems to have a significant impact and a particularly fast return on investment (ROI). Speaking about the importance of insulating hot and cold systems, Holden said, \u201cYou only have to go into a steam room that isn\u2019t insulated to know how important insulation really is.\u201d Though mechanical insulation and its benefits are often overlooked, Holden affirms that it is \u201con everybody\u2019s radar at this\u00a0point.\u201d Properly insulating these systems played an important role in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which is one of Temple\u2019s established goals.<\/p>\n
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Robert Tobin, the Senior Project Manager for TEN, oversaw and continues to manage this project for Temple. When asked what tend to be areas of focus for higher education, he said, \u201cInsulation is one of the top picks\u00a0for educational buildings\u201d due to its quick payback period and relative ease of installation, and also for the significant energy savings it provides. To outline the savings possible through insulation upgrades, TEN\u00a0partnered with I-Star Energy Solutions (I-Star) to conduct a mechanical insulation assessment, which included buildings at the main campus and the health-science campus. Different types of buildings were evaluated in this\u00a0assessment, including classrooms, research buildings, and a recreation center.<\/p>\n
The mechanical insulation assessment involves a full site walk where I-Star personnel perform a close evaluation of the current piping and equipment that could be insulated. The thermal performance of any uninsulated or\u00a0under-insulated piping and equipment is then compared to that of a properly insulated system. The information from the site walk was then used by I-Star personnel to calculate energy savings based on the system operating\u00a0parameters provided by the site engineers. I-Star also made use of infrared cameras to demonstrate where heat was currently being lost in the system. All the data was compiled into a report so that Temple could make an educated\u00a0decision on the best way to conserve energy and save dollars.<\/p>\n
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Step 1:<\/strong><\/span> I-Star met with TEN engineers at Temple to receive a list of buildings to be assessed and to learn of any areas of concern or current trouble spots. Their\u00a0appraisers also reviewed the facility layouts and drawings to better determine the major sources of energy serving the buildings.<\/p>\n Step 2:<\/strong><\/span> Physical walk-throughs of the buildings were completed to assess the high, medium, and low-pressure steam, steam condensate, heating hot water, chilled water, and domestic hot-water piping systems. A detailed take-off was created of any missing insulation on piping, valves, fittings, pumps, condensate receivers, air separators, chemical feeders, heat exchangers, and other equipment,\u00a0which was then broken down by building area. During the assessment, state-of-the-art infrared\/digital photography was used to illustrate the energy loss throughout the mechanical systems.<\/p>\n Step 3:<\/strong><\/span> With the use of 3E\u00ae Plus, a program developed by the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) and endorsed by the Department of Energy, I-Star produced customized calculations on heat loss\/gain and reductions in GHG emissions. Calculations were based on site conditions such as process temperatures, the hours of the mechanical systems, ambient air temperature\u00a0around the uninsulated piping, fuel type\/cost, and efficiency of the systems. All this criteria is entered into the 3E Plus program, which then indicates the heat loss\/gain in MMBtus\/dollars per one foot of uninsulated pipe.\u00a0This data was then imported into I-Star\u2019s proprietary software that joins the detailed field take-offs and the detailed 3E Plus calculations into one place.<\/p>\n Step 4:<\/strong><\/span> The final report presented to TEN and Temple University showed energy savings, fuel cost savings, and environmental impact. The report was provided in 2 ways: first\u00a0by building, and then by system. The high-\/medium-pressure steam, steam condensate, and chilled-water systems were selected for insulation upgrades based upon payback criteria.<\/p>\n Step 5:<\/strong><\/span> I-Star mobilized on site in July 2015 and began to insulate the mechanical systems based on the detailed scope created during the assessment phase. Fiber glass\u00a0insulation with all-service jacketing (ASJ) was installed on piping, and PVC fitting covers and Insulation inserts were installed on elbows and other fittings. For ease of access for any maintenance issues, all flanged pairs,\u00a0flanged valves, bonnets, and steam traps were fitted with removable\/reusable insulation. The installation was completed in September 2015.<\/p>\n Immediately after the insulation was installed, personnel noticed the ambient air temperature within the mechanical spaces dropped. TEN will be providing data that will measure the ongoing savings as well as the reductions\u00a0in energy usage and GHG missions. The reduction in energy consumption has a direct impact on the budget; as a result of the installed insulation, the annual energy cost savings for Temple University was projected to be\u00a0$40,000.<\/p>\n The chart below displays the projected savings in MMBtu\/dollars, per system in the scope of work.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This project demonstrates how a properly selected, installed, and maintained mechanical insulation system will contribute to a cleaner environment with the reduction of GHG emissions and will provide an excellent ROI.\u00a0Speaking on the benefits of the project, Holden affirmed, \u201cThe results have been really good; there\u2019s a noticeable difference in temperature in the mechanical rooms\u2014and we have mitigated the safety issues that come with having bare pipe.\u201d<\/p>\n Thus far, Holden said, work has been completed in 18 or 20 buildings, and there are at least 40 buildings to look at to see if similar upgrades can be made; Temple\u2019s plan is to continue forward on this path. The\u00a0excellent results yielded by the first mechanical insulation upgrades have been recognized as impactful\u2014another benefit is that since mechanical rooms are \u201cbehind the scenes,\u201d upgrades can be done without\u00a0disturbing students and teachers. Tobin also added that the insulation work accomplished by I-Star was \u201ctop notch,\u201d and that TEN hopes to continue to show similar energy savings with future improvements.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![](\"\/io\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/10\/IO160401_01.jpg\")
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