overall strategic energy management-august-12-2011 revised (2)
TRANSCRIPT
The 360 Degree Overview! A Holistic Approach to Energy Conservation Management
2
2011 – 2015 Strategic Energy Management Plan
Presented for:
NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY
NC A&T State University, 1601 E. Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27411
Phone (336) 285-4550: Fax (336) 285-256-2575:
http://www.ncat.edu
Presented to:
Chancellor Dr. Harold L. Martin, Sr.
AND
The University Cabinet Members
Prepared By: Mary-Ann Ibeziako – Energy Manager
August 11, 2011
mibeziak.ncat.edu
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Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................................... 6
POLICY ON SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES ............................................................................................................................ 6 PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS (MOST CRITICAL) ....................................................................................................................... 7
Performance Contracting ........................................................................................................ 7
Energy Grade Audits ................................................................................................................ 7
HVAC Equipment ................................................................................................................... 10
IT-Data-Center ....................................................................................................................... 11
Monitoring & Control ............................................................................................................ 13
Energy Data Management ..................................................................................................... 13
(SSEI) Students’ Sustainable Energy Initiatives ..................................................................... 14
CURRENT ENERGY USE IN FACILITIES ......................................................................................................... 18
ENERGY SUPPLY MANAGEMENT .................................................................................................................................. 19 WATER SUPPLY MANAGEMENT ................................................................................................................................... 20 EQUIPMENT EFFICIENCY & MAINTENANCE PLAN ........................................................................................................ 22 ORGANIZATION INTEGRATION...................................................................................................................................... 22 GENERAL CONSERVATION ACCOMPLISHMENT ............................................................................................................. 23 ENERGY BASELINE USED ............................................................................................................................................. 24
NCA&T OVERALL UTILITY PERFORMANCE ................................................................................................ 24
MAKING THE CASE FOR HOLISTIC ENERGY CONSERVATION APPROACH ...................................... 26
FOCUS ON SCHEDULED HVAC MAINTENANCE PLAN ............................................................................... 29
FOCUS ON ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN IT DATA-CENTER ....................................................................... 30
METHODS OF CONTROLLING IT POWER CONSUMPTION ............................................................................................... 32 IT EQUIPMENT POWER CONSUMPTION REDUCTION TECHNIQUES ................................................................................ 33
STRATEGIC ENERGY MANAGEMENT PLAN PROJECTS ........................................................................... 38
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION TECHNIQUES .................................................................................................................... 39 PRE-SET PROJECT SUCCESS INDICATORS ...................................................................................................................... 41 PROJECT SUCCESS MEASUREMENT ............................................................................................................................... 43 IMPLEMENTATION BASED ON CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT ......................................................................................... 43 PROJECT SCOPE ............................................................................................................................................................ 45
Equipment Efficiency ............................................................................................................. 46
Performance Contracting ...................................................................................................... 47
Business Systems and Process Optimization ......................................................................... 47
Energy Monitoring & Control ................................................................................................ 48
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Real Time Data Analysis ......................................................................................................... 49
Energized Student, Faculty and Staff..................................................................................... 49
BUDGETING ............................................................................................................................................................. 50
RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................................................................................................... 50
CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................................................... 51
RESOURCES USED ................................................................................................................................................. 52
APPENDIXES ........................................................................................................................................................... 53
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This strategic plan was written in accordance with the EPA guidelines, which offers “a proven strategy for superior energy management with tools and resources to help each step of the way,” see: (http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=guidelines.guidelines_index), This plan was developed based on the “successful practices” of some of the Energy Star Partners across the country including colleges and universities:, such as University of Connecticut, University of California at Berkley, Duke University, Harvard University, and many others. The plan utilizes “Continuous Improvement” methodology holistically.
Prepared By: MaryAnn Ibeziako – Energy Manager August 15, 2011
mibeziak.ncat.edu
SCHEMATIC OVERVIEW OF NCAT ENERGY CONSERVATION PROGRAM
ENERGY CONSERVATION PROGRAM
INVESTMENT GRADE ENERGY AUDIT PERFORMANCE CONTRACTING
HVAC
HVAC EQUIPMENT UPGRADES SCHEDULED & PLANNED MAINTENANCE
FACILITIES AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
IT-DATA -CENTER
IT DATA-CENTER HVAC UPGRADE
IT-SERVER VIRTUALIZATION
IT-ENERGY USAGE POLICY
ENERGY DATA MANAGEMENT
MONITORING & CONTROL-SCADA SYSTEMS)
ENERGY INVOICE DATA MANAGEMENT APPLICATION
TELEWORK
TELEWORK TECHNOLOGY
TELECOMMUTING POLICIES
STUDENTS ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE
SELF IMPOSED $5.00 Levy
COMPACTOR RECYCLING
SOLAR POWER
BIO DIESEL
ENERGY WEEK/SEMINAR
HOMESTEAD SOLAR CANOPY
WATER RECLAIM EQUIPMENT
WATER THERMAL FOR FARM LAND
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Executive Summary
Policy on Sustainable Practices
The North Carolina A & T State University (NCA&T) adopted a Policy on Sustainable Practices in 2002 which
states that the University will develop a Strategic Energy Plan (SEP) for implementing energy efficiency and
conservation projects in both existing and future buildings. The initial goal for the retrofit projects is to
reduce system-wide, growth adjusted energy consumption by 30% or more by 2014-15 from the year 2002-
2003 base consumption level. It is anticipated that the Strategic Energy Plan projects will be one of the main
tools the university uses to meet its targets. With the demanding goals of the Policy on Sustainable Practices
providing the background for this effort, the purpose of this study is to generate targeted projects to help
the University meet the goals set forth. This study strives to provide the initial identification of as many
projects as possible to present the university with a roadmap for implementation over the next 5 years to
meet the goals set forth.
The North Carolina A & T State University (NCA&T) Strategic Energy Plan (SEP) was developed in accordance
with the General Statute 143-64.10 - 12 ‘Energy Conservation in Public Facilities,’ which mandates a
comprehensive energy management program for the state government. It is in support of the State Utilities
Savings Initiative (USI), established by the Governor’s Efficiency Commission. The ultimate goal of the
targeted projects or the efficiency consumption initiatives is to ensure that energy consumption per gross
square foot is geometrically reduced by 20 percent in 2009-2010 and 30 percent by 2015 compared to the
base fiscal year, 2002-2003 . According to the records available, electric and fuel consumption in FY 2009 -
2010 were down by 7% from the FY 2002-2003 baseline, however, NCA&T did not meet the initial 20%
reduction goal. The NCA&T leadership recognizes that the greatest benefits of the Strategic Energy Plan
would be realized through the collaborative efforts of the staff, faculty and students. As a result, NCA&T
Facilities Department in addition to actively working with the various departments to save energy and water
through their individual programs and projects that are unique has taken a step back to critically evaluate
the key consumers on campus and develop holistic targeted projects to ensure that the overall goal is met
and sustained by 2015.
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The targeted projects are estimated to generate a reduction in energy consumed per square footage by as
much as 20%. The actual cost savings will be determined after the completion of a detailed investment
grade audit which will be completed through the performance contract. The Performance Contracting
procurement method has been the industry standard for the past decade for the execution of energy
conservation projects due to the turbulent economic market and limited available capital improvement
funds for energy conservation projects. The University has received approval from the State Energy Office
for its first performance contract. A third party representative for the University has been selected and the
Request for Proposal has been completed for selection of the Performance Contract vendor. Immediately
following the selection is the Investment Grade Audit process, which provides detailed information for the
energy conservation measures and their associated costs, payback and other benefits. However, this
Energy Audit information will not be available until March 2012. Aggressive work is on-going at the time of
writing this report to complete the Performance Contracting on time in collaboration with the North
Carolina State Energy Office. As a result, this strategic energy management plan will be revised and or
updated as soon as specific and detailed information is made available through the investment grade audit
in March 2012.
Project Highlights (Most Critical)
Performance Contracting
This plan will utilize the state approved performance contracting procurement method to provide
renovations and upgrades to the top 11 energy consuming facilities on NCA&T Campus. The North
Carolina A&T State University will enter into an agreement with a yet to be selected private energy
company. The energy company will identify and evaluate energy-savings opportunities and then
recommend a package of improvements to be paid for through savings that is guaranteed by the energy
company. The energy company will have to guarantee that the savings meet or exceed the annual
payments to cover the project costs – usually over a contract term of 4 – 15 years. If the savings do not
materialize, the energy company pays the difference, not the university. The main benefit is that – to
ensure savings, the energy company must offer staff training and long term maintenance services.
Previous experience shows projected savings of 10% reduction in the energy consumption in addition to
the improved comfort of building occupants, reduced maintenance costs, and preservation of the limited
budget dollars for other needed services and activities. The annual cost avoidance estimation in dollar
term will be calculated when sufficient data information is made available from the energy audits. Sample
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diagram below illustrates cost avoidance/savings in terms of ‘before’ and ‘after’ improvements. It shows
maintenance costs before and after improvements.
Energy Grade Audits
This is probably the second most important elements of this strategic plan – Energy grade audits. The term
energy audit is commonly used to describe a broad spectrum of energy studies ranging from a quick-through
of a facility to identify major problem areas to a comprehensive analysis of the implications of alternative
energy efficiency measures sufficient to satisfy the financial criteria of sophisticated investors. Three
common audit programs are available (Preliminary, General, & Investment grade audit), although the actual
tasks performed and level of effort may vary with the ‘Energy Office’ or consultants providing services under
these. This project will focus on Investment grade audits.
It’s virtually impossible to estimate cost avoidance or savings without accurate data. There is also no way to
implement a well thought out conservation program unless energy audits are conducted more fairly and
more frequently. That is the importance of energy audit process. For the NCA&T energy conservation
process, the audit will clearly show the University’s energy usage (data), cost avoidance opportunities as
well as accurate reduction estimations. Energy conservation has to be the driving force behind energy audits
– anything else is counterproductive. For example, green architecture is an important opportunity for energy
conservation amidst urbanization, yet even when real estate companies try to invest in energy conservation,
the companies still look for the greatest profits and do not always meet existing building conservation
standards. Thus, strict implementation of energy audits is necessary for organizations as they develop
towards energy and resources conservation. For the NCA&T conservation program, Performance
Contracting plus good energy audit process will determine the success or failure of the program going
forward.
Diagram 1: Energy Auditing
Energy Audits on the national scale: EPA have always been a proponent of the energy audit, realizing that it
can better allow them (EPA) to understand energy expenditure on both national and local levels, raise
resource efficiency awareness and play a role in reducing corporate as well as residential consumptions.
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Under EPA, effective methods were created for conducting energy audits and this strategic energy
management plan adopted those methods. Globally, governments across the world have played a major
role in promoting energy audit as well. For example, Japan entrusted an Energy Conservation Center to take
care of energy audit process; the government of the Netherlands offered free energy audits for some of its
companies; the British government of the 1970′s subsidized about 50 million pounds of funding, which was
about half of the energy department’s total spending in order to do investigative work with energy audits.
At that time, around 50,000 of Britain’s 90,000 companies accepted energy audit investigations, with
expenses entirely covered by the government.
International organizations also adopted energy audits. For example, From the 1970s onward, developed
countries, along with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Asian Development Bank (ADB),
European Union (EU) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and other
international organizations have all started to use energy audits as a base for both reduction in usage and
efficiency. In order to save energy for financial reasons or obtain good press, many international
organizations in both the U.S.A. and abroad have developed positive attitude towards energy audits over
night. For example, America’s DuPont Co. has 35 experts overseeing energy audits in the long term for their
company’s global subsidiaries. Harvard University has 10 energy analysts, one energy manager and one
director that reports directly to the College President. For other colleges and universities that are just
beginning to create their conservation programs – the best way to begin is to implement a comprehensive
energy audit of their building infrastructure and capture their energy usage data and equipment.
This strategic energy plan will show that energy conservation programs often start from good energy audits.
So, in order to move closer to the 2015 energy-use reduction objective, NCA&T must first conduct a
comprehensive energy audit to allow the college to measure the effectiveness of the overall energy
conservation program and to use those findings as basis for project planning as well as releasing funds for
the conservation exercises.
Following a successful completion of Performance Contracting next year, this strategic energy management
plan will conduct a comprehensive energy audit for all NCA&T’s building, collect more detailed information
in the process about facility operations and come up with a more comprehensive evaluation of the
conservation measures since the entire energy usage process has many particulars. For example, after
evaluating electricity bills of Cox Communications’ HVAC & IT-Data-Center equipment over a period of 12 to
36 months, general accounting used the data collected to truly understand the electricity needs of the IT
equipment as well as the composition of energy usage. However, in order for that to happen here at NCA&T,
a collaborative approach will be required to truly understand the university’s energy usage. To do so, we will
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have to use new systems of measurement which include consulting personnel that are familiar with facility
operations and equipment trends. Besides simply bringing up suggestions for energy conservation, NCA&T’s
energy audits will have to undergo financial analysis for the feasibility of the conservation measures
described below in this plan; this is what investment-grade audits should do for NCA&T with government
support. In order not to allow conservation measures to hinder companies’ market competitiveness, state
governments must continue to invest in energy audits and Colleges and Universities should use the energy
audits as bases for costs reduction. As for the scope of the audits and the extent of the works to be done,
the only way to insure that the proposed audit will meet the NCA&T’s specific needs is to spell out those
requirements in the detailed scope of work. Taking the time to prepare a formal solicitation will also assure
that NCA&T receives competitive and comparable proposals.
HVAC Equipment
In addition to the Performance Contracting and Investment grade audits described above, this plan will
ensure that automated and scheduled detailed maintenance program is in place to keep all NCA&T’s HVAC
equipment and systems repaired and operating reliably. Systems will be upgraded where necessary to
improve energy efficiency and hence reduce consumption. Overall HVAC equipment efficiency will ensure
that the gains realized through energy conservation measures will be sustained over the useful life of the
asset. HVAC systems currently consume approximately 40% of energy campus wide. Based on industry wide
practice, the University can expect to see a 3% reduction in energy consumed per square footage which
equates to significant annual cost avoidance annually.
Diagram 2: Scheduled Maintenance Program
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Diagram 3: Before & After Maintenance
IT-Data-Center
According to American Power Conversion (APC) White Paper White 111, IT data-center consumed between
15 – 25% of organization’s energy. However, electric power usage is not a typical design criterion for most
Information Technology Managers or Vice Chancellors of IT, nor is it effectively managed as an expense. This
is true despite the fact that the electric power cost over the life of data-center servers, switches, routers,
PCs and other technology devices may exceed the costs of the electric power systems including the UPS and
cooling equipment in the long term. The reasons for this situation is as follow: The billed electrical costs only
come into the finance office for payment after the charges have been incurred and are not clearly linked to
any particular decisions or operating practices. Therefore, they are viewed as inevitable. The second reason
is that the tools for modeling the electrical costs of data-centers are not widely available and are not
commonly used during IT data-center design. Third, the billed electrical cost is often not within the
responsibility or budget of the IT/data-center Managers or Vice Chancellors of IT and therefore those two
managers doesn’t have to worry or control energy costs. Fourth, the electrical bill for the data-center may
be included within a larger electrical bill and may not be available separately. And finally, decision makers
such as the CFO and Finance Managers are usually not provided with sufficient information during planning
and purchasing decisions regarding the electrical cost consequences and IT costs are therefore are
overlooked.
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With the current IT data-center set up criteria at NCA&T - one can estimate that the IT infrastructure
consume approximately 20% of energy. Based on APC white Paper 114, the University can expect to see a
10% reduction in energy consumed by the IT data-center - if the NCA&T IT leadership engages in a series of
energy saving measures that this strategic energy management plan called for or provided in this report. If
the NCA&T IT department agrees to pursue those solutions or measures enumerated below the estimated
overall cost avoidance will be huge and significant.
Cost of IT Data-Center Electric
What is the cost of electric power consumption in the IT data-center? According to the director of Cox
Communications Green IT initiative, “a typical value for the cost of electric power is $0.12 per kW hr.” Given
this cost, the annual electric cost per kW of IT load is approximately $1.00. Over the 10 year life-span of a
typical IT data-center this translates to approximately $10,000 per kW of load. As a general rule,
approximately half of the energy used in a data-center goes to the IT loads. The other half goes to the data-
center physical infrastructure (DCPI) equipment including power equipment. This means that for each kW of
the IT load, the 10 year electricity cost is approximately $20,000. For example, a 200 kW data-center would
have a 10 year electricity costs of $4,000,000. This is a material cost for any organization and all IT
professionals should be made to understand where this expense is going and that it is avoidable.
This strategic plan will show that all of the above can be corrected through the on-going energy
conservation program because substantial financial savings or cost avoidance are possible for the North
Carolina A&T State University IT department. Although, the greatest advantage or savings can be gained in
the design of new IT data-center for NCA&T, but some savings are also possible for the existing facilities as
well. According to the University of California Director of Energy Management, a simple no-cost decision
made in the design of a new data-center can result in savings of 20 – 50% of the electrical bill, and with
systematic effort up to 90% of the electric bill can be avoided. However, the NCA&T IT department
managers will have to decide whether to create a new IT data-center with energy efficiency built into them
or upgrade the existing one.
The reduction of power consumption of NCA&T IT data-center systems will consist of any or all of the
following approaches:
Operational Actions:
-Retiring systems
-Operating existing systems in an efficient manner
-Migrating to more energy efficient platform
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Planning Actions: Virtualization & Standardization
-Virtualization & Standardization
Diagram 4: Server Virtualization:
Each of these action items will be discussed in turn within the project scope below.
Monitoring & Control
Energy monitoring and control would be the bedrock of the NCA&T energy conservation program.
Although, there are many energy monitoring systems available in the market today, but most organizations
do not have the capacity to monitor and control their energy use. The only resource these organizations
have is their power and water bill that comes in once a month. They see their monthly costs rising, but they
do not know where and how they can conserve energy. One cannot imagine running a company without an
accounting system; hence, it becomes impossible to differentiate between income and expenditure. To keep
control of NCA&T’s energy use, this project would invest in SCADA SYSTEMS – a supervisory control and
data acquisition and energy management system. It supervises, controls, optimizes and manages
transmission systems. The system enable the facility department to collect, store and analyze data from
hundreds of data points and from the metering networks, perform network modeling, simulate power
operation, pinpoint faults, preempt outages, and participate in energy sharing - if needed.
Diagram 4: SCADA SYSTEMS – Monitoring & Control
Energy Data Management
NCA&T has transitioned from the past system of utility data management. The on-going implementation of
the new system will allow all energy bills to be collected and reviewed in a centralized location. Once bills
are reviewed for accuracy, utility expenditures are distributed to primary campus customers thus enabling
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them to be a part of energy conservation and awareness. A cost allocation plan has been implemented
previously - where utility cost is allocated to various departments based on a percentage of the total campus
gross square footage. The sub-metering program continues to be a key focus area. Specifications for sub-
meters will be created for NCA&T’s largest customer - the residence halls. Further pertinent data
information will be collected from the on-going Performance Contracting and the resulting campus-wide
Energy Audits to enable us make further decision on metering.
This project will invest in an Integrated Web-based Energy Data Management System for managing energy
use within the University. This will be similar to “PowerMeter” – an energy data management system
developed by Google (retires Sept, 16, 2011), to create a direct relationship between users and their energy
consumption use. The main supposition behind the energy data management systems is that, seeing a more
direct relationship between flicking a switch and energy usage may cause the NCA&T’s facility department
or energy managers or users in general to be more conservative in their energy use. The simple theory that
the more building owners know about the power they use, the easier it is to cut energy and carbon-
emissions — a case of knowledge equals less power (used). Using the Integrated Energy Data Management
as a tool, this project will provide a qualitative and quantitative measurement of the overall NCA&T’s energy
conservation efforts, cost avoidance, carbon reduction footprint, and sustainability.
Diagram 5: Energy Data Management Application
(SSEI) Students’ Sustainable Energy Initiatives
This project will work in a collaborative way by involving students, faculty and support staff. By 2015, the
overall experience gained from this project will be matured enough to be transferred to NCA&T’s Center
for Energy Conervation & Research Department for possible addition to the center’s learning curricullum.
A sustainable energy group will be created and managed by the NCA&T students. The purpose of the
initiative will be to support student efforts to create a sustainable community at NCA&T through the
action, education, and opportunity to act individually and collectively. The student energy sustainable
group will seek to reduce the ecological footprint of NCA&T community, connect students’ innovation and
energy with the resources and skills need for them to succeed, identify and help implement best practices
through collaboration and research within NCA&T and the greater community, help managed student
funds responsibly, diversify and integrate with the NCAT sustainability community, and model a transition
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towards sustainable practices through renovations on the student sustainability center. As a group the
students will implement these objectives and programs through volunteer work, project leadership
opportunities, community building events, energy week/seminar, strategic investments, grassroots
organizing and training, relationships with faculty, staff and administration.
As a group, the students will work to comply with their mission statement through the financing of
internships, grants, activities, self-imposed donations, and project works. The daily affairs of the student
sustainability initiatives will be managed and run by the students, and housed under the NCA&T’s
Department of Student Leadership & Involvement. To address the wide range of sustainability issues, the
SSEI will house six distinct groups, each focusing on different types of issues: Energy, Water, Food,
Landscape, Environmental Politics, Transportation, Waste Reduction and Renewable initiatives.
SSEI Mission
The mission of SSEI is to reduce the environmental impact of NCA&T by replacing the university’s source
of existing energy with cleaner forms of renewable energy technology on campus and serve as a resource
for students and faculty by identifying and investing in the most appropriate target energy projects when
possible. NCA&T will create a committee of ten students with faculty and staff as advisors that will be
responsible for working with the student bodies - to help create the following renewable energy processes
Self-imposed student fee of $5.00 per student per semester to be collected by NCA&T’s finance office on behalf of the student body.
Create a process to put forward a referendum to NCA&T student body to help legalize the self-imposed students’ fee of $5.00 per student per semester for 5 years
Create a student voting process/survey to in addition to the student body referendum using Online Voting Process and use the survey data to legalize the process going forward.
Create a funding process to enable former NCA&T students and the public to donate to the conservation efforts.
Diagram 6: Students Energy Initiatives: University of California at Berkeley
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SSEI Concept
This concept is not new. It is a direct replica of the one introduced at UNC Chapel Hill in 2004. The idea has
already been implemented in host colleges and universities within the 16 University of North Carolina
System. With the help of some very energetic conservationist students interested in pursuing sustainable
renewable energy initiatives, former President of the university renewable energy initiative Ernie Hodgson
created and implemented a campus wide referendum. (see: http://www.aashe.org/resources/mandatory-student-fees-
renewable-energy-and-energy-efficiency).
Similar to the UNC Chapel Hill, this strategic management plan will work with the NCA&T student body to
propose a referendum that will ask students if they would approve a $5.00 per student per semester
increase in fees for 5 years period beginning in 2012 school year and ending at the close of 2017. If the
referendum is approved and or successful, the student body will ask the Chancellor to approve the
referendum and then pass the measures on to the Board of Trustees and board of Governors to approve
the fee increase, while the university’s finance office will help to collect the $5.00 fee on behalf of the
student body. A 10 member Students Sustainable Energy Initiative will be created to help manage the
funds, determine what conservation efforts to pursue and approve the budgets. SSEI will also create a
website that appeals to former students of NCA&T to donate to the conservation funds.
Suggested Conservation Areas
SSEI may pursue work projects in the following areas:
Compactor Recycling Stations
This will be a patented compacting trash receptacle that will be completely self-powered with no grid
connection. This project will eradicate the need for space and will be 100% powered by solar energy and
has capacity that is 5 times larger than trash receptacle. The Compactor Recycling Stations will not only be
energy efficient, save labor costs, but it will sustainable for years to come. Diagram below represents a
suggestion to the student body:
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Diagram 7: Compactor Recycling Station
Solar Homestead Canopy
This will be similar to the solar powered canopy stations built by some of the UNC university systems. The
solar canopy could provide 100% of the energy needs for the Homestead. It could use the innovative
SANYO bifacial transparent modules and this system could serve as an example of how attractive and
architecturally sensitive solar can be to both the students and the community within NCA&T.
Diagram 8: Solar Homestead Canopy
Solar Lab at NCA&T Farms
This will be located in the NCA&T Farms few miles from the main university campus. This solar should
provide the energy need for the off-campus teaching, presentation and other educational activities at the
farmlands. This will allow for hands-on learning on the university farmland using available technology.
Diagram 9: Solar Homestead Canopy
Student Geo-Thermal Station
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This will begin as a testing technology for the student union. This should provide for the hot water need of
the student body and all of the buildings around the area.
Diagram 10: Student Body Geo-Thermal Station
Rooftop Photovoltaic Arrays
This will be place in some specific and top 11 energy consumption building across the campus.
Diagram 11: Rooftop Array
Current Energy Use in Facilities
During FY 09-10 NCA&T achieved a 7% reduction in energy use per gross square feet. The University
experienced several steam and condensate leaks through- out the fiscal year. These leaks increased the
use of natural gas by estimated 20%, which drove up over-all consumption. Electrical consumption
increased by estimated 3% for the year. Although, all NCA&T buildings have some form of control of key
energy systems such as heating and cooling, many systems are unreliable and still need to be upgrade. The
HVAC systems are of mixed manufacturers and present some problems for the anticipated installation of a
Centralized Energy Management and Control System (SCADA SYSTEM). All of the newer buildings are
equipped with time clocks or computerized software capable of supporting programming for lighting
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on/off schedules. Additionally, light sensors have been installed in many classrooms and offices
throughout the campus. However, the upcoming energy audit will verify the installations of these clocks.
The HVAC department has an Energy Management System that allows the newer buildings to be placed
on a schedule for heating and cooling for occupied and unoccupied times. Many of the older buildings are
equipped with outside temperature sensors that automatically regulate the building’s steam and hot
water heating systems on and off. Temperature reset devices are also used to lower/raise temperatures as
outside temperatures change saving energy - by preventing the overheating of interior spaces.
Recommended temperature ranges were established by previous university policy and are posted on the
university energy web page. Additionally, credit card size thermometers are issued to campus personnel
to measure room temperature, to inform the customer, and to prevent unnecessary calls when
temperatures are within range of policy guidelines. Usage of energy and utilities is measured on a campus
wide basis but additional sub-metering is required. Some energy reduction opportunities have been
implemented and others have been identified and are waiting funding. This project plan will verify and
document the installations described above for manufacturer’s defect and for warrantees.
Energy Supply Management
Electric energy is supplied to the campus main sub-station by Duke Power and distributed throughout the
campus where it is sub-metered at some locations. The campus electrical systems have undergone
numerous upgrades, which continue to have a positive impact on electrical energy consumption. Natural gas
for the central steam plant is purchased on the open market or coordinated under the state contract with
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Texican Horizon Energy Marketing LLC. Prices are evaluated on a month-to-month basis to determine the
cost of burning natural gas vs. number 2 fuel oil. Propane gas is used primarily at the University’s farm and
T. E. Neal Steam Plant. Propane gas is used for the start of boilers at the steam plant, on the farm it is used
for both heating and domestic hot water. The project plan will seek to integrate the supply management
into the control system (SCADA SYSTEM) to enable the facility department collect, store and analyze data
from hundreds of data points and from the other metering networks, perform data analysis, modeling,
simulate power operation, and pinpoint faults.
Water Supply Management
Water is supplied to the campus by the City of Greensboro Water department and distributed throughout
the campus where it is sub-metered at some locations. Below is the current Water Consumption report
campus-wide. This strategic energy management plan will conduct a fresh Water Audit in order to obtain a
fresh data for the conservation program because there is a huge difference between the current data
obtained from the university and those collected from the State Energy office.
Water Consumption FY 2010-2011:
July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May June
2010 7,022,224 11,311,256 9,011,156 8,388,072 6,892,072 4,342,140 5,205,332 8,082,888 5,972,780 6,758,928 7,753,020 8,036,512
2011 6,726,668 8,694,004 9,625,264 7,917,580 10,685,928 5,577,836 8,830,140 8,090,368 6,894,316 7,189,028 7,284,772 4,997,388
North Carolina A&T State University Water Consumption
0
2000000
4000000
6000000
8000000
10000000
12000000
# Gallons
2010 7022224 11311256 9011156 8388072 6892072 4342140 5205332 8082888 5972780 6758928 7753020 8036512
2011 6726668 8694004 9625264 7917580 10685928 5577836 8830140 8090368 6894316 7189028 7284772 4997388
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Strategic Water Consumption Initiative
Demand Management
Water conservation measures involving demand are generally based on providing incentives and technical
assistance for end-users to reduce water use. This strategic energy management plan will utilize Demand
Management as a means of improving efficiency of water use and reducing waste campus-wide. First, this
strategic management plan will determine how much water is supplied to the University on a daily, weekly,
monthly and yearly basis and then compared those numbers to how much water is being used on the same
time periods. That way we can determine waste and perfect reduction strategy.
Water Reclaimed Fixtures
Following NCA&T student’s reclaimed water examples on the University farmlands, this strategic
management plan calls for the construction of three metered satellite based reclaimed water facilities to
produce high-quality effluent for use in non-potable facilities. This plan also call for all digital and metered
water treatment processors with no corresponding water use. Industry analysts estimate that this change
alone could save NCA&T 300,000 gallons of water on an annual basis.
Water Saving Fixtures
This strategic energy management plan call for the installation of water-saving fixtures: Older buildings are
prone to water leakage and inefficient water use devices. Demolishing or renovating older buildings and
their plumbing lower water demands. There is ample evidence that considerable water savings will result
from the installation of more efficient clothes washing machines and dishwashers on campus and in the
students’ dormitories, as well as more water efficient research equipment and distribution systems at
agricultural facilities across NCA&T.
Reduce Make-up Water Demands for Heating & Cooling
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Replace some of the independent furnaces and facilities throughout the campus, which could result in a
more energy-and water-efficient system. A similar impacted can occur if the smaller air-cooling systems are
replaced with centralized chiller facility.
Equipment Efficiency & Maintenance Plan
In the previous years – basic preventive maintenance system was set in place for all facilities; however,
other progress was made towards the development and implementation of an improved system with
automated scheduled maintenance cycles. McNair Hall was used as a pilot location for all trades to have
scheduled preventive maintenance, which includes a monitoring system and an equipment identification
tagging system. A reliability centered maintenance program has already been implemented in the central
steam plant and steam related systems have resulted in substantial savings and overall efficiency of that
entity. A chiller survey has been completed and Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) were identified as a
result. Funding was identified and a chilled water system was installed to supply cooling to five (5) buildings
on the southeast campus. This project started with the renovation of Morrison Hall. Vanstory Hall was
added and construction on Barbee hall began in 2007. To date the chill water plants serves Morrison,
Vanstory and Barbee Hall. Morrow and Benbow Halls will be added to the chilled water loop system in the
next phase that will complete this project. Another chill water loop project is under way at McNair Hall, this
loop serves McNair and Graham Halls, and once Cherry Hall’s renovation is complete it will be added. As
part of the on-going energy conservation program, this strategic plan will review the works that has been
done in the past regarding efficiency and scheduled maintenance, identify and correct what’s not working -
as well create the opportunity for further efficiency.
Organization Integration
The Physical Plant Director provides overall leadership and direction of the Energy Awareness and
Conservation Team. In the past the day-to-day responsibility for energy management was placed under the
stewardship of the University Energy Coordinator. An Energy Manager was hired in May, 2011 and started
working on the intricacies of Energy Conservation immediately. The new Energy Manager has so far received
support from other staff members who are willing to provide assistance with energy related tasks,
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newsletters, data collection, and energy conservation and awareness. The Energy management department
is looking to make the NCA&T energy conservation effort a collaborative one - with everyone having a part
to play. As such, the previous Energy Coordinator’s works are highly appreciated. This strategic plan asks
that the previous Energy Coordinator continues to do what he has been doing, such as review the monthly
bills for errors and investigates the source of unusual consumptions. Additionally, he and the support staff
should continue to implement and enforce the campus energy policy going forward.
General Conservation Accomplishment
This strategic energy management plan tracks and reports the general NCA&T performance to-date
as well as highlights the major activities and accomplishments.
To-date, North Carolina A&T State University (NCA&T) has initiated many actions relative to energy conservation with great success. The utility management and accounting software is operational and historical data has been collected for all utility accounts. Verification and account auditing is on-going to take full advantage of the system’s functions to detect errors, incorporate weatherization and to forecast budget.
The University received $ 449,418 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to implement projects to retrofit buildings for energy efficiency in 2010/11. The University matched a total of $554,629 for a total project cost of $ 1,004,047. The two projects executed were the chiller system replacement for the Marteena Hall and lighting upgrades for various buildings. The projected savings from the projects executed are $103,438/year.
The Facilities Department spent $205,000 dollars in energy efficiency projects ranging from steam systems leak repairs to metering system upgrades and preventive maintenance system set-up. The steam system leak repair has resulted in a 20% reduction in steam production. The metering systems and preventive maintenance systems have no direct bearing on the energy savings, however, the upgrades would ensure that the University is able to closely monitor its energy usage as well as take appropriate corrective actions in the future to sustain energy savings.
Policies were implemented in FY 2010-2011 regarding meter verification and monitoring of energy and water invoices. Areas earmarked for improvement were identified, including refining the systematic data tracking system to support department-wide compliance as well implementing SCADA System – a supervisory and large scale control system for automating electric metering, water and gas supplies and usage. These initiatives alone have resulted in 2% of avoided costs – and it could be more.
The University employed an Energy Manager, Energy Analyst, two graduate student interns in the Spring and Summer of 2011 to assist in developing NCA&T’s overall Strategic Program and to help develop a systematic and integrated approach to the implementation of the energy conservation measures to ensure that the University meets it’s overall goal of 30% reduction by 2015 and also sustain the measures beyond that date.
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Energy Baseline Used
North Carolina A&T State University’s total baseline energy consumption for FY 02-03 was 334,413 mbtu.
This included: natural gas 177,054 (53%) mbtu and electrical at 157,359 (47%) mbtu. No fuel oil was used
during the baseline year. The overall energy efficiency for FY 2002-03 was 141,847mbtu/gsf. This ratio
establishes the baseline upon which our future energy efficiency is measured. The State goal was to reduce
total facility energy consumption by 20% per gross square foot by the end of FY 2007- 08. Attainment of this
goal has been extended to FY 2010. Additionally, a goal of 30% reduction in facility energy use per gross
square feet must be achieved by 2015.
Depending on the recommendations of the selected Energy Vendor, a new baseline may be created
after the completion of the Performance Contracting as well as the Comprehensive Energy Audits
projects, which should provide with a clearer picture about NCA&T’s current energy usage. With
superior energy data information in hand – that were extracted from audits, we can decide whether we
need a new baseline.
NCA&T Overall Utility Performance
As of January 1, 2011, NCA&T owns 123 buildings having a total of more than 3 million square feet of
conditioned space. Total utility cost increased as expected due to rising fuel costs and an annual increase in
total gross square footage (GSF). The consumption of electricity and fuel has decreased by 7% from the
baseline year of 2002-2003; however, NCA&T did not meet the mandated 20% reduction goal by 2010. As
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indicated above, we have measures in place to ensure that NCA&T meets the 30% reduction goal by 2015.
NCA&T Overall Utility Performance
NCA&T Energy Performance ELECTRICITY NATURAL GAS,
PROPANE, AND FUEL OIL
COST FACTORS AND % CHANGE FROM BASE YEAR
YEAR ANNUAL USE
(million Btu)
ANNUAL
COST ($)
ANNUAL
USE (million
Btu)
ANNUAL
COST ($)
$/Building
Sq. Ft.
$/million
Btu
% Change
$/million
Btu
Btu/Sq.
Ft.
% Change
Btu/Sq. Ft.
2002-
2003
157,366 $2,140,973 176,025 $921,192 $1.30 $9.185 Base year 141,847 Base year
2003 –
2004
133,513 $2,079,282 156,008 $1,181,441 $1.32 $11.263 23% 117,294 -17%
2004 –
2005
132,668 $2,135,392 144,506 $1,257,161 $1.31 $12.240 33% 107,016 -25%
2005 –
2006
165,493 $2,438,324 167,838 $2,000,587 $1.68 $13.317 45% 126,506 -11%
2006 –
2007
165,909 $2,487,580 173,635 $1,590,008 $1.38 $12.009 31% 115,254 -19%
2007 –
2008
174,629 $2,707,686 207,116 $2,087,817 $1.57 $12.562 37% 125,142 -12%
2008 –
2009
174,829 $2,713,719 186,632 $1,594,098 $1.41 $11.918 30% 118,400 -17%
2009 –
2010
180,705 $3,026,662 221,801 $1,512,375 $1.48 $11.277 23% 131,676 -7%
NCA&T Water Usage YEAR ANNUAL
USE (mGal)
ANNUAL COST ($)
COST FACTORS AND % CHANGE FROM PREVIOUS YEAR
$/mGal. % Change $/mGal.
Gals/Sq. Ft. % Change Gal/Sq.Ft.
2002 – 2003 118,000 $471,630 4.00 Base year 50.21 Base Year
2003 – 2004 119,000 $454,426 3.82 -4% 48.21 -4%
2004 – 2005 92,000 $493,372 5.36 34% 35.52 -29%
2005 – 2006 166,000 $584,331 3.52 -12% 63.00 25%
2006 – 2007 152,000 $567,890 3.74 -7% 51.59 3%
2007 – 2008 150,000 $642,415 4.28 7% 49.17 -2%
2008 – 2009 142,000 $661,091 4.66 16% 46.51 -7%
2009 – 2010 164,000 $804,885 4.91 23% 53.65 7%
YEAR TOTAL UTILITY
COST $
TOTAL NCAT
BUILDING Sq. Ft.
$ / Sq. Ft.
% CHANGE, from
base year
Baseline $3,533,795 2,350,355 $1.50
2003 – 2004 $3,715,149 2,468,338 $1.51 0%
2004 – 2005 $3,885,925 2,590,037 $1.50 0%
2005 – 2006 $5,023,242 2,634,896 $1.91 27%
2006 – 2007 $4,645,478 2,946,053 $1.58 5%
2007 – 2008 $5,437,918 3,050,500 $1.78 19%
2008 – 2009 $4,968,908 3,052,889 $1.63 8%
2009 – 2010 $5,343,921 3,056,789 $1.75 16%
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Making the Case for Holistic Energy Conservation Approach
Ever since the beginning of time, the wind, the sun, and the water have provided infinite potential for
sustainable energy - if only we know where and how to look. The truth is that organizations have been
managing their energy consumption for years, but only recently has it become a corporate priority. Even cash
strapped colleges and universities have realized the huge potentials in energy conservations. Early adopters
of energy conservation are the University of California at Berkley, Stanford University, Harvard University,
Duke University and few others. Most of these early adopters started with the creation of a well- funded
energy management department with full senior management support. This strategic plan recommends that
NCA&T do the same – if not for the humongous saving opportunities – perhaps for the benefit of the
environment.
Traditional risks associated with energy use, such as carbon emissions, have long been an environmental
problem, a cost of doing business with a hard link to companies and regulation, and managed at the facility or
site level. However, innovative organizations today are starting to look at energy and carbon in a different
way, focusing instead on how energy management can help businesses, and reduce costs – moving energy
discussion from the facility into the boardroom. For example, the University of California’s Director of Energy
Conservation reports directly to the college President and so also is Harvard University’s Director of Energy
Conservation. Yes! It’s that important!!
Energy management is no longer a cost center. It has virtually become a profit center. There is no better way
to take advantage of this phenomenon than to create a functional and well funded Energy Management
Department at the North Carolina A&T State University headed by a Director. High energy using colleges and
universities around the world are finding that they can reduce their energy use by not only investing in
projects that can earn tax incentives, and create new lines of business, but for many - this is a great
opportunity for research, learning, and faculty investments in new courses in energy management.
Unity College, a private liberal arts college in Waldo, Main State has become one of the front runners in
energy management and research. In 2010, the College “was ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of
America’s Best Colleges,” and also in the same year (2010), the College “was also named to the top 30 of the
Washington Monthly colleges ranking, and was also one of the eighteen U.S. colleges and universities named
to the Princeton Review’s Green Rating Honor Roll.” And the accolade didn’t stop there. Unity College was
said to have “a long-lived reputation for providing recruits to federal and state conservation agencies, and
more recently for placing students in graduate school for environmental science research.” NCA&T can
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emulate Unity College and make energy conservation a teachable venture here in North Carolina.
A joint study between ASHRAE and Siemens show that a comprehensive energy management program
coupled with planned maintenance can extend the life of a building by 7 years. Conversely, a lack of proper
maintenance can reduce building and equipment life by 3 -5 years. Specifically, the studies show that
proper maintenance of equipment can dramatically reduce energy consumption by 5% - 15% on average.
This strategic plan will pursue scheduled and automated maintenance system vigorously, which should
help lower NCA&T’s overall Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), extend the life of University’s equipment,
reduce replacement costs, and improve building’s efficiency.
To reap the full benefits of energy conservation, it must not just be about metering, monitoring,
controlling and conserving energy in a building or two within an organization. Energy management has to
be viewed comprehensively to include human activities such as commuting, cost of commuting, wellness,
and the balance work/life of employees. Energy conservation should help improve everyone’s level of
controlling and managing their own personal energy use - whether at home or at work. Energy
management should help to improve employee’s satisfactions as well.
Unfortunately, even the largest and most sophisticated companies tend to look at energy conservation and
its associated costs in a piecemeal way - plant by plant, facility by facility and concentrate efforts just on the
HVAC equipment. One reason for this is the inherent complexity of the energy marketplace. Another is the
need for local facilities to ensure adequate supplies. Yet, by adopting a comprehensive approach to energy
management, leading companies discover significant opportunities that extend beyond HVAC equipment
upgrade. The office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy of the U.S. Department of Energy conducts
technology showcase to encourage industry adoption of comprehensive energy efficient technologies and
practices that include telework/telecommuting (see: President Barrack Obama’s Telework Act of 2010:
http://fcw.com/articles/2010/12/09/telework-bill-signed-by-president-obama.aspx). By implementing
comprehensive best practices across industries including college and universities; we can boost productivity
and help achieve regional and national goals for energy conservations, the economy, the environment and
the well-being of the people that lived within.
A comprehensive energy management program that includes telework will result in less travel for students,
faculty members, and the staff could enhance their balance work/life and learning directly. In the case of
optimizing health for students, teachers, and operational staff for example, – keeping everyone present,
alert, healthy would definitely encourage learning. Also, in terms of providing enhanced learning
opportunities, the EPA data about better built schools point to enhanced learning. The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA. 2010) research reports find that students who attend schools in poor condition
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score 11 percent lower on standardized tests than students who attend schools in good condition. With
proper energy management that includes the well-being of employees, students and faculty staff, the
university could achieve significant savings in cost avoidance.
In terms of the cost of upgrades and maintenance, the resulting operational savings or cost avoidance far
outweigh the cost of the equipment upgrade. It may cost more to cover better materials, more efficient
systems, and higher-quality construction and upgrades. However, over time, these systems would more
than pay for themselves in healthier indoors environment and savings in energy and water. This plan strives
to provide comprehensive energy management projects to present the university with a roadmap for
implementation over the next 5 years to meet the goals set forth. This plan will consider and adopt the
following industry best practices:
An effective collaborative framework that included appropriate team members at
all levels in project selection, evaluation and decision making
Involvement and financial support by senior management
Empowering the team members to carry out the energy management mission
Selection of the right tools and technologies to carry out the program
Converting the lesson-learned into a teachable moment for possible research
work, while saving money, reducing emission footprint and sharing knowledge with
employees and other support staff
SWOT Analysis
Most analysis are subjective in nature, but the SWOT analysis below is designed to provide insight into
areas NCA&T can directly benefit from energy conservation - both in short and the longer term. If nothing
else The SWOT analysis below will give the conservation team a better idea about the strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats ahead of them as well as better view - as to why the team should
engage in conservation the projects.
This strategic plan will use the SWOT analysis below as an agenda item for the team, especially in the early
stages of development, but after the conservation team has had a chance to understand the intricacies of
the selected and targeted projects - they can better address the components of the analysis and projects.
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Focus on Scheduled HVAC Maintenance Plan
The main purposes of a Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) system are to help maintain good
indoor air quality through adequate ventilation with filtering and provide thermal comfort. The IT data-center,
DCPI and HVAC systems are among the largest energy consumers in school, colleges and universities.
According to APC electric, those two (IT data-center & HVAC equipment) alone consumed 60% of typical
college and or university energy use. Like the IT data-center, the choice and design of the HVAC system can
greatly affect many other high performance goals, and water consumption (water cooled air conditioning
equipment). To create a livable air quality and comfort engineers need to not only abide by the national
consensus standard for outside air ventilation (ASHARE Standard 62.1 – 200: www.ashrae.org), but building
owners must create HVAC maintenance plan that provides the best total value. The value that becomes
especially clear for NCA&T when measures against the costs of increased energy consumption, conservation,
costs, operational problems, unexpected repairs, lower employee moral and productivity, and, ultimately, the
potential disaster of a complete shut down of the organization.
Preventive maintenance HVAC equipment is important. Imagine working in an office tower that lacks proper
ventilation and air circulation – one that is sweating and stuffy in the summer, and frosty and downright cold
in the winter. No one, including faculty, students, employees and other support staff would want to work or
study at NCA&T in that condition. NCA&T building systems must be seen as the life-blood of the university.
Without lighting, water, or heating and cooling, a building would be uninhabitable. This strategic plan would
look into creating a strong preventive and predictive HVAC maintenance program. This is not an option; but a
must have for NCA&T.
30
“The asset and the life of the building – can be tied back to the fact that a solid program of preventive
maintenance is absolutely paramount,” says Dr. Anthony Clerk of Unity College engineering department. The
better it is for NCA&T to maintain, the more likely the university is going to get the appropriate life cycle from
the building HVAC. If not, it will deteriorate. If the objective is to seek a viable occupancy, NCA&T will need to
maintain it’s system so the students, employees, faculty members, and other support staff can inhabit the
buildings and achieve full learning, alertness, energy conservation, play, health and balance work/life. For
example and according to APC Electric, if you have a piece of equipment that cost $10,000 to maintain and has
a forecasted life of 10 years. If properly maintained, you will spend $20,000 from first cost to replacement cost
at the 10 year mark, assuming it would cost $10,000 again to replace it at the end of its life-cycle. However, if
you did not properly maintain the unit and it failed at the 5-year mark, you would need to spend $10,000 to
replace it after 5 years and then replace that same unit again in another 5 years if you continued to not
perform maintenance. Your total cost would be $30,000. That is not a good practice.
To improve air quality campus wide this plan will create series of pro-active action steps that will include
regular check of all HVAC equipment, check the contractors, refrigerant charge, fan motors belts, replace
filters, clean the condenser coils and replace the belts at least one per year, and more to ensure that the
engineers are aware of any possible leakage before it happen. This strategic plan will invest in a pro-active
service agreement with a reputable company, - which is a more sure way to prevent breakdown or service
outage. It also lengthens the life of the NCA&T system by keeping things clean and up to date.
Focus on Energy Consumption in IT Data-Center
It is important to single out IT data-center for further analysis because it’s a high energy user. Approximately
half or less of the energy used in a data-center goes to the IT loads. The other half goes to the data-center
physical infrastructure (DCPI) equipment including power equipment, cooling equipment, and lighting.
31
However, to fully understand the power consumed by the IT data-center, it’s essential to illustrate how
electric power is sold. Electrical power is sold in units of energy called kilowatts-hours (kW-hr), which is the
amount of energy delivered in one hour at a power level 1000 watts (1kW). The distinction between power
and energy is very important for this economic analysis. Power capacity costs are those associated with the
systems that deliver energy and increase with the design power level of the system. Examples of costs driven
by power capacity are UPS costs, generator costs, air conditioner costs and power distribution equipment
costs. Energy costs on the other hand are those associated with the electrical utility bill. The key principle to
understand is that reducing energy consumption can reduce the capacity related costs as well as the energy
costs. That is, an implementation that saves electricity in many cases can also save on the data-center physical
infrastructure (DCPI) costs, which are primarily driven by the load power demand. A companion principle that
is key to understand is that, - there is a difference between reducing energy consumption temporarily and
reducing energy consumption permanently. Temporary savings like load shedding or IT server power
management reduces electricity costs but do not necessarily reduce the power of the DCPI systems and the
related infrastructure costs. Permanent or structural changes like high efficiency servers or high efficiency UPS
systems reduce both the electricity costs and the DCPI costs. These principles are illustrated in Table – 1 along
with example savings values.
Table-1
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Clearly the primary driver of power consumption is the power drawn of the IT equipment. It doesn’t matter
how an organization’s data-center is arranged or maintained, IT equipment power consumption directly
contributes to the electric bill, and it indirectly contributes by requiring various powers and cooling equipment
that also consume comparable amount of electricity. It is essential to understand the distinction between IT
equipment and IT cooling system such as air conditioners – both consume equal amount of power. Therefore,
this report calls for all NCA&T IT staff to be cognizant of energy use as well as help to control the power
consumption of the IT equipment. The news on the street is that NCA&T’s does not have a traditional data-
center and the IT equipment are scattered around the campus. Running a scattered IT data-center is even
more expensive because it cost more to maintain, troubleshoot, keep virus away, secured and managed. It
also go against OSI layer limitations, which stipulates that IT equipment must not be more than 100 feet away
from the Domain Controller (DC) and other communicating devices such as switches. That probably explains
why NCA&T’s enterprise application – Banner is slow and unproductive to us.
Methods of Controlling IT Power Consumption
The methods for controlling IT power consumption have historically been very weak. It’s even weaker for
organizations without a traditional data-center. For example, IT equipment vendors have not provided
adequate information to allow IT data-center managers to make choices that can affect power consumption.
However, the situation is improving and today; organization such as NCA&T can take both operational and
planning actions that can systematically reduce power consumption.
First, the key to understand here is that there are 2 types of energy consumption reduction. Those that avoid
energy consumption, but do not reduce power capacity requirement, and those that allow the reduction of
installed power capacity. For this strategic plan, we will refer to those reduction in consumption that avoid
energy use without reducing installed power capacity as “temporary consumption avoidance” and those that
allow the reduction of installed power capacity to be “structural consumption avoidance”. Furthermore, for
data-centers manager, a general rule is that structural consumption avoidance is worth approximately twice as
much as temporary consumption avoidance.
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IT Equipment Power Consumption Reduction Techniques
The reduction of power consumption of IT systems consists of several approaches. For this plan, we will
explore the two most popular methods of IT power reduction.
Operational: Retiring IT Systems
Most data-centers have old technology platforms that remain operational for archival or research purposes. In
fact, most data-centers actually have application servers which are operating but have no users. It is useful to
inventory the systems and create a retirement plan for them. In many cases, systems can be taken off line and
powered down, even if they are not physically retired. A related opportunity exists where multiple old
technology platforms can have their applications consolidated onto new servers, essentially reducing the total
server count. This type of consolation does not require virtualization, which is discussed later in the project. A
power consumption reduction up to 20% is possible in typical cases, but we would find out more when we
have the right data information from the energy audit. Even if the floor space is not recovered, the power
capacity recovered can be very valuable as users deploy higher density IT equipment.
Operational: Operating Existing Systems Efficiently
Today, most new servers in the NCA&T IT department have power management features. That is, they are
able to reduce power consumption at times of reduced computational load. This was not true a few years ago,
when the power consumption of virtually all IT equipment was constant and independent of computational
load. NCA&T IT department staff must be aware of this change in IT technology, and be aware of the status of
the power management features on their IT systems. Where possible, NCA&T power management should be
enabled on all devices with such capabilities. Note that many equipment manufacturer supply equipment with
these features disabled by default. This may require upgrading applications to ensure that they take maximum
advantage of the power management features. Power management features reduce the total electrical usage
but do not reduce the power capacity requirement.
Operational: Migration to Energy Efficient Computing Platforms
Migration to more electrically efficient platforms is another effective strategy for reducing power
consumption. Most data-centers – including perhaps NCA&T IT data-center have the so called “low density
servers” that are 3-5 years old. Typically, these servers draw the same or less power per server than today’s
blade servers and are physically much larger per server. Migration to modern blade servers from legacy
servers on a server-by-server basis typically does not reduce the total power consumption and may even raise
it. However, such migration will permit much higher packing densities for servers. Blades do not create more
34
heat than the equivalent 1U servers, but they do create heat in smaller area which gives rise to heat removal
problems that create the perception that blades create excess heat.
When a new server deployment is planned, the use of blade servers as opposed to alternative server form
factors will generally give a 20% reduction in power consumption. This is because blade servers generally have
higher-efficiency power supplies and share some overhead functions such as fans. It is important to note that
selecting the blade form factor reduces power consumption relative to other server form factors for newly
deployed equipment, but blades do not necessarily consume less power than older servers. This plan suggests
that a server-by-server migration from existing server technologies does not necessarily cause a significant
reduction in power consumption. To determine the potential to save power by migrating to blades on a
server-by-server basis, the power consumption of the existing server should be compared with the
consumption of any proposed blade server. Furthermore, the performance of both servers should be
compared so as to arrive at a performance per Watt metric. Today, major OEM’s such as DELL, HP and IBM
provides user configuration tools that accurately report actual power consumption for various blades server
configurations. To determine power consumption values for legacy servers, the only realistic way is to
measure example servers using a wattmeter. By comparing the values obtained in this manner, the power
savings due to a large scale server migration can be estimated. Nevertheless, the following migration
strategies are generally the most effective:
Use a 2 way server or single processor dual core servers to replace 2 or more old servers
Use a blade based on a low-voltage or mid-voltage processor to replace an old server
For servers with dedicated disk drives, use low power class 2-5” drives instead of 3.5”
Use a single dual core processor server to replace a dual processor server
Use a 2 way dual core server in place of a 4-way server
This strategic plan is of the opinion that migration is not typically the most effective tool for power
consumption reduction, especially in the case of NCA&T IT department equipment that are virtually scattered
around the University. The major way that new servers technologies can help reduce power consumption is
when consolidation of application on servers is used to reduce the total server count, or when servers are
virtualized.
Planning: Virtualization
Virtualization of servers results in a dramatic reduction of IT power requirements. Virtualization almost always
dramatically reduces the number of installed servers. The elimination of a server is a structural consumption
35
avoidance of approximately 200 – 400 W, depending on the technology. Therefore the electricity
consumption avoidance is approximately $380 per year per server eliminated and the total 10 year TCO (Total
Cost of Ownership) saved by this structural avoidance is approximately $7,680 per server eliminated. This
savings is substantially greater than the cost of the server itself. In other word, most servers cost between
$3000 - 6000 dollars, but when power consumption is not managed properly – the reality is that – the IT data-
center ends up spending more money on energy than the cost of the server.
Planning: Standardization
Standardization on energy efficient servers is a very effective approach, even if virtualization is not used.
Today, blade servers are the most electrically efficient form of server. However, the available blade types for a
given blade server system can vary dramatically in performance and power consumption. Often it is difficult to
predict in advance the performance requirement for a server-based application, so users often specify the
highest available performance at a substantial power consumption penalty. When servers are virtualized, the
strategy of using the highest performance server is generally the best approach to minimize overall power
consumption. However, when servers are deployed application-by-application it can make sense to match the
server performance to the application requirements to save energy.
For the IT data-center that standardizes on a blade server system and deploys servers per application, the
option exists to standardize on two blades, a higher performance/higher power blade and a lower
performance/lower power blade. The range of power consumption can be greater than two-to-one. According
to APC White Paper 114, the logical strategy is to deploy applications on the lower performance blade by
default and only move to a higher performance blade if the need is demonstrated. This is facilitated by the
ease of provisioning of blade servers. In this way, structural IT load consumption avoidance of 100% or more is
possible for a typical business data-center.
Planning: DCPI Energy Reduction Using Right-Sizing
The reduction of energy consumption of Data-center Physical Infrastructure (DCPI) equipment is accomplished
using the following techniques: right-sizing the DCPI system to the load, using efficient DCPI devices, and
designing an energy efficient system. IT staff may have some awareness of electrical efficiency of DCPI during
the purchasing process, but the fact is that the data that is provided by manufacturer is typically not sufficient
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to determine actual energy consumption differences, and furthermore, right-sizing and system design each
have a much more higher impact on the electrical consumption than the selection of the DCPI devices.
Impact of Right-Sizing
Of all of the techniques available to IT staff and others users, right-sizing the DCPI system to the load has the
most impact on the DCPI electrical consumption. Most IT users do not understand that there are fixed loses in
the power and cooling systems that are present whether the IT load is present or not, and that these losses
are proportional to the overall power rating of the system. These fixed losses are the dominant form of DCPI
electrical consumption in typical installations. In installations that have light IT loads, the fixed losses of the
DCPI equipment commonly exceed the IT load. Wherever the DCPI system is oversized, the fixed losses
become a larger percentage of the total electrical bill.
For a typical system that is loaded at 30% of rating, the electrical cost per kW of IT load is approximately 2,300
per kW per year. If the system were right-sized to the load, the electrical cost per kW of IT load falls to
approximately $1,440 per kW per year which is a 38% savings in electrical costs as shown in the table below.
Practical strategies for reducing electrical power consumption for data-centers, indicating range of achievable electrical savings.
Saving Guidance Limitations
Right-Size DCPI
10 – 30 %
-Using a modular scalable power
& cooling architecture
-Savings are greater for redundant
systems
-For new data-center designs & for
some data-center expansions
Virtualized Servers
10 – 40 %
-Not technically a physical infras.
Solutions, but has radical impact
-Involves consolidation of apps into
a fewer servers, typically blade
servers. Also free up power &
cooling for expansions
-Require major IT investments &
process change. To achieve savings
in an existing data-center, some
power and cooling may need to be
turned off
More Efficient Air Conditioner
Architecture
7 – 15%
-Row oriented cooling has higher
efficiency (APC White Paper 130)
-Shorter air path requires less fan
-CRAC supply and return temp. are high
er, increasing efficiency, capacity & prev
ent humidification thereby greatly redu
cing humidification costs.
-For new data-center designs &
benefits are limited to higher
density
-Many air conditioners offer economizer
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Economizer Modes Air
Conditioners
4 – 15%
options. This can offer substantial
energy savings depending on location
geographically.
Some data-center have an air condition
With economizer modes, but disabled
-Fewer new data-center designs
-Difficult to retrofit
More Efficient Floor Layout
5 – 12%
-Floor layout has a large effect on the
efficiency of the air conditioning system
-Involves hot-aisle/cold-aisle arrangement
with suitable air conditioner locations
(APC White Paper 122)
-For new data-center designs
-Difficult to retrofit
More Efficient Power Equipment
4-10%
-New best-in-class UPS system have up
to 70% less than legacy UPS at typical
loads. Light load efficiency is the key
parameter, NOT the full load efficiency
-Do not forget that UPS losses must be
cooled, doubling costs
-For new data-center designs or retrofitf
Coordinate Air Conditioners
0-10%
-Many data-centers have multiple air
conditioners that actually fight each
other. One may actually heat-up while
another cools. One may actually dehum
-idify while another humidifies. And the
results is gross waste and require profe-
ssionla to diagnose problems
-For new data-center designs with
multiple air conditioners
Locate Vented Floor Tiles Correctly
1-6%
-Many vented tiles are not located
correctly in the average data-center or
the wrong number are installed. Correct
locations are not intuitively obvious
-A professional assessment can ensure
an optimal results. Site benefits – reduce
hot spots
-Only for data-centers using a raised
floor
-Easy, but requires expert guidance to
achieve best results
Install Energy Efficient Lighting
1-3%
-Turn off some or all lights based on time
of the day or motion. Use more efficient
lighting technology. Do not forget that
lighting power also must be cooled, and
doubling the costs. Benefit is larger on
low density or partly filled data-center
-Most data-center can benefit
Install Blanking Panels
1-2%
-Decrease server inlet temperature
-Also saves on energy by increasing the
CRAC return air temperature
-Cheap and easy with new snap-in
blanking panels such as those by APC
-For any data-center old or new
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Strategic Energy Management Plan Projects
This Strategic Energy Management plan attempts to be comprehensive in its identification of potential energy
projects. During implementation we would select measures to implement which meet investment and physical
plant needs. The economics of all potential projects are described in the project scope for the aggregate of
project system wide. The project listed includes all potential projects identified in this report, and sort them
according to the funding source for the facility and the type of project. There will be a list of vendors and
department partnership at the end of this report. Opportunity would be provided for vendors and
departmental coordinators to review the preliminary version of the project plan as well as help to initiate the
engineering process, scheduling and implementation over the next 5years. Efforts have been made to reach
out to the stakeholders regarding projects that require their departmental participation. By the time this
report is submitted for approval, the participating departments and vendors would have had the time to read
this plan and subsequently commit their time throughout the implementation. Although, it is anticipated that
the list of potential projects will undergo continuous tuned up and updated after the energy audit has been
completed and as projects are built, savings are measured, new technologies become commercially available,
and campus loads change over the course of the next four years, the energy savings corresponding to the year
of commitment efforts, however, the sequence of project time-line has been divided into 2011 – 2012 and
2013 - 2015 commitments.
The purpose of this strategic energy management plan is to reduce energy consumption and improve energy
efficiency on the NCA&T campus consistent with the needs to make the buildings more comfortable, safe,
secure, productive and less costly to operate by focusing on improving building’s performance, so the
university administrators can focus on managing the student’s performance. This is to be accomplished
through continuous improvement as well as the implementation of perfectly targeted projects. Each of the
targeted projects will follow the same format in a separate MS Word and or Power-Point Presentation as
indicated below:
Performance Contracting – Project
Comprehensive Energy Audit – Project (including the IT Data-center)
Equipment Upgrades - Project (Including the IT Data-center re-design, server virtulalization and DCPI efficiency management
Energy Data Management Application – Project
Energy Monitoring & Control (SCADA SYSTEMS) – Project
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Energy Week/Seminar
Student Energy Sustainability Initiatives Upon approval, the energy management department will create an Energy Conservation Group,
comprising of employees, support staff, faculty, and students, from departments such as the
Chancellor’s office, IT, HR, Engineering, Physical Plant, Finance, and few others areas from the
university community. Project Champions and Coordinators will be selected to drive the different
areas of the Energy Conservation Program. Each Coordinator will be asked to create a project
team, scope, schedule, status communication plan and milestone.
The next step is to complete the Performance Contracting process and implementations, vendor
selection process will follow suit, and then the Comprehensive Energy Audit which forms the basis
and provide the data information for all of the other individual projects going forward. The NCA&T
Energy Week will coincide with the upcoming Energy Week scheduled for November 2011 in
Greensboro.
Strategic Objectives:
To implement strategies to comply with the legislative mandates for energy and water use reduction
Meet and exceed the intent of the NCA&T Sustainability Plan and establish organizational and financial structure that will enable the Plan.
Evaluate required investments in capital and operating funds to realize the mandated reductions and the university’s commitments.
Create and help to change mindset to exemplify leadership in NCA&T energy efficiency
To create a sustainable energy management program for the Carolina A & T State University (NCA&T) and to reduce operational costs, save money for re-investments, improve research & development, create energy management knowledge, reduce emission, live better, raise family and lead the university towards green technology.
Project Implementation Techniques
Each of the targeted projects will be implemented in Phases. A project team will be created based on
interest and wok experience for each project, such as HVAC Upgrade team, Energy Audit team, Pilot
Telework team, Student Sustainable Energy Initiative (SSEI) team. As Program Manager, the Energy
Manager will continue to be the overall project driver by meeting with the different Team Leads on a by-
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weekly bases to review, evaluate and monitor the project status. The Energy Manager will then
communicate status report to the senior managers on by-weekly bases:
Phase 1 Project Implementation: 2011 - 2012
Performance Contracting – Project
Comprehensive Energy Audit – Project (including the IT Data-center energy consumption)
Energy Week/Seminar & Launching of the SEI (Student Energy Initiatives)
Phase 2 Project Implementation: 2012 - 2013
Equipment Upgrades - Project (Including IT Data-center possible re-design, server virtulalization and DCPI efficiency management – which ever is the case)
Automated & Scheduled Maintenance Pprogram
Integrated Energy Data Management Web Base Application – Project
Energy Monitoring & Control (SCADA SYSTEMS) – Project
Pilot Telework/Telecommuting Program – Project
Energy Week/Seminar
Student Energy Sustainability Initiatives
Phase 3 Project Implementation: 2013 - 2014
Student Energy Sustainable Initiatives: This strategic energy management plan will propose that the SSEI group embark on the following conservation projects that should help to reduce and replace energy use with cheap and renewable sources between 2013 to 2017 at NCA&T
Biodiesel Collaborative Solar Thermal – Project
Biodiesel Collaborative Photovoltaic Rooftop Array – Project
Solar Powered Homestead Canopy – Project
Solar Powered Farm – Project
Wind Turbine – Project
Solar Compactor & Recycling Stations
Upon approval, the energy management department will create an Energy Conservation Group,
comprising of employees, support staff, faculty, and students, from departments such as the
Chancellor’s office, Information Technology department, Human Resources department, Engineering &
Physical Plant department, Finance department, and few others areas from the university community.
Project champions and coordinators will be selected to help run the affairs of the various initiatives of
the Energy Conservation Program.
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Pre-Set Project Success Indicators
The project success will be measured and evaluated on a yearly basis. The year 2011 and 2012 will
be spent creating and perfecting the Performance Contract in collaboration with the North Carolina
State Energy Office, reviewing and selecting vendors and approval. The selected vendor(s) will work
with the NCA&T Energy office to perform the initial analysis, create project plan, scope and
agreement on the final outcome finalized. A project schedule, status communication, milestone
and measurement will be agreed upon.
The project will be deemed a success if by the end of 2012 the following milestone were reached:
Performance Contracting Completed
-Vendor(s) review and selection
-Project scope, schedule, status communications & milestone
-Comprehensive Energy Audits Completed (To include IT data-center)
HVAC Equipment Upgrade
-Vendor(s) review and selection
-Project scope, schedule, status communications & milestone
IT Data-center Energy Efficiency/Upgrades
-IT Vendor(s) review and selection
-IT data-center energy efficiency initial project analysis in place
-Energy data management initial analysis started
-Telework/Telecommuting initial project analysis in place
Student Sustainable Energy Initiative
-Energy Week/Seminar
-Student sustainable living policies/program and participation
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The entire project will be deemed success if the items above and those identified below are
created, working and in place between 2011 and 2015:
Target Year
Pre-Set Success Indicators
Energy Reduction Plan
Equipment Upgrade
Students & Faculty
Data Management
2011 - 2012
-Performance Contracting Completed -Vendor selection Completed
-Comprehensive Energy Audit Completed -HVAC Equipment Upgrade Started
-Student Sustainable Energy Initiative Started -Energy Week/Seminar
-Energy Data Management Initial Analysis Started
2012 - 2013
-Strategic Energy Management Plan Completed (revised & updated with new audit information)
-HVAC & IT Equipment Upgrade Completed -Control & -Monitoring Systems Completed
-Training, -Awareness -PilotTelework.
Integrated Energy Management System - Automatic reporting, real life data for different sectors of the university completed
PRE_SET SUCCESS INDICATORS 2011 - 2013
Target Year
Pre-Set Success Indicators
Energy Use Reduction
Equipment Upgrade
Students & Faculty
Data Management
2013 - 2014
Audit the top 10 energy consuming facilities - Projected savings = 10%
IT Equipment upgrade/server virtualization, server retirement of existing IT data center equipment
Living policies to reduce energy consumption through training, awareness, pilot telework continuous.
98% of all utility and energy data and information available on line & in real time. Estimated savings = 1%
2013 - 2014
Measurement ratio = Targeted Energy Reduction consumption per square foot = 30 percent from 2002/03 levels by 2015.
IT Efficiency will improve & Estimated energy savings = 10%
10% increase in presentation/pub lications of faculty/student research in applied renewable energy systems
-Energy us Control &
Monitoring -Review utility bills. Projected savings = 5%
2011 - 2015 Estimated Savings $ term Unknown at this time
Estimated Savings $ term Unknown at this time
Estimated Savings $ term Unknown at this time
Estimated Savings $ term Unknown at this time
PRE_SET SUCCESS INDICATORS (2013 - 2015)
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Project Success Measurement
“You cannot improve what you can’t measure” is a popular term used by project manager, and one of the
most important purposes of measurement is to improve. The success of these projects will be measured
by project by project and a cumulative total cost avoidance/savings would be calculated over a period of
four years. Before the selected company or companies began their investment grade audits, they will be
asked to submit a draft copy of their Measurement and Verification Plan (M&V). The M&V is a very critical
piece in the equation because that is how the baseline and potential future savings will be determined
once the project is completed. And M&V plan will be like comparing apple to apple once the project is
completed.
Implementation Based on Continuous Improvement
The implementation of this strategic plan will be based on continuous improvement. A philosophy based
on the notion that on-going, incremental changes that benefit the university is the responsibility of
everyone, hence the collaborative efforts to get everyone involved. Continuous Energy Improvement is a
self sustaining management system based on the well-established principles of process management and
continuous improvement. This approach would embed energy management into the four key areas of the
university operations: organizational structure, student, employees, and measurement. The entire
implementation will be based on the commitments made by the university, create the action plan for the
targeted individual projects, implement the action plan, communicate results to all stakeholders, provide
recognition to everyone that helped created the change and evaluate performance against the pre-set
success indicators or objectives until the whole process loop around again. Below is the sample
continuous improvement process implementation planned methodology.
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A. Assess Performance
Performance Contracting
Comprehensive Energy Audits (Including IT Data-center)
B. Set Performance Goals
Pre-Set Success Indicators – (See below). What does success mean year-by-year until
2015
Strategic Objectives has been defined (See above)
C. Create Action Plan
Action planning has been created – (See Project Scope below)
Specific Action planning with narrow down scopes, milestone, schedules would be
created later by each project Coordinators and request approval from each Champion
after the Power Point presentation
D. Implement Action Plan
One Project Plan for each project, scope, status communications, schedules, milestone
E. Evaluate Performance
Project measurements against stated objectives
Project measurements against states Success Indicators – Did project achieved stated
objectives and success criteria?
F. Communicate Results
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Communication Plan – To include status communication & Milestone
Final overall project communication between yearly
G. Gain Recognition
Recognize the “achievers” –those that makes the change happen
Recognition to be from the highest level of NCA&T authority
H. Continues Improvement
Improvement loop around.
A new set of improvements begins!
Project Scope
Key strategies of 2011-2013 Strategic Energy Plan include:
Developing a four-year Energy Strategic Program that will ensure that the 30 percent reduction goal is met by 2015.
Identifying top 11 energy-consuming facilities.
o Conducting energy audits on these facilities. o Prioritizing projects with R&R funds, grants, and performance contracts. o Projected overall energy savings goal is 10% reduction in energy consumption.
Implementing sustainable living policies to reduce energy consumption.
o Providing training to create employee awareness of need to change behaviors that waste energy.
o Conducting business systems’ audit campus-wide and recommending sustainable business practices.
o Improving organizational capacity to implement these changes across the departments.
o Implementing pilot Telework project to help improve employee’s work/life balance. o Projected overall energy savings goal is 5% reduction in energy consumption.
Reviewing utility billing rates with suppliers annually, and conducting a monthly audit of each utility invoice.
Reviewing utility billing rates with suppliers annually, and conducting a monthly audit of each utility invoice.
Providing data management and analysis of electricity, fossil fuels and water usage, with monthly review of trends and costs.
Working with vehicle/fleet department to inflate NCA&T’s vehicle with nitrogen air. Tires inflated with high purity nitrogen can last up to 50% longer than those inflated with regular air. Vehicles riding on nitrogen inflated tires can enjoy fuel economy increases of up to 10% and a reduction in the likelihood of a tire failure of up to 75%...all while reducing carbon footprint.
o Projected savings goal is 1% reduction in fuel consumption.
Applying sustainable building practices in all major facility construction/renovation projects.
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Utilizing equipment replacement strategy that considers life cycle cost analysis, simple payback and increased efficiency (e.g. EPA Energy Star and Water Sense recommendations).
Working with the IT department to help implement Energy Management application system to track, capture, document, and manage energy usage data in a network environment.
Deploying a Student and Faculty Sustainability Initiative – Projected overall energy savings goal is 1% reduction in energy consumption through the identification, design and implementation of alternative and renewable energy systems campus-wide.
Equipment Efficiency
Ensure that a detailed maintenance program is in place to keep all HVAC equipment and systems repaired
and operating reliably. Upgrade systems where necessary to improve energy efficiency and hence reduce
consumption. Overall HVAC equipment efficiency will ensure that the gains realized through energy
conservation measures will be sustained over the useful life of the asset. HVAC systems currently consume
approximately 40% of energy campus wide. Based on industry wide practice, the University can expect to
see a 3% reduction in energy consumed per square footage. Detailed IT-data-center reduction strategy will
be deployed to reduce power consumption of all DCPI infrastructure and other IT devices.
Complete a baseline Energy Audit of all buildings on Campus – Start August/1/2011 – Complete
December/1/2011
Complete inventory of all energy consuming assets that require maintenance- Start
August/1/2011 – Complete January/31/2012
Barcode all energy assets – August/1/2011- February/1/2012
Set-up all energy assets in the University’s maintenance management system – February/1/2012
– September/30/2012
For major energy consumers collect data before and after scheduled maintenance to track
improvements or note areas needing additional work. Publish data to promote awareness and show
the impact that improved efficiency has on energy consumption. –October/1 /2012 – ongoing
Generate policies to ensure that new buildings and equipment are properly commissioned, the
assets are identified and preventive maintenance programs set-up before hand over to
maintenance. October/1/2012 – December/1/2012
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Performance Contracting
Utilize the state approved performance contracting procurement method to provide renovations
and upgrades to the top 11 energy consuming facilities on Campus. Projected savings is 10%
reduction in the energy consumption in addition to the improved comfort of building occupants,
preservation of the limited budget dollars for other needed services and activities, and reduced
maintenance costs.
Complete Selection of Owner’s Third Party Representative: August/1/2011
Develop and Issue the Request for Proposals – October/3/2011
Pre-Bid Meeting and Site Visit - October/10/2011
Proposals Due – November/21/2011
Proposals Reviewed, Evaluated and Ranked – December/12/2011
Oral Interviews -December/19/2011
ESCO Selected – January/16/2012
Investment Grade Audit Work Negotiated -January/30/2012
Investment Grade Audit Completed – March/12/2012
Contract Negotiations – April/9/2012
Approval by State - June/11/2012
Contract Presented and Signed - July/16/2012
Construction Phase Begins - August/13/2012
Project Construction and Implementation – August/13/12 through September/13/2013
Commissioning, Training, Measurement and Verification – Ongoing through Construction Phase
Business Systems and Process Optimization
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Realignment of business systems and processes with the strategic initiative to improve operational
effectiveness and efficiency. Savings that will be realized by embarking on these efforts are projected to be
a 5% reduction in energy consumed per square footage. The annual cost avoidance is significant; however,
the exact dollar amount would be determined after the Energy Audits: Other benefits include an
enhancement of the University’s processes and systems and freeing up of funds to accommodate growth in
other critical program areas. A complete audit of the major business processes will be identified by the
respective business department heads will be carried out. For the IT data-center, electric usage costs have
become an increasing fraction of the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). With this project, it is possible to
dramatically reduce NCA&T’s data-center electricity consumption through appropriate re-design of the
center physical infrastructure and through the design of the IT architecture. As part of the NCA&T energy
conservation program, we have plan in place to work with the Information technology division to help them
quantify the electricity savings and provide with examples or methods they can use to reduce electric power
consumption. Recommended areas of focus for 2011/12 are the following areas:
Green IT – Data-Center (Energy Audits) – This will be completed as part of the baseline
Energy Audit of all buildings on Campus – Start August/1/2011 – Complete
December/1/2011
Green Procurement – Create procurement policy draft for management review
October/1/2012 – December/1/2012
Telecommuting IT/HR – Pilot of the Telework Concept – January 2/2012 – March 1/2012
Energy Management Application System – Analysis Phase Begins - August/13/2012
Energy Monitoring & Control
A critical component of the strategic plan relates to energy monitoring and control. SCADA SYSTEM
will be the most viable alternative for control energy usage. The system enable the facility
department to collect, store and analyze data from hundreds of data points and from the metering
networks, perform network modeling, simulate power operation, pinpoint faults, preempt outages,
and participate in energy sharing - if needed.
49
Real Time Data Analysis
The first step in our strategy will be to first gain a clear understanding of how much energy is being
consumed by NCA&T. The solution is to create a data management application equipped with
dashboards which will provide visibility into the amount of energy being consumed by individual
work area, by floor, building, or even the university as a whole – so that assigned energy officials can
take quick corrective action by mitigating any unnecessary consumption that may be taking place.
According to the University of California Energy Management Director – “in cases where employees
have real time energy usage data available to them, they have been able to reduce energy
consumption by up to 56%.”
Energized Student, Faculty and Staff
The Office of Energy Management will host an annual “Green Aggie Week” (starting from October 2012)
to promote awareness, engage student, staff, faculty, local communities and government on the NCA&T’s
efforts to promote, implement and maintain a sustainable energy culture at the University. By raising
awareness and engaging the staff, faculty and students, the University will be able to fully engage
everyone to participate. This year’s event will be held from November 8 through November 9 2011 to
coincide with the Second International Conference on Green & Sustainable Technology scheduled for
November 7 – 8 at the proximity hotel in Greensboro. The plan is invite some of the speakers coming into
Greensboro to speak at the NCA&T events.
The following at the minimum will be accomplished or showcased at this event:
Promote Energy Awareness on Campus – policies, energy consumption, energy waste impact on the University’s operating budget/environmental impact
Invite sponsors for future partnerships with students and faculty
Invite the State Energy Office – future internships, grants, etc.
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Officially Launch the Student and Faculty Sustainability Initiative
Showcase the University Research Centers and ongoing research in the green field
Showcase the Green Building technologies – firms, University Engineering Office
Showcase Green Operations and Maintenance Techniques
Showcase Green Working Techniques – Telework Pilot Project
Green Living for Life- Activities/packages for students, staff and faculty
Budgeting
The Project budget has not been finalized at the time of writing this report. The budget process will
not be finalized until after the Performance Contracting process is completed and a Comprehensive
Energy Audit is conducted to determine the extent of cost avoidance and what needs to be done.
Not only will the data information that will be extracted from the Energy Audits provide us with
critical budgetary information, it will also provide us with information to be used to estimated
savings in dollar amount, as well as provide us with accurate billing data information for further
analysis.
Recommendations
This strategic plan recommends that the North Carolina A&T University as a matter of urgency
assign or hire two or more staff to help coordinate the efforts of the Energy Conservation office.
Below are further recommendations:
Commitments: Top management staff must be committed to the overall energy plan. They must dedicate a portion of their time to review, approve and get involve in the change process
Radical Shift: Create Energy Conservation & Sustainability Department headed by a Director Level Administrator. In addition, hire one Energy manager, one Energy coordinator, one HVAC supervisor, and one IT-Data-Center Energy supervisor – all reports to the Energy Sustainability Director.
Radical Shift: Moving energy discussions and funding from the facility department into the boardroom or the Chancellor’s office
Awareness: Efforts must be made – starting from the top echelon of the University - to create awareness that within the staff, employees and the community
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Funding: Energy conservation management has become a complete paradigm shift – departure from “cost center” to cost savings/cost avoidance process. Therefore, the finance administration must assign competent financial planners to work with the Energy Conservation Department and all conservation funds must be realized quickly and on time in order to reap the benefits of the new phenomenon.
Conclusion
The purpose of this strategic energy management plan is to reduce energy consumption and improve
energy efficiency on the NCA&T campus consistent with the needs to make the buildings more
comfortable, safe, secure, productive and less costly to operate by focusing on improving building’s
performance, so the university administrators can focus on managing the student’s performance. This is
to be accomplished through continuous improvement as well as the implementation of perfectly targeted
projects such as the on-going Performance Contract, the Energy Audits, implementation of Energy Data
Management, HVAC Equipment upgrades, Monitoring and Control using SCADA, IT Energy efficiency
through virtualization or re-design of a new data-center, implementation of Pilot Telework,
Seminar/Energy Week and launching of Student Energy Sustainable Initiatives. For each project, we plan
to create a Power Point presentation and make a presentation to ensure that the scopes and benefits are
further explained. The implementation of the selected and targeted projects will be completed in phases
and reviewed or measured in phases as well. A 6 member team of Energy Conservation Management will
be created from faculty, employees and student population to help deliver the goals and objectives. This
plan strives to provide comprehensive energy management projects to present the university with a
roadmap for implementation over the next 5 years to meet the goals set forth. This plan will consider and
adopt the EPA and other industry best practices and effective collaborative framework that includes
appropriate team members at all levels during project selection, evaluation and decision making,
empowering the team members to carry out the energy management mission, involvement of senior
management as champions, tactical managers as coordinators, financial support from senior management,
and selection of the right tools and technologies to carry out the program. What we need going forward is
the complete and total support of the Chancellor and the Cabinet members, faculty and students in order to
make the conservation efforts a success.
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Resources Used
State Energy Office Website, Utility Savings Initiative (USI)
http://www.energync.net/programs/usi.html
Performance Contracting: http:// www.energystar.gov
Energy Management: http://www.schneider-electric.com
NCAT 2009- 2011 Strategic Energy Plan
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Appendixes
July 18, 2011
Mr. Christopher F. Haplin
Celtic Energy Inc.
701 Hebron Avenue
Glastonbury, CT 06033
Dear Mr. Haplin:
Your firm has been selected to represent the North Carolina A &T State University (NCAT) as the Owner’s Representative for
Performance Contracting (PC).
Please provide a cost proposal that addresses the following scope of work as detailed in the Solicitation of Qualifications:
1. Preparation of University Resources: Assist NCAT in preparation of University
Resources and records for a PC Statement of Qualifications (SOQ).
2. Evaluation of the facilities that are good candidates for performance contracting.
3. Creation of a Scope of Work.
4. Assisting in the preparation of the Energy Service Company (ESCO) campus tours.
5. Performance Contract SOQ Advisement: Assist in the creation and review of the PC SOQ prior to publication.
6. ESCO Evaluation: Participate in an advisory capacity in the evaluation of SOQ responses, and the interview of
the short-listed ESCOs.
The proposal should be submitted no later than 7/29/11. Note that this letter is not a contractual agreement. Upon receipt
of your cost proposal and confirmation of fund availability, a formal contract shall be entered with your firm.
We look forward to working with you. Do not hesitate to contact me at (336) 285-4524 should you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Mary-Ann Ibeziako
Energy Manager
Cc: Bill Barlow: Engineering Manager
Carey Baldwin: Physical Plant Director
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