Building recommissioning is an aggressive program led by the University of Minnesota’s Energy Management group with the goal of improving mechanical system performance and reducing energy consumption. Prior to a recommissiong project, necessary information is gather to further understand the use of a particular space, as well as performance in order to fine-tune the building’s system.
The energy showcase is a two-hour information fair hosted by the University of Minnesota’s Energy Management to highlight building recommissioning projects. The showcase gives an opportunity for building occupants; like faculty and staff, to understand and see the process of recommissioning the building they work in. It truly is an unmatched partnership. The Energy Showcase also serves as a medium through which the public can submit comments and suggestions to improve a building’s comfort level and energy efficiency. The most recent showcase was done at Gortner Laboratory on the St. Paul campus. City of St. Paul Energy Coordinator, Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) - A program of the Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, Minnesota GreenCorps Members, MPCA - GreenCorps coordinator, Minnesota Army National Guard Sustainability Analyst were in attendance.
Most buildings use more energy than necessary to provide a safe and comfortable environment. Over time, systems typically become less efficient as components wear out and building usage changes. By incorporating simple and low cost measures into the recomissioning project, energy consumption can be reduced while improving the performance of the facility. A typical recommissioning project yields between 5% and 15% energy savings, depending on the type of building. New technology and different operating methods are also installed and utilized to further improve the efficiency.
There are 45 completed projects and 8 ongoing projects at the University of Minnesota. Since 1988, faculty, students, and staff have been successful in stabilizing university CO2 emissions despite campus growth of 15%. Since 2009, the building recommissioning program has saved the university $5.6 million in annual energy costs and reduced over 50,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions. Comments, suggestions, and input are welcome at usustain@umn.edu.
