Here is a case study from the Realcomm website. While many are focused on LEED certification that isn't enough to reach the green house gas reductions necessary for the 2030 Challenge. Some say that LEED Platinum will only produce a 30% reduction. The "31 Tannery Project" breaks the 4-minute mile in the zero emmissions race. Its an important project that will attract others to try. Mindshift continues to look for those who push our barriers that allow us to think beyond current limitations. Here are excerpts from the entire article and a link in case you want to look from other articles from
Realcom.
The “31 Tannery Project”
There is no disputing that energy is one of the most important issues of our time. Everywhere, people are talking about energy – its skyrocketing costs that impact our economy; the political implications of our dependence on foreign energy sources; growing pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, climate change; the need to provide more energy to meet increasing demand.
In our quest for energy solutions, one thing is certain: if we are going to make an impact on energy use we have to address our buildings, which use 76% of all electricity generated. There is a common public misconception that cars and trucks are the largest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions. The fact is that buildings account for nearly half (48%) of all greenhouse gas emissions, which is far more than transportation (27%) and industry (25%).
Imagine the potential for global energy change if it were possible to have commercial buildings that are not only energy efficient, but are actually producing more energy annually than they consume. The “31 Tannery Project” is receiving international attention for accomplishing just that. 31 Tannery is a 42,000 square foot office and shop building located in Branchburg, New Jersey. It is the first Net Zero Electric Commercial Building in the United States to produce more electricity, on an annual basis, than it consumes. All the excess energy that is generated goes back into the utility grid for others to use.
This project has “raised the bar” on energy standards. 31 Tannery received an Energy Star® certification with a previously unheard of perfect rating of 100. Energy Star®, a joint program of the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ranks buildings against other buildings in the country on a 1 to 100 performance scale. A perfect 100 score means that 31 Tannery is the valedictorian, at the top of its class. The State of New Jersey Executive Order No. 54 calls for an 80% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050. 31 Tannery has already achieved an 83% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, decades ahead of New Jersey’s deadline. In recognition, Governor Jon Corzine and the NJ Board of Public Utilities President, Jeanne Fox, visited the facility to present a NJ Clean Energy Award.
Three key areas were addressed to achieve Net Zero Electric results: energy efficiency, renewable energy, and real-time energy monitoring – or, to use a simple analogy, “Diet, Exercise, and a Personal Trainer”.
“Diet” - Energy Efficiency: The 31 Tannery Project incorporates a radiant heating system that consists of approximately 9 miles of PEX tubing embedded in the concrete slabs. The concrete slabs act as a thermal mass for the system to provide comfortable efficient heating. There are 146 loops with 80 zones to control the heat. Water temperature in the system only needs to be heated between 80°F and 100°F. Heated water is provided to the radiant loop by a 14,000 BTU/h gas-fired, low nitrogen oxide, and full modulation condensing boiler operating at 96% efficiency. High-efficiency Energy Star® rooftop units with premium efficiency motors, enthalpy economizers, and embedded network control units provide ventilation and air conditioning. Digital controls and monitoring modulate the systems. The 31 Tannery Project won the Radiant Flooring Association’s Commercial Project of the Year Award for its innovative efficient heating application.
“Exercise” - Renewable Energy: The building has a utility grid tied 223kW dc photovoltaic system that consists of 1,276 solar panels on the roof that feed two 100kW ac 277/480V three-phase inverters to produce renewable electrical energy from the sun. A solar thermal system with rooftop panels, a heat exchanger, and storage tanks eliminate the need for fossil fuels to provide potable hot water also with renewable energy from the sun.
“Personal Trainer” – Real-Time Monitoring: A key ingredient behind the success of the 31 Tannery Project is the real-time energy and building systems monitoring, visualization, and diagnostic system by Noveda Technologies. This system monitors the building’s utility supplied energy, the solar photovoltaic and solar thermal renewable energy systems, and the buildings HVAC systems. The system allows 31 Tannery to maintain comfort, enlist and motivate occupant participation, exceed energy savings goals, and accelerate ROI. Because the system is Web-based, it can be viewed anywhere, at any time. Visitors to the facility are fascinated by viewing dynamic, real-time visualizations in a kiosk display in the lobby. The system also provides educational value and is an excellent way to demonstrate corporate responsibility.
Independent studies from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and several Universities have shown that just monitoring can reduce energy use 5% to 15%. The results from the 31 Tannery Project reinforce these findings.
Just as the microscope and the telescope opened new worlds of discovery and scientific advancement, the real-time energy monitoring system allows us to visualize energy and opens new horizons in energy efficiency. This new technology is very appealing in the real estate community because it can monitor one building or hundreds of buildings, from any location, in real time.
The 31 Tannery project has set a new benchmark and opened new horizons in solving energy issues by being the first to break the Net Zero Electric barrier with commercial buildings. It was accomplished in a commercially viable manner with low-maintenance, easy-to-manage systems and a projected payback of 5 to 7 years. The project’s success captured the attention of the business community and was awarded the New Jersey Business and Industry Associations’ Award for Environmental Project of the Year. One of the big benefits of the real time monitoring and visualization is the occupant behavioral change. Noveda Technologies was also recently awarded a 2008 "Digie Award" by Realcomm for Best Use of Technology.
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