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Building Energy Center

Energy use and CO2 emission tracking and benchmarking

Commercial building energy audits

The University of Dayton Building Energy Center (UD-BEC) provides low-cost energy audits of commercial buildings.

Three steps of an energy audit:
  1. Client provides energy bills and base data on building and equipment at least two weeks prior to site visit. UD-BEC team analyzes data prior to site visit.
  2. UD-BEC team visits the site for one or two days depending on building size.
  3. UD-BEC team delivers confidential report within four-weeks of site visit.
Your UD-BEC commercial building energy audit reports include:
  1. building description;
  2. energy using equipment description;
  3. statistical analysis of electricity and natural gas use;
  4. benchmarking comparison of building’s energy use to similar buildings in region;
  5. CO2 footprint analysis and information on purchasing wind energy;
  6. hour-by-hour energy simulation model calibrated to baseline energy use;
  7. general advice on quantifying energy efficiency opportunities;
  8. ETracker software for tracking weather adjustments; and
  9. list of specific energy savings opportunities (ESO):
    1. specific recommendations,
    2. estimated savings,
    3. estimated implementation cost,
    4. estimated simple payback.

Energy savings on utility bills for commercial buildings are about $2.00 per conditioned square foot per year. The cost for a UD-BEC assessment is generally about $0.10 per conditioned square foot of floor area.

Net-zero energy building design assistance

The UD-BEC can provide engineering and economic analysis to support the design of net-zero energy buildings. Net-zero energy building design assistance helps integrate energy efficiency and renewable energy options under a unified approach.

        Assistance can include:
  1. development hour-by-hour energy simulation model of baseline design;
  2. hour-by-hour simulation of solar photovoltaic/solar thermal/wind turbine system performance;
  3. baseline sizing of solar photovoltaic/solar thermal/wind turbine systems;
  4. identification of energy efficiency opportunities; and
  5. integrated approach for selecting most cost effective energy efficiency and renewable energy options.

The cost for this service is generally $2,000, payable within 30-days of receipt of final report.

Solar, wind and Daylighting analysis

UD-BEC can provide independent engineering and economic analysis of renewable energy systems including:

  1. Solar photovoltaic
  2. Active solar thermal
  3. Passive solar
  4. Daylighting
  5. Wind power

The cost for this service is negotiable depending on scope of work.

Phase-change material and thermal mass analysis

UD-BEC has experience in the analysis and application of phase-change materials and thermal mass in buildings to reduce peak loads and moderate temperatures. See 'Publications’ for more information on this work.

The cost for this service is negotiable depending on the scope of work.

Energy use and CO2 emission tracking and benchmarking

UD-BEC can help building owners track weather/occupancy/sales/production adjusted energy use and CO2 emissions by single or multiple buildings from utility or sub-metered data. This information:

  1. measures the impact of energy efficiency initiatives, and
  2. identifies energy-efficiency opportunities through comparisons over time and between buildings.

The cost for this service is negotiable depending on scope of work.

CONTACT

Building Energy Center, Dr. Andrew Chiasson, Director

Kettering Laboratories
300 College Park
Dayton, Ohio 45469 - 0238
937-229-2835
Email