Appalachian State University
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency

In June 2007 a full-time Energy Manager was hired and subsequently kicked off App State's first energy-reduction campaign in the following year (FY 2007-2008). Therefore, the year prior to the hiring of the Energy Manager (FY 2006-2007) before the first energy-reduction measures were implemented, is a logical baseline year.

Green Workplace Certification
Appalachian State University strives to continue to expand our sustainability education by offering faculty and staff the opportunity to become more sustainable in the workplace. This certification is meant to be a tool to educate and develop habits that promote a more sustainable office environment.

This certification recognizes campus work spaces that have taken extra steps to ensure they are contributing to the sustainability goals of App State by greening their space, and lowering their daily impact. The Sustainability Categories are as follows:

Energy & Water
Food & Events
Health & Wellness
Purchasing
Service & Community Engagement
Social Justice
Transportation
Zero Waste


The Green Appal program is a partnership between the Office of Sustainability and University Housing. Students voluntarily participate to show their commitment to sustainability.

This certification is meant to be a tool to educate and develop habits that promote a more sustainable environment within a student’s living space. This certification recognizes students that have taken extra steps to ensure they are contributing to the sustainability goals of App State by greening their space and lowering their daily impact. Certification is contingent on completing all requirements and filling out the online form. This certification is completely voluntary, and the Office of Sustainability will offer advice and assistance if requested.

App State utilizes a building automation system called Metasys by Johnson Controls Incorporated to schedule occupied and unoccupied modes of operation for several major buildings on campus.

The following standards are generally observed for most facilities:

Occupied heating setpoint 69°F
Occupied Cooling setpoint 74°F
Unoccupied heating setpoint 65°F
Unoccupied cooling setpoint 78°F

Beasley Media Center – LED replacement lights were installed in the stairwells. Additionally, advanced room scheduling software funded by ASU REI was integrated into the building automation system.
Garwood Hall – LED lighting was installed in the stairwells and first floor hallway.
Holmes Convocation Center – Appalachian State purchased and installed over 1,300 LED fixtures in the second highest energy consuming building on campus. This initial phase of the project upgraded 90% of the building. Project data:
o Total Project Budget: $145,070 (Phase 1) + $24,899 (Phase 2) = $169,969
o Estimated Avoided Annual Energy: 262,261 kWh/year
o Estimated Simple Payback: 6.5 years
Peacock Hall – LED lighting replacements were installed in the second-floor hallways and represent an anticipated 9,829 kWh reduction each year.
Rankin Buildings (North, South, and West) – Replaced 412 hallway LED lighting fixtures and bulbs. Annual energy savings are expected to be 73,750 kWh.
Smith-Wright – LED replacement lighting was installed in the stairwells and elevator in Smith-Wright. Significant updates were also made to the building automation system programming in order to increase HVAC efficiency.

The chancellor's residence is heated with geothermal wells as an indicator or leadership's commitment to sustainable energy. Kerr Scott (where design students are taught) was designed with passive solar.

None

Anticipated 1292 Projects – FY 2022/23 The following projects are currently being developed and will be funded with 1292 carry forward funding. Budgets are estimated with as up to date material and labor costs as possible but depending on bids and material availability, projects are subject to change. - BB Dougherty Window Film o Objective: Apply ceramic window film to the east, south and west sides of the building to reduce solar heat gain and chilled water demand while also minimizing wintertime convection loops that impact occupant comfort. o Estimated Cost: $40,049  Total glazing square footage = 3,080 sq.ft. x $13/sq.ft. o Energy Saving Payback: Energy modeling of several campus buildings have yielded estimated paybacks between 2 to 6 years. Based on the buildings positioning, building envelope condition, and occupancy hours, App State is assuming a conservative payback of 5.0 years. o Additional information: After a thorough analysis of commercially available products, App State has been applying Huper Optik C35 Ceramic Window Film (or similar) to several buildings that commonly experience high solar heat gain and have high chilled water expenses. This project will be put out to bid and have various requirements (e.g. 20-year warranty, $2,000 per pane coverage, and previous experience completing projects in the UNC system) to ensure that university receives quality installation. - Belk Library N2 Upgrade Phase 2 o Objective – The library’s building automation system operates using the outdated communications protocol, N2, that limits several energy efficient control strategies. These upgrades will allow App State Controls Shop to implement numerous control strategies that will reduce energy use including: discharge air temperature resets, static pressure resets, hot water resets, chilled water differential pressure, improved scheduling functionality, and improved remote monitoring/diagnosing. Phase 2 of the project includes purchasing the remaining x118 VAV controllers and room sensors that monitor temperature, relative humidity, and carbon dioxide. Phase 2 includes installation of these materials as well as materials that were purchased with FY 2021/22 carry forward funding. o Estimated Cost - Phase 2: $139,326 2022/23 Strategic Energy and Water Management Plan Page 22 of 30  Materials - $93,226  Labor (Mix of In-house with some outside contracting support) -$46,100 o Energy Savings – Combined Phase 1 & 2 = 76,953/year  Air Handlers Supply & Return Fans (x4) – Average Electrical Demand = 29 kW • Annual operating hours: 6,752 hours • Existing AHU electrical consumption: 216,064 kWh • Estimated electrical energy reduction: Assuming conservative reduction of 35% = 75,622 kWh x $0.0996 = $7,531/year  Annual Steam Consumption • Existing = 4,822 MMBTU/year • 30% Steam Reduction = 1,446 MMBTU x $48.01/MMBTU = $69,422 o Payback = 2.9 years with total cost for phase 1 and 2 of $229,976 - Belk Library LED Upgrade o Objective: Upgrade the existing fluorescent T8 lighting to LED throughout the entire building. This building currently has over 8,000 single 4ft T8 bulb, nearly 800 2’x2’ T8 troffers, and nearly 500 other lighting fixtures. The library generally operates 24 hours a day, 5 days a week and at least 16 hours on the other two days. This project will include a significant amount of de-lamping over the stacks and dual technology occupancy sensor switches with dimming capabilities in offices, study rooms, and other similar areas. o Estimated Cost: $228,223 o Energy Savings: 487,536 kWh/year o Payback: 5.1 years o Additional: Successful implementation of this project within FY 22/23 will require labor from both in-house and contracted electricians. Work will be primarily completed during winter and spring breaks when the library is closed. Work in non-student occupied areas will be completed throughout the year. - Convocation Center LED Upgrade – Phase 2 o Objective: The initial phase of the Holmes Convocation Center LED project upgraded 90% of lighting during FY 21/22. This second phase will complete the project. o Estimated Cost: $24,899 o Energy Savings: Please see phase 1 calculations 2022/23 Strategic Energy and Water Management Plan Page 23 of 30 - DD Dougherty – Finalize Controls Upgrade & Eliminate Pneumatics o Objective: Complete the building’s digital controls upgrade. o Estimated Cost: $13,520 o Energy Savings: Separate from the calculations made above, this final upgrade process will eliminate all pneumatics so the building will not require compressed air. Additionally, there will be several AHU control strategies that will be implemented. o Payback: 4.2 years - Leone Levine Condensing Boiler Modification o Objective: there are four natural gas-fired boilers that heat the Leone Levine building that is located in Boone but not on the main campus. During construction, the boilers were constructed so that the maximum efficiency possible is 85% even though the rated efficiency is 96%. This goal of this project is to coordinate with the mechanical engineer who designed the system (out of warranty period) and determine required modifications to increase efficiency. o Estimated Cost: $24,000 – Consult with mechanical engineer, materials and installation o Energy Savings: An increase in 12% efficiency would save 5,864 therms of natural gas/year. o Payback: 3.88 years - Pipe Insulation (Multiple Buildings) o Objective: Continue to improve the existing condition of pipe insulation on various campus mechanical systems. include pipe insulation on steam, hot water, chilled water lines, and chillers. The majority of pipe insulation that is installed is permanent but on equipment that receives regular service (e.g. valves, meters, etc.), removable custom blankets will be applied. o Estimated Cost: $29,086 has been allocated o Payback: 1.0 years or less. Confirmed using 3E Plus V4.1 - Rankin North – Duct Sealing o Objective: Deal HVAC ducts to improve the efficiency of the system that operates 24/7, every day of the year. Rankin North’s fume hood system and the vivarium with living animals requires constant flow and temperatures. On the supply side, duct sealing will more efficiently deliver air where it is intended to go. On the exhaust side, duct sealing will prevent excess conditioned air from being exhausted outside. o Estimated Cost: $77,000 o Energy Savings: 20,829 / year o Payback: 3.7 years 2022/23 Strategic Energy and Water Management Plan Page 24 of 30 o Additional: This project will be completed Aeroseal who uses an aerosolized sealant from the inside of HVAC ducting. Additional Potential Energy Projects The following list of projects have been identified as potential measures the university can pursue to reduce energy consumption and overall utility costs. This list is not intended to be either a complete list or serve as a list of known projects. Energy saving potential, cost effectiveness, funding, and labor availability will be considered when prioritizing and selecting projects. - Building Submetering o Install power and steam meters in campus. By installing meters that interface with the university’s building automation system, Facilities Operations will be able to track energy usage in real time, reduce response time to problem areas, and implement demand management strategies. o Challenge – Implementing a preventative maintenance plan to ensure long term accuracy of meters. - Chilled Water System Optimization o Calculate and evaluate KW/ton for each chiller (should be less than 1.0) and prioritize chilled water systems based on efficiency and operating costs. o Energy management team will consider: pump speed control, whether or not a differential pressure reset is being used, temperature difference (Delta T) between supply and return temperatures on secondary and tertiary pumps, and any VFDs not actively modulating. - Demand Controlled Ventilation (DCV) o DCV represents an opportunity to reduce energy use and improve indoor air quality. By installing zone sensors that measure carbon dioxide, humidity, and temperature, Facilities Operations can modulate the amount of incoming outside air based on the actual number of occupants in a room. During unoccupied periods, DCV will allow FO to monitor and respond to relative humidity. o Challenge – Accuracy on Sensors – If programming of sensors is driven by a single zone’s maximum reading, one faulty sensor could drive outside air rates. Additionally, because older buildings have lower designed outside air rates, sensors are needed in every zone and FO would need to implement a sensor maintenance plan. 2022/23 Strategic Energy and Water Management Plan Page 25 of 30 - Building Re-Tuning o Continue actively monitoring building performance. Buildings are prioritized by highest utility costs and follow Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Building Retuning program. - Pipe Insulation o Identify piping that need insulation. Steam, condensate, chilled water pipes continually receive maintenance and often insulation is either damaged or not replaced. The university does not employ insulators and currently has to contract out work which can be cost prohibitive. - LED Upgrades o Appalachian State University is committed to upgrading all campus lighting to LED. In order to be cost effective, App State intends to complete as much work as possible with in-house electricians but expects to have to contract out some of the work. As more buildings are upgraded, the university will get to buildings that have had upgraded fluorescent ballasts with low ballast factors, increasing payback. App State still intends to upgrade to LEDs but this will require consideration to decrease project costs. o Lighting Controls – Most of the university’s lighting is either controlled by conventional on/off switches or occupancy sensors that are not connected to the building automation system. Going forward, the university will likely install occupancy sensor switches with dimming and daylighting capabilities. Other HVAC & Controls o Beginning with the College Street Chiller Plant, test sequence of operation control for free cooling using existing plate and frame heat exchanger during winter so that chillers can be turned off seasonally. Challenge – mitigate freezing concerns by using belt driven cooling tower in reverse. o Building Pressure Setpoints – Most buildings contain building pressure setpoints so that buildings are slightly positive. There is not a standard setpoint and there may be efficiency opportunities by identifying a standard minimum building pressure setpoint. o Discharge Air Temperature and Static Pressure Resets – Determine which buildings could incorporate or improve these reset strategies. o Hot water resets – Determine which buildings could look at zone need rather than outside air temperature to reset the hot water supply temperature (typically between 120 and 180). Requires a digital thermostat in each zone. o VAV Box Occupancy Sensors – Currently Installed in Peacock, Anne Belk, Leon Levine, and Sanford Hall. Determine maximum temperature drift (1.5 deg F) and minimum flow (not 0 CFM) to increase efficiency and minimize comfort concerns. 2022/23 Strategic Energy and Water Management Plan Page 26 of 30 o Investigate overcooling to determine if modifying minimum occupied flow setpoints can reduce overcooling and save energy without impacting occupant comfort. ASHRAE (2019) suggests that minimum flow setpoints should be closer to minimum ventilation rate calculations (typically 10 to 20% of designed maximum flow). o Warm / Cool Adjusts – Determine if there are any remaining warm/cool adjusts that can override campus temperature policy. Also determine if warm/cool adjust should remain active if temperature adjustments can only increase efficiency (I.e. if they do not make a room any cooler during the summer, only warmer) - Steam Efficiency o Determine if installing an economizer on the number 4 steam boiler is a viable project given life expectancy of boiler. o Repair and/or improve pipe insulation in numerous campus buildings. o Identify areas where condensate return could be improved. o Continue testing steam traps repair as needed. o Test all heat exchangers. o Scan all high, medium, and low-pressure steam valves and lines ultrasonically for leaks. Repair when practical.

Note: Steam is produced on site and not purchased.

Note 2: Use of campus steam has decreased, despite the increase in square footage. This is due to improvements made in condensation recovery and building efficiencies.