Multiple Retro-Commissioning Projects: Washington University

Our Retro-Commissioning team performed multiple Retro-Commissioning projects for Washington University with the goal of identifying potential measures for energy savings as well as operational and facility improvements. This effort will help support Washington University’s Strategic Plan for Sustainable Options, which included aggressive energy and carbon reduction goals by 2020. 

This multi-year project currently includes eight buildings, two of which have been completed. The projects include the following facilities: 

• McDonnell Hall – 107,000 ft² Laboratory Building 

• Olin Library – 200,000 ft² Library and Historical Archive Building 

• Lopata Hall – 45,000 ft² Science Classroom and Engineering Building 

• Jolley Hall – 55,000 ft² Engineering Laboratory Building 

• Urbauer Hall – 65,000 ft² Engineering Research and Classroom Building 

• Mudd and Park Hall – 128,000 ft² Residence Hall 

• Koenig and Liggett Hall – 110,000 ft² Residence Hall 

For each facility, Retro-Commissioning Measures (RCMs) are identified that will provide energy savings and improve operations. RCMs implemented to date include optimizing existing HVAC control sequences and set-points, identifying and fixing equipment capacity, demand-based occupant controls for ventilation and lights, reconfigurations to allow for economizer (free cooling), lighting replacements with LEDs, and right-sizing of ventilation and building pressure controls. 

Additional operational improvement measures included re-commissioning of existing terminal units, fixing heating and cooling issues in problematic spaces, and identifying/resolving building envelope leakage issues. The McDonnell Hall and Olin Library projects are complete and resulted in operational savings of approximately $140,000 per year, with an initial investment of $700,000, and a payback of 5 years. The remaining projects are currently in the investigation phase.