HVAC Energy Reduction SW Saves Six NY Buildings 9.9M kWh Annually

Six New York State commercial facilities, combined, are expected to reduce their heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) energy consumption by more than 9.9 million kWH annually, by implementing Optimum Energy’s OptimumHVAC software solution. These buildings include 1271 Avenue of the Americas building, a GE Healthcare manufacturing facility, and Westfield Group’s Sunrise shopping center in Massapequa.

The OptimumHVAC software automatically calculates the most energy efficient sequencing of HVAC system equipment based on real-time building loads, reducing energy use by up to 60 percent. The solution also allows building operators to benchmark HVAC energy performance via a Web-based service to ensure energy reductions are sustained month after month.

Collectively, these six New York installations also are expected to achieve annually an operating cost savings of more than $2 million, water savings of more than 4 million gallons, and greenhouse gas emission savings of more than 16 million pounds.

Optimum Energy also is conducting site assessments of five Suffolk County municipal buildings, including a power plant that serves several buildings, an office tower, two court complexes, and the medical examiner’s building. The company estimates that together these five new projects will save more than 2 million kWh annually.

The average payback for these projects, which includes the cost of OptimumHVAC plus any hardware upgrades, less incentives, is just over two years.

Most projects are eligible to receive the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) or Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) incentives, totaling more than $2.6 million. NYSERDA recently bulked up its coffers with $100 million in funds for energy-efficient projects.

The company says the OptimumHVAC solution is well suited for New York commercial facilities equipped with centrifugal chilled water and/or variable air volume air handling HVAC systems due to the high percentage of partial-load operation. On average, buildings in New York only need to operate HVAC equipment between 90 and 100 percent of capacity less than three percent per year.

The remainder of the time it’s possible to operate HVAC system equipment (including chillers, pumps and fans) at variable (slower) speeds to save energy and maintain a comfortable environment, according to the company.

Optimum offers a whitepaper, “Setting New Standards for Ultra High Performance HVAC (PDF).