My inquiry is based upon reducing the energy consumption of a chilled water system which is being used in a manufacturing facility. The chilled water system is specifically used for the manufacturing process. The type of mechanical equipment used to chill the water is an air-cooled refrigerant chiller.
The thought is to add dry coolers to the chilled water system in order to take advantage of the local climate. The chilled water temperature needs to be maintained at approximately 45 deg. F (setpoint). The operation of the drycoolers would be sized for the full load of the mechanical chiller. Either the mechanical chiller will be on and the drycoolers off and vice versa.
Questions:
1) Does an exceptional calculation apply for this case in order to show an energy savings for the process loads between the baseline and the proposed buildings, therefore improving the efficiency of the chilled water system?
2) If No, what is meant by "improvements to refrigeration equipment efficiency" mean as stated in the LEED v2009 Reference Guide?
3) If Yes, do both systems (chiller and dry cooler) require btu/ kW metering in order to prove the "specific energy cost savings as stated in the LEED v2009 Reference Guide?
Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5867 thumbs up
July 30, 2015 - 3:01 pm
1. Yes you need to do an exceptional calculation for any process load savings claimed. The baseline should be justified as standard industry practice in this location for a new plant.
2. NA
3. No metering is required for this credit.
MYRON JORDAN
September 3, 2015 - 1:46 pm
Thank-you for the reply. Another issue has come up regarding the energy savings applied with the dry-coolers. It turns out that the total process energy is a much higher quantity and dilutes the total energy saved percentage. With the energy saving strategies implemented into the building itself, the percentage of improvement compared to the baseline is very minimal. Is there a different way to portray energy savings for the building separately from the process side in order to gain points for the other strategies implemented into the building?
Thanks,
Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5867 thumbs up
September 3, 2015 - 2:30 pm
No. All energy use within and associated with the project must be included.
There is an alternative compliance path for meeting the prerequisite only but it does not help earn additional points. The only way to get more point is to find more process energy savings.