University Partners With New York Power Authority To Conduct Comprehensive Energy Audit
October 17, 2014
By Ryan Wolf
The SBU Department of Energy Management has partnered with the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and Guth Deconzo Consulting Engineers to conduct a comprehensive energy audit of the University’s West Campus and Southampton buildings. The purpose of the energy audit is to identify existing conditions and propose measures that would increase the energy efficiency of each building and lead to the development of an Energy Master Plan. Once complete, the Energy Master Plan will outline energy utilization and guide future energy efficiency initiatives and programs.
The comprehensive energy audit will follow the ASHRAE “Procedures for Commercial Building Energy Audits, Second Edition 2011” standard, as published by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers. The audit includes an analysis of historic utility use (electric, oil, gas, steam, etc.), a detailed facility survey conducted by a nationally accredited engineer, a cost/savings analysis for energy saving measures and a list of potential long term capital improvements that warrant implementation. In addition, the audit will also identify operational and maintenance procedures that could be implemented in order to achieve an energy reduction benefit and will provide savings/budgetary estimates for improvements.
“The comprehensive energy audit will help quantify how much energy our buildings consume and will also identify opportunities to improve energy efficiency, reduce utility expenses and will help reduce our impact on the environment.” explained Thomas Lanzilotta, Campus Energy Manager. “The evaluation process involves developing a benchmarking score that gauges how much energy is used in a building, which is then followed up by recommendations on what improvements could be made to reduce energy usage.”
NYPA has recently worked with local governments and colleges including SUNY Brockport, SUNY Plattsburgh as well as Stony Brook University, on various energy conservation efforts. By conducting energy audits and studies, facilities can cut energy costs by up to 25% - which is a substantial figure when involving multiple buildings. This energy audit is another Department of Energy Management initiative launched to reduce the University’s carbon footprint and meet New York State Executive Order 88, which has directed all state buildings to improve efficiency and decrease energy consumption by 20% by the year 2020.
For additional information on this initiative, please contact:
Stony Brook University
Office of Sustainability
E-Mail: sustainability@stonybrook.edu