Data Dive

By Charlie Simek, Energy Engineer

With new regulations focused on a building’s carbon intensity, owners are preparing to make large equipment investments in order to stay in compliance. Boston’s Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) requires buildings to gradually reduce their emissions to zero by 2050. While equipment changes can be one path to compliance, NEI has discovered, throughout its years of energy monitoring and analysis, that many buildings could delay and minimize expensive equipment upgrades by repairing and optimizing their current system to run more efficiently.

The Danube affordable housing development is an example of this type of building, where NEI has managed to drastically reduce gas consumption by 50%. This puts the building in a position where only minor energy optimization will allow it to meet BERDO’s 2030 threshold for compliance. This was all possible without any major boiler or equipment replacement.

Danube enrolled in NEI’s Remote Monitoring and Optimization program, where data from the heating and domestic hot water (DHW) systems are collected and analyzed. This informs the implementation of Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) that are recommended by NEI. This analysis led to ECMs that addressed incorrect outdoor air (OA) sensor readings and malfunctioning mechanically controlled valves. By fixing the OA sensor, the boiler is now able to properly control the amount of heat it sends out to the building. The malfunctioning valves at Danube were allowing heat to transfer between the DHW and heating loops, causing inconsistent heating of the building. Replacing these valves isolated the loops and ensured heat was being sent to the correct locations. Solving these issues reduced the building’s gas usage by around 50% over 21 months.

Through a combination of equipment repairs and adjustments to the heating and domestic hot water setpoints, Danube was able to achieve and maintain incredible savings on gas usage at the property, putting it one metric ton above the total 2030 BERDO threshold. Only minor optimizations will be necessary over the next 8 years to push the building below this threshold.