A retro-commissioning (RCx) project performed by G/BA at Motorola Solutions in Schaumburg, IL, has garnered an RcX Cup Award for the 2020 project year.
The award recognizes the year’s highest single-project RCx energy savings in the Retro-Commissioning Express (RCxpress) offering, as authorized by Nexant for the ComEd Energy Efficiency Program.
G/BA’s RCx projects have previously won the ComEd RCx Building Tune-Up Project of the Year Award in 2019, and the RCx Project of the Year in 2014.
The 2020 award involved Motorola Solutions’ Corporate Office Tower building and annex, a 345,000-square-foot facility in suburban Chicago. The building includes office space, project engineering development, product testing, a data center, and food service. The RCx effort targeted annual electrical savings of 500,000 kWh and annual natural gas savings of 3,000 therms; both goals were greatly surpassed.
Verified savings were 941,522 kWh in electricity and 13,865 therms, yielding annual cost savings of $99,801 and $5,823, respectively. Combined payback was six months for implemented measures.
Energy conservation measures (ECMs) resulting in the greatest electricity savings were air-handling unit scheduling (three AHUs) and reduction or reset of duct static pressure. Other implemented ECMs were use of variable frequency drives for one fan and repair of an outside air damper. The client also performed a partial implementation of heat exchanger free cooling optimization, and anticipates saving an additional 150,000 kWh/year when full implementation is achieved through additional programming.
Team leaders for the project included G/BA Project Managers Joel Freeman, P.E., and David Cohen, P.E., (pictured above), as well as Justin D’Arcy, P.E., Project Engineer; Tim Shinnick, P.E., Project Manager; Sumeta Medicherla, Project Engineer; and Alex Schultz, P.E., Senior Project Engineer.
Retro-commissioning is the process of improving building performance through a systems approach, seeking to identify operational improvements that save energy and often increase occupant comfort. G/BA is a qualified trade ally with multiple utilities that offer financial incentives to support RCx projects, in some cases completely covering the cost of the study. Contact us for more information about how RCx can improve your facility and save energy and money.
