The Solaire, part of the Albanese Organization portfolio, is a luxury residential facility built in 2003. GBA staff have performed multiple projects at this 28-story LEED EB Platinum building.
- The energy audit and retro-commissioning project aimed to satisfy and exceed the requirements of New York City Local Law 87.
- Mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems were analyzed for performance and opportunities for energy conservation measures.
- The existing humidifiers on the air-handling units were electric. The annual cost saving of converting to gas-fired humidifiers was calculated at $95,000, with a simple payback of two years.
- The existing unit heaters were found to have been installed without control valves. Installing control valves on all 12 unit heaters yielded annual cost savings of $8,658, with a payback of less than one year.
- During the water treatment plant evaluation, the retro-commissioning staff recommended that two motors be upgraded to premium-efficiency motors. The annual cost saving was $5,200, with a simple payback of just over one year.
- Numerous sensors were found to be out of calibration on the air-handlers and fan coil units. This led to excess heating and cooling. The annual cost savings of calibrating the sensors was $6,600.
- The existing condenser water pumps were constant speed. The annual cost savings of installing variable frequency drives on the condenser water pumps was calculated at $22,200, with a simple payback of under two years.
- The combined annual cost savings for the energy audit and retro-commissioning project, including energy conservation measures not listed above, was $178,833, with an average simple payback of 1.78 years. The total implementation cost was $317,537.
- GBA helped the client apply for incentives through the Con Edison Commercial and Industrial Energy Efficiency Program.
Photos courtesy of The Albanese Organization
