Category: services

KAWI Group’s building energy audits provide the client with a quick and affordable assessment of a building or facility’s energy performance and energy use comparison against similar buildings. These energy studies provide buildings and facility operators or property managers with a strategy towards the development of an energy reduction plan and potential energy saving measures.

A list of energy conservation measures (ECM’s) covering the building’s envelope and mechanical systems are developed based on the actual performance data from the existing building.
An energy audit is a thorough assessment of a property through a site visits, interviews and tests that assesses how a building functions. Detailed engineering analysis is performed in order to determine and identify potential and appropriate energy efficiency recommendations.

KAWI Group’s energy benchmarking provides the ongoing energy performance reviews to determine a property’s energy consumption in comparison to itself, other buildings of the same size, similar usage and same climate regions.

A building’s energy consumption analysis is performed in order to gain a better understanding of the building’s end-use consumption. Actual utility bills and aggregate consumption data are used for this purpose.

 

The Benefits of Benchmarking

Energy benchmarking gives a starting point for pre- and post-audits capital improvements aimed at increasing operational efficiency and reducing costs. We benchmark using as much historical data as clients provide, so they can:

• Rank energy performance and track trends
• Locate which properties are getting better or worse on a relative basis
• Get the justification needed to plan improvements
• Determine if conservation strategies are working
• Provide accurate data reports to management.

Our Energy management services include planning and operation of energy production and energy consumption options. Our objectives are very much aligned with the customer’s needs of resource conservation, climate protection and cost savings, while the users have access to the energy they need.

We have developed effective processes of monitoring, controlling, and conserving energy in a building/facility or organisations. These process typically include:

1. Metering energy consumption and collecting the data.
2. Finding opportunities to save energy, and estimating how much energy each opportunity could save.
3. Taking action to target the opportunities to save.
4. Tracking progress by analyzing collected data using verifiable Measurement and Verification technology.

There are numerous opportunities to reduce energy consumption in data centers to save on energy costs. Effective management of energy efficiency initiatives requires effective solutions to help you see trends in energy consumption. These solutions can help understand and generate energy consumption patterns in data facilities and find ways to save on energy cost and usage while maintaining a safe environment for your IT equipment.

We provide Data Center Energy management Solutions that monitor and measure all the energy usage in data facilities and providing reports to help identify, quantify and implement energy savings in data centers.

KAWI Group has helped several building owners with the training of their staff on energy efficiency technologies. These trainings have been specially coordinated, customized and cost effective. Some of these trainings are provided free of charge or at discounted costs. We have also assisted buildings with the development of comprehensive maintenance and operation schedules, that enables them to operate their buildings more efficiently. Record keeping and safety procedures have also been a major part of our trainings. We provide trainings to portfolio management and building operators on the following:

We also ensure that:

• Operations and maintenance staff have received appropriate training (which may include safety, labor/management training) on all major equipment.
• Operations and maintenance staff have received training on general energy conservation techniques.
• Operational and maintenance record keeping procedures have been implemented.
• Operations and maintenance manuals (if still available from the manufacturer), maintenance contracts, and the most recent retro-commissioning report are on-site and accessible to the operators.

Background

Over half of New York City’s functional built area is concentrated in less than two percent of its properties; in approximately 15,000 properties, each with over 50,000 square feet of floor area. These buildings, which account for 45 percent of New York City’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, tend to have more sophisticated building systems management and more financial and technical resources than their smaller counterparts. Consequently, New York City has enacted a comprehensive effort, called the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan (GGBP), with the goal of advancing energy efficiency in large existing buildings.

The companion New York City Local Laws 84 (LL84) and 87 (LL87) establish requirements for compliance. LL84 requires an annual benchmarking of energy and water use, to facilitate comparisons of energy consumption patterns between similar buildings. LL87 provides more thorough assessment and analysis. The law dictates that every ten years, an ASHRAE Level 2 Energy Audit and a Retro-commissioning study must be performed on the base-building systems. The systems that are studied and analyzed within a building include: Heating, Ventilation, and Air-conditioning (HVAC), domestic hot water, electrical and lighting systems, conveying systems, and building envelope.

Local Law 84 Compliance

LL84 requires all basic building information as well as utility bills and water usage be entered into the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) online Portfolio Manager. This needs to be repeated annually, due May 1st of each year.

This law applies to all covered buildings that are over 50,000 square feet to submit information relating to the building’s total energy and water usage for the previous calendar year to an internet-based database system. This information will be used to provide benchmarks that help to track and assess the energy and water use of these buildings and compare their usage to other similar buildings.

KAWI Group will assist in keeping your property compliant and providing you with valuable information to better manage energy usage.

Local Law 87 Compliance

Local Law 87 (LL87) mandates that buildings over 50,000 gross square feet undergo periodic energy audit and retro-commissioning measures, as part of the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan (GGBP). The intent of this law is to inform building owners of their energy consumption through energy audits, which are surveys and analyses of energy use, and retro-commissioning, the process of ensuring correct equipment installation and performance.

Local Law 87’s energy audit and retro-commissioning process requires the following:

1. Determine if a building needs to comply, and what year it is due.
2. Conduct an energy audit and retro-commissioning of base building systems and complete an Energy Efficiency Report (EER) electronically.
3. Submit the EER once every ten years to the City by December 31.

KAWI Group will work with you to make sure your building is compliant while ensuring your occupants’ safety and comfort. This adds value to your property.

Retro-Commissioning

Retro-commissioning (RCx) refers to a systematic process of optimizing the performance of building systems by correcting deficiencies—e.g., by adjusting or upgrading of control systems, improving maintenance, recalibrating equipment and making appropriate repairs. RCx does not involve major equipment replacement; it focuses on making sure that the existing equipment is doing what it is supposed to do, and that the building systems are operating well together.

Retro-commissioning ensures the integrity of systems and equipment in commercial building and facilities to meet energy saving goals and operating requirements. It is feasible even for companies that are on a tight budget. Even without a hefty capital investment, energy saving can range anywhere from 5% to 20%.

Some of the most important benefits of implementing retro-commissioning are as follows:

• Cost savings: Operating cost can be considerably reduced through retro-commissioning. The savings may vary on a number of factors like location of the building, type, and scope of employing the process. A study conducted by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that businesses could save significantly per square foot by means of retro-commissioning.
• Fine-tuning: Retro-commissioning is a monitoring-based process. Software programs will monitor and analyze the efficiency of the systems in the building and generate reports. Based on these reports, your equipment is fine-tuned to further improve energy savings.
• Rejuvenation: Even if the equipment and systems present in the building are old or broken, they can be returned to a proper operational state. The lifetime of the equipment can also be further increased.
• Less grievances: Retro-commissioning improves the comfort level of the inhabitants of the space and ultimately reduces complaints from workers.

KAWI Group has expert knowledge in existing rebates and incentives programs that are available in your state. We specialize in both residential and commercial rebate and incentive handling on behalf of our clients. We help our customers navigate through the entire process, secure and maximize the incentive money available to them.

KAWI Group is very familiar with the rebates and incentive program requirements. We do all of the necessary work involved ranging from gathering required data, application preparation, site inspections,engineering analyses to report development and economic evaluations.

Give us a call today and let us help you secure the applicable incentives and rebates that your property qualifies for.