bjschmidly's profile - activity

Very good. Thank you. This is all very helpful/insightful.

This is what I had in mind when I referred to an 'optimized' building. I hope that makes sense. Thanks for your comments, too, by the way. They were great.

This is in comparison to an 'optimized' building through energy modeling with a goal of reducing the annual utility bill by 30%. Let's say the design and energy modeling team was successful in saving this amount and the new annual bill is $42,840/year. In addition, the extra cost to design and build this 'energy efficient' building was $200,000. Therefore, the annual savings are $18,360/year in utility bills divided into the $200,000 in extra costs for a 10.89 year simple packsack for the developer on a building with a 30-40 year useful life.

Here's an example to clarify 'optimization': A developer hires an architect to design a commercial office space for him in let's say Albuquerque, New Mexico. After finishing the design, the architect recommends a general contractor that goes out and builds it for the developer a year later with no energy modeling done. The utility bill on that building is 250,000kWh's a year x $.12/kWh = $30,000/year in energy charges. The peak demand is roughly 130kW's a month x $20/kW = $31,200 in demand charges. The total annual utility bill for this property is $61,200 a year.

Thanks, Amir. Greatly appreciate the follow-up answer...

Thanks, Lincoln. I guess I'm just trying to understand the business case for BEM. Is it regulatory/certification/group, i.e., AIA 2030, commitment that's driving it or is it a financial case? If it's the latter, what are the rules of thumbs for calculating ROI, NPV, etc., once you assume the building is/will be operated correctly.

This is a great response, too, Rohini. Thank you.

Thank you, Amir. This is a very helpful response. Other than code-compliance and/or LEED points, and then there's the AIA 2030 Commitment, what's driving the up-tick in interest in BEM? Is it regulatory as is the case in California or is it post-occupancy M&V? If it's the latter, are you seeing this as a new revenue stream for architects or is LEED starting to mandate M&V to maintain certification?

What can a commercial building owner expect to save on his utility bills with a building (new construction) that was optimized with an energy model versus one that was built without one? I know the earlier you get an energy modeler on board the better = more savings, but is there a standard rule of thumb like 10-20% utility bills savings?