The GRCs Lab Benchmarking Project Alison Farmer Ph

The GRC’s Lab Benchmarking Project Alison Farmer, Ph. D

Outline • Acknowledgements • Motivation • Methodology • Progress • Outlook

What is benchmarking? Am I normal? How efficiently is a building meeting its functional requirements (relative to others)?

Why benchmark? To catalyze energy savings • • • Prioritizing efficiency targets Context setting Certifications Regulatory compliance Starting the efficiency conversation Demand is increasing: LEED EBOM ASHRAE audits ASHRAE b. EQ ENERGY STAR Disclosure ordinances

How do we benchmark? Whole-building energy benchmarking • Fair comparison with peer buildings • Account for location, space type, occupancy patterns, etc. • Regression analysis or filtering • What gets a “free pass? ” • Miami vs SF: yes • Leaving lights on all night: no

Benchmarking tools • Tools have become sophisticated • But not for labs • Confusion about lab EUIs

Why does it matter? • Building energy disclosure ordinances • Without context, labs look like energy hogs • BERDO: energy assessments/actions required every 5 years • “High efficiency” buildings are exempted • No definition for high efficiency labs EUI Labs from City of Boston BERDO report August 2015

Why is it so hard for labs? • Complex and detailed functional requirements

The best data out there • Labs 21 dataset • 15 years, ~550 buildings • Filter based on lab type, lab area • Variety of years, locations, submitters Distribution of labs

The problem with the data • Huge scatter, even among “peer” buildings • What is behind the scatter? • Bad data? • Not enough data? • (In)efficiency? (Correlations significant but R 2 for multivariate fit is 11%)

So can we improve things? • Can we pick “winners” while asking a reasonable number of questions? • Can the standard benchmarking approach work for labs? Positive impact Reporting burden

Building a better sample Picking winners based on limited data is a common problem. Steps to take: 1) Reduce the noise 2) Find other important factors

1. Reduce the noise • Geography • Year • Data collection methods • Consistent treatment of central plant energy

2. Look for other effects • Ask more questions about building function: Standard: • Lab area • Lab type • Hours of occupancy Additional: • # fume hoods • High-intensity spaces • Purpose of rest of building • Building’s reputation • A few others • Ask other questions to allow hypothesis testing: • Efficiency features • HVAC systems and controls • Ventilation requirements • Investigate outliers

The survey • Participants: 7 Higher Ed Working Group member schools • ~150 lab buildings expected • Data collection built on Labs 21 and Portfolio Manager questions

Where are we? Feb Mar Data Collection 15% of data submitted Apr May Analysis Results Jun

Expected outcomes: 1. Inform ordinances • Provide context for lab energy consumption • Breakdown by type of lab • Assessment of potential for using a whole building energy benchmarking approach to identify and exempt high-efficiency lab buildings • Baseline stats to gauge progress in future years

2. National impact • Critical information for imminent Labs 21 tool upgrades • Inform EPA’s efforts to extend Energy Star to labs • Show Boston area’s leadership in energy efficiency

Questions? Alison Farmer afarmer@kw-engineering. com