Retrocommissioning of Two Long-Term Care Facilities in California

Aleisha Khan, Institute for Market Transformation
Amanda Potter and Tudi Haasl, Portland Energy Conservation, Inc.

Keywords

Abstract

Retrocommissioning is becoming increasingly recognized as a cost-effective strategy for improving the performance of existing buildings without major capital investment. This is particularly true in larger buildings that operate relatively new equipment and use energy management control systems.

Over the past year and a half, the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) and Portland Energy Conservation, Inc. (PECI) undertook a project funded by Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) to reduce energy use in the long-term healthcare sector, the fourth largest energy-consuming commercial building sector. Retrocommissioning was selected as a promising approach because of its links to improved comfort and indoor air quality – results anticipated to be especially beneficial to this sector. However, the initial building selection process revealed that most long-term care facilities have older equipment, relatively small square footage, and unsophisticated controls – characteristics that are typically not ideal for a successful retrocommissioning project.

This paper discusses the value of retrocommissioning for the long-term care sector by describing the process, findings, and results of two demonstration projects in California. The case studies proved successful in achieving significant building energy savings and improvements in indoor air quality despite the barriers to retrocommissioning inherent in long-term healthcare facilities. But the projects had a relatively high cost per square foot. Our analysis of the demonstration projects includes a discussion on whether retrocommissioning is a good fit for smaller buildings with less sophisticated controls and ways that the retrocommissioning process can be modified to meet the needs of this type of facility.