 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
DUMAS HOUSE Energy management program at Dumas House reduces annual energy consumption by 19 per cent. Dumas House may be 40 years old but the building's managers, Jones Lang LaSalle, say there's no reason why it can't achieve a good energy rating. Shaun Arseven, Senior Engineer at Jones Lang LaSalle, says that building system technologies and use may have changed but the building has many positive architectural design attributes that provide the foundation for good energy performance. “The process of obtaining the Australian Building Greenhouse Rating rating reinforces the commitment of the Department of Housing and Works and Jones Lang LaSalle to improved energy efficiency,” Mr Arseven said. “We have achieved a 3.5 star base building rating which shows that you can effectively implement energy efficient strategies in an old style building. Our energy management program commenced in 2000 and, since then, energy consumption has reduced by 811,500 kWh per annum. This equates to 19 per cent of the total consumption. “But our efforts don't stop here. Together with the Department of Housing and Works, we will continue to work towards further cuts in energy consumption and we are committed to operating in line with the Government's Energy Smart policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” The air-conditioning at Dumas House has a water cooled main plant that provides chilled water for four air handling units. All the air handling units are fitted with variable speed drives and a Building Management System to monitor and control the services plant. Investing in the future The Department of Housing and Works and Jones Lang LaSalle have a long term approach to achieving improved energy efficiency and began a major capital works program at Dumas House several years ago. The air-conditioning system's three large chillers were interfaced with the existing Building Management System. This enables them to run more economically as the Building Management System predicts the building load and changes the air-conditioning operations accordingly, thereby eliminating inefficient start/stop operations. Another step was to install more than 40 electrical meters throughout the building. These included meters on all mechanical services and lifts as well as tenant and common areas. Integrated into this system was automated software to download and read each meter; they were also networked to the three chiller units to accommodate any future control of building functions. “The building now has a system in place to benchmark tenant power and light consumption,” Mr Arseven explained. “We have constant access to up-to-date information on how the building's services are performing and we can see if and where any power increases are occurring and act on them immediately. Our management of the building is now more hands-on than ever.” Lighting Initiatives Illumination of office space is a major consumer of power so Jones Lang LaSalle, on behalf of the Department of Housing and Works, undertook an extensive lighting upgrade. With 14 floors of offices to consider, the upgrade was done in stages and one level was chosen to provide a benchmark for the rest of the building. Twin standard fluorescent lamps were replaced with single tri-phosphor lamps and diffusers. On just one floor, a saving of 36,500 kWh and $4,500 per annum was achieved which equated to a less than five year payback period on the $22,000 outlay needed to complete the changes. Three floors had occupancy sensors fitted in common areas such as pantries, lobbies and toilets for after hours control. Default times were set to 7am-7pm, 5 days a week and a PIN and keypad system was installed to enable tenants to illuminate work areas after hours. This initiative has more than halved lighting energy consumption with a 25,000 kWh annual saving in power and a $3,100 annual saving in costs. A full lighting upgrade was then undertaken on all floors and the existing twin fluorescent lamps were replaced with a single tri-phosphor lamp, starter and prismatic diffuser. Key pad control of lighting in tenant areas was also included. At a cost of just over $130,000 the exercise has produced impressive savings. Electricity use is down by 510,000 kWh which equates to a $63,000 a year reduction in energy costs. It took only two years to gain a full return on the capital outlay. Other initiatives Many other areas and functions of the building have also undergone modifications, including:
Estimated savings through these initiatives is 240,000 kWh or $30,000 per annum. The ongoing upgrading of the building services will also see Jones Lang LaSalle research the viability of replacing the chillers with higher efficiency machines. Lessons Learned Undertaking an energy audit enabled Jones Lang LaSalle to take tighter control of the building's energy consumption. The Australian Building Greenhouse Rating star rating for the whole building, compared to the base building, showed that tenants' use of light and power was considerably higher. The company is now concentrating on reducing tenants' energy consumption with consideration to improving occupant comfort and satisfaction. “In line with the achieved ABGR rating, Dumas House is a well controlled, established building with low operating costs. It is a benchmark for similar types of 1960's architecture.” Shaun Arseven, Senior Engineer Jones Lang LaSalle. |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disclaimer | Office of Energy | Privacy | Copyright | Photo Credits | Terms & Conditions | Feedback | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
