&EPA
Case Study: Mines Estimates Energy-Cost Savings
of 670,000 RMB at Embassy House from Low- and
Moderate-Cost Measures
Project Summary
Mines estimates annual energy-cost savings
of 670,000 RMB at Embassy House, a three
year old, 56,000 square meter residential
apartment building that it owns and manages in
Beijing, China. Mines attributes these savings to
low- and moderate-cost measures that were
implemented by the Embassy House
engineering staff throughout 2004.
Actions Taken
After construction was completed on
Embassy House in 2002, the primary focus of
the engineering staff was to make initial
equipment adjustments and establish operating
procedures. However, the engineering staff could not make significant changes to the
building systems due to various post-construction warranties and guarantees.
In 2004, the engineering staff became concerned about energy consumption
and costs and took two actions which led to the implementation of low- and
moderate-cost energy-saving measures. First, the engineering staff began posting
daily electricity and natural gas consumption data on the engineer's notice board.
Second, the Engineering Department held a competition in which employees were
asked to submit creative ideas for saving energy.
As a result of the engineering staffs increased awareness of energy
consumption and their willingness to provide creative solutions, they identified and
implemented the following measures:
• Scheduled Lighting Operation at the Car Park, Gym, Pool, and
Business Center: The engineering staff received training to switch the
lights on and off according to a set schedule called the "Utility Rounds
Check Sheet." Responsibility for each area of the building was assigned
to specific staff. The building automation system (BAS) was updated to
control the car park lighting, switching half of the lights off during the
night. The cost to implement these changes was 5,600 RMB. The time
to implement was one month. The cost savings is expected to be
253,339 RMB per year.
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&EPA
• Replaced the Electrical Steam Humidifier with an Evaporative Humidifier:
An electrical steam humidifier (220kW) was installed during building
construction. The cost to operate was approximately 420,000 RMB
annually. An evaporative humidifier was installed to replace the original
one. The cost to purchase and install the new humidifier was 116,000
RMB. The time to purchase and install was three weeks. The annual
cost of operation is approximately 2,207 RMB. The cost savings is
expected to be 417,793 RMB per year.
Results
The total annual cost savings from these measures is estimated to be 670,000
RMB. The payback is less than one year. Mines monitors and verifies these results
using Mines HUMMT®, a tool which tracks facility energy consumption and compares
it to other Mines properties (locally and internationally). As part of its routine building
management, Mines continues to post energy data and to solicit energy-saving ideas
from engineering staff and expects to identify and implement additional measures in
the future.
According to Huang ShuYu, Engineering Manager at Embassy House, the lesson
learned from these achievements is that, "Small adjustments can have a large impact
on the entire building's energy cost. The training of staff is very important so that
there is ownership and enthusiasm in carrying out the small modifications."
In addition to energy-saving measures, as part of this effort, the engineering staff
also identified and implemented a water-saving measure that is expected to save an
additional 33,600 RMB each year. The engineering staff modified the rooftop
plumbing to collect the cooling tower blow-down water into the gray water collection
tank (gray water is the treated waste water from all fixtures except toilets). Previously,
the cooling tower blow-down water (water contains too much dissolved impurity
needs to be blown down out of the cooling tower) went directly to the drain. The
engineering team connected the cooling tower blow-down pipe to the gray water
collection tank so that the blow-down water could be treated and supplied back to the
building for such uses as watering the lawn and flushing the toilets. The cost to
implement this change was 6,180 RMB. The time to implement was seven days.
Contact Information
For more information on the eeBuildings program, to find out about upcoming
trainings and events, or for general information on how to reduce building energy
consumption using simple, low-cost operational measures, go to
www.epa.gov/eeBuildings or write to eeBuildings@epa.gov.
* The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's eeBuildings (energy-efficient Buildings)
www.epa.gov/eeBuildinas program helps building owners, managers, and tenants improve the
energy performance of their buildings. Drawing on the expertise of ENERGY STAR, eeBuildings
connects financial and environmental performance to energy efficiency.
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