GREENING EXISTING BUILDINGS – The Bottom Line

"If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25 cars that got 1000 MPG" ~ Bill Gates

The case for going Green is a foregone conclusion. It makes sense and the statistics prove it.

Lawrence Berkeley Institute (LBI) has documented numerous case studies that prove that tuning your building through retrocommissioning yields the superlative Return On Investment (ROI) of any Green strategy. On the other side of the coin are those who have had less desirable experiences. Has anyone bothered to ask why? I have! For example, while presenting and conducting a workshop at the GSMI Green Data Center Conference at UCSD in San Diego, (February 2nd through the 4th, 2010), I met with individuals and entities who had expressed their tales of woe. Interestingly enough, after inquiring about who performed the commissioning and verifications, they explained they utilized individuals who possessed no experience in such tasks and duties whatsoever! Now, is it any wonder the outcome was less than desirable? Tasking unqualified personnel with such high-level duties makes about as much sense to me as putting an inexperienced pilot in the cock-pit of a plane and then wondering why the plane is implanted in the hillside.


In almost every negative case, the responsible parties assembled an inexperienced team and / or attempted significant portions including LEED consulting, commissioning/retrocommissioning themselves. Then, they have the audacity to make generalized claims that this whole concept is bogus? This is simply stunning to me.


The vast majority of buildings that I go into are pouring money down the drain. Why?
Below are some very common occurrences and observations:

• the buildings weren’t designed to be efficient, but rather to be cheap. Or,

• the buildings were not constructed properly; The equipment was set, connected and left. Or,

• the Test & Balance was never performed; Or,

• there is no automated HVAC temperature control system; Or,

• the existing HVAC temperature controls were never properly installed / programmed / commissioned; Or,

• the existing HVAC temperature controls were adjusted by individuals who do not have adequate skills / training / experience; Or,

• the electrical system was never properly tested / verified,  resulting in fuses burning out, overloads tripping, power quality issues affecting sensitive equipment, etc.; Or,

• the building’s electro-mechanical equipment was not properly maintained (if at all), as there is no preventive maintenance (PM) program or budget; Or,

• the owner / manager concluded preventive maintenance is a waste of money (apparently, this represents an unlimited budget); Or,

• the individuals tasked with performing the maintenance are under-skilled and / or under-qualified; And,

• you can see it all in its full blown glory under the lights that are burning 24/7 in areas that are unoccupied or not frequented.


Going "Green" makes sense for owners for numerous reasons. Let’s just focus on what makes sense. It is my experience from lecturing all over the country and attending symposiums and conferences that there is a lot of hype. Sure! Like anything new that attracts attention, there are those that want to capitalize on new fads and trends. (I liken this to life in the ocean.)


Those who would jump at any new opportunity I refer to as the “Pilot Fish”. These people are aptly named as they are analogous to the tiny fish that cling to the under-bellies of sharks, cleaning the parasites from their derma. The shark represents the fad or trend.


Next, we have those that sell snake-oil and can’t even get the services straight, but by golly they can sell it all day long. These I refer to as “Stone Fish”. So named as they wait for unsuspecting prey to swim by and devour them before they realize what has happened.


Not to fret, however, as there are the coral reefs. So, we shall refer to the well-intentioned individuals that want to improve their communities and the world we live in. These “Coral” are the sort that make a harmonious environment in which others may thrive in harmony and thereby thrive and benefit.


Where the tires meet the pavement...
So, how many buildings have you been in that smell stale, musty, smokey and stagnant. Is that a place you want to spend any length of time, or are you looking for the exits immediately after entering? How about sewer gas rising out of the drain in the restrooms? Too hot? Too cold? See the dirt gathering around the HVAC supply registers? YOUR LUNGS ARE THE FILTER!


As a patron, you can leave whenever you want. How about working in a place like this? Albeit an office, hotel, casino or what have you, such occurrences and conditions are not only uncomfortable and unsightly, they pose health risks and productivity issues.


What is absurd to me is that there are efficiency issues that represent dollars. The owners and managers don’t want to spend the money to correct the issues as they see it as either a false alarm for global warming or they somehow suppose the problems will treat themselves or somehow go away. They won’t. That mindset makes about as much sense as putting change in your pocket knowing there is a large hole in it. I guess the logic is that if you believe it will mend itself, there is no reason to worry about putting your keys and money in there. But, the reckoning will come when you reach in and find nothing. Then you pull out the bunny ears (methaphor for pockets turned inside out); See the problem? Fold the pockets back in and repeat the process. What is the definition of insanity? Doing the same things and expecting a different outcome?

The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination." ~ Albert Einstein

Dynamic Commissioning Solutions, inc. (DCSi)
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