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Case Study

Deep Energy Savings in Existing Buildings

Overview

Site Details

• Owner:BrianRunberg

• Location:PriestRiver,ID

• BuildingType:Office/Mixeduse

• ProjectDescription:MajorRenovationHistoric

• SizeSF:28,800

• Stories:2

• ProjectCompletion:2009

• YearBuilt:1922

THE BEARDMORE BUILDINGOriginallybuiltin1922byCharlesBeardmore,atimberandminingpioneer,theBeardmoreBuildinginPriestRiver,Idaho,housedoffices,mercantileshops,aballroomandatheater.Afterdecadesofneglectunderoutsideownership,BrianRunberg,anarchitectandgreat-grandsonofCharlesBeardmore,purchasedthebuildingin2006andbegananextensivewholebuildinghistoricrestoration.Thelocationcurrentlyfunctionsprimarilyasofficespace,withtenantleasedareacomprising85%ofthebuilding(whenfullyoccupied)anda4,100squarefoottheatertoberenovatedatalatertime.AccordingtoRunberg,thebuildingfosters“acarefulbalancebetweenpreservationofexistingfeaturesandtheintegrationofnewtechnologiesandsustainablebuildingpractices.”TheBeardmorenowhasthedistinctionofbeingoneofthefewbuildingsinthecountrythatisbothLEED-GoldcertifiedandontheNationalRegisterofHistoricPlaces.

Theprojectdemonstratesaverysuccessfulrenovationintermsofactualenergyusecomparedtoolderbuildings.Theactualenergyuseoftheoccupiedportioniscurrently32kBtu/sf/yr,66%betterthantheaverageU.S.officebuilding.

MotivationsProject goal: Committedtohisfamily’slegacyasbusinessownerscontributingtocommunitygrowthandcarefulstewardsoftheland,BrianRunbergwasintentuponbothrestoringthebuildingandusingthesustainableandenergyefficiencydesignprinciplesthatheincorporatesintohisownarchitecturalpractice.ItwasalsoimportanttohimtoplayapartinrevitalizingthePriestRivercommunityandeconomybyrestoringthebuildingtoitsformergrandeur.

2 Deep Energy Savings in Existing Buildings Case Study | The Beardmore Building

Rationale and economic criteria: Acost-benefitanalysiswasusedtodeterminetheeconomicimpactofgreenbuildingpracticesintermsofdesign,documentation,materialsalvageandconstruction.Theowner/architectdevelopedamethodologymatrixtoevaluatethesometimescontradictoryrequirementsforfederalandlocalincentives,LEEDcertificationandpreservationstandards,focusingonthemostcost-effectivestrategiesforenergy,waterandmaterialuse.

Barriers and resolutions to energy efficiency measures: Theground-floorretaillevelhadintricateleadedglasstransomwindowswhichprovidedalmostnoinsulatingproperties.Thearchitectfirstproposedtosandwichtheleadedglassinsideaninsulatedglazingunit,butthiswasrejectedbythestatehistoricpreservationoffice.Theapprovedsolutionallowedaseparateinsulatedglazingunittobeappliedintheinterior,retainingtheexteriorcharacterbutprovidingthenecessaryU-valueperformancefortheenergytargets.Thehistoricnatureofthebuildingdidnotallowforavestibuletobeaddedatthefrontdoors,soground-floorheatlossinthewintermonthsisanissue.

Technologies and Design StrategiesHVAC:Runberginstalledhigh-efficiency,packagedrooftopheatpumpswitheconomizers,alongwithdemandcontrolventilation(DCV)withCO2sensorsandmodulatingoutsideairdampers.Thisallowsventilationtobebasedonactualoccupancyratherthanassumingfulloccupancy,andtherebyreducesenergyneedsforconditioningandmovingtheair.Themechanicalengineer

Recognitions:

• LEED-NCGold

• 2010AmericanAssociationforStateandLocalHistory–NationalAwardofMeritforRestoration

• 2009PacificCoastBuildersConference–GrandAwardforBestSustainableAdaptiveRe-Use

• 2009PacificCoastBuildersConference–MeritAwardforOutstandingRehabProject

• 2008TheIdahoHistoricPreservationCouncil–OrchidAward:ExcellenceinHistoricPreservation

Acost-benefitanalysiswasusedtodeterminetheeconomicimpactofgreenbuildingpracticesintermsofdesign,documentation,materialsalvageandconstruction.


determinedthatthecommonareaofthebuildingdidnotrequirecoolingandinsteaddesignedabarometricdamperassistedbyceilingfanslocatedatthecurboftheskylightstoexhaustairandcreateaconvection-basedairflowwithinthecentralatrium.

Envelope:Alltheoriginalwoodwindowswereremoved,restoredandre-glazedwithlow-E,argon-filledinsulatedglass.Additionalglazingwasaddedtotheinterioroftheleadedtransomglasstopreservehistoricintegrityandtoimproveenergyperformance.Extensiveinsulationwasaddedtotheexteriorwalls,includingR-50fortheroofcavities.Reducedheatislandeffectresultedthroughtheuseofimprovedroofingmaterialsandcoatingswithahighsolarreflectanceindex.

Lighting:Lightfixturesexceedadvancedlightingrequirementsofthelocalutilityincentiveprogram.Vintagelightshadeswerepreservedandrebuiltwithnewfixturesusinghigh-efficiencycompactfluorescents.Thecentrallightingsystemhasanightset-backtoensurelow-to-noenergyuseduringunoccupiedtimes.Restroomshaveoccupancysensors.

Daylighting:Aftermanyyearsspentcoveredup,theoriginalskylightswereremovedandrefittedwithnewglazingtoprovidenaturaldaylightingandventilation.

Controls: TheprojectalsoincludedHVACschedulingandeconomizercontrols,nightset-backandoccupancysensorsforlighting.

Commissioning: Standardcommissioningpriortooccupancyincludedtestingofairinfiltration,ducttightness,exhaustairflowrateandparticulateandvolatileorganiccompoundsemissions.

Structural: Whiletheincreasedexteriorwallandroofinsulationimprovedtheenergyperformanceofthebuilding,italsoresultedinmoresnowpilingupontheroofinthewintermonthsduetotheabsenceofescapingheat.Thestructurehadtobereinforcedtohandletheincreasedsnowloadwithoutaffectingthebuilding’shistoriccharacter.Thesolutionwastobuildahiddensteelframeonnewfootingsinsertedwithintheframeworkoftheexistingbuilding,anunexpectedandcostlyconsequencefortheproject.

Renewables:Thebuildingiswiredandreadyforphotovoltaiccellpanels,butthesehavenotbeeninstalledduetoapaybackperiodcalculatedtobe15-18yearsandnoavailablerebate.

Site: Thesiteexperiencedareducedheatislandeffectthroughthelocationofshadedparkingareas.

Monitoring systems:Whole-buildingandindividualtenantelectricmetersareusedthroughout.

Efficiency Measures

• High-efficiencyHVACpackageunitswitheconomizercontrols

• DCVwithCO2sensors

• Increasedinsulation

• Improvedroofingmaterialswithhighsolarreflectanceindex

• Low-Eglazing

• Lightingexceedsutilityadvancedlightingrequirements

• Lightingnightset-backandoccupancysensors

• Commissioning

Alltheoriginalwoodwindowswereremoved,restoredandre-glazedwithlow-E,argon-filledinsulatedglass.


Energy Performance

TheBeardmore,excludingthetheater,iscurrentlyusingjust32kBtu/sf/yr(EUI1)–66%lessenergypersquarefootthantheaverageforofficesintheU.S.TheU.S.officeenergyaverageisagoodbasisforquicklycomparingbuildingsofthesametype.AmorespecificcomparisoncanbemadethroughtheEnergyStarPortfolioManagerprogram,whichdeterminestheenergyuseofcomparablebuildingsofliketype,size,hoursofuseandclimate.Inthisexample,theEnergyStarprogramcalculatedthatcomparablebuildingswoulduselessenergythantheaverageU.S.officebuilding;yettheBeardmoreperformsevenbetter-bynearly50percent.BasedonitsenergyutilityinformationenteredthroughtheEnergyStarPortfolioManagerprogram,theBeardmoreearnsanENERGYSTARscoreof90(outof100),puttingitinthetop10%ofofficebuildingsintheU.S.forenergyperformance.TheBeardmoreprovidesanexcellentexampleofadatedexistingbuildingthat,throughtheowner’sattentiontoupgradesutilizingreadily-availableenergytechnologiesanddesignduringamajorrenovation,hasattainedalevelofefficiencytwicethatofcomparablebuildings.

FinancialTotal project cost (excluding theater):$2,600,000$105/sf(afterincentives)

Funding and Incentives:BecausetheBeardmoreBuildingwasonthehistoricregister,theownerreceivedataxcreditof$366,571forconstructioncostsfrom

1 AnEnergyUseIntensity(EUI)isthetotalannualenergy(gasandelectric)usedexpressedinthousands(k)ofBritishthermalunits(Btu)dividedbythesquarefeet(sf)ofthespace–resultinginacommonlyusedmetricofenergyuseinkBtu/sf/yr.

Energy Performance

%BetterthanBaseline 66%Baseline Average for

U.S. Offices*

MeasuredEnergyUse(KBtu/SF/yr) 32

EnergyStarScore 90

* U.S. Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) 2003

Thebuildingiswiredandreadyforphotovoltaiccellpanels,butthesehavenotbeeninstalledduetoapaybackperiodcalculatedtobe15-18yearsandnoavailablerebate.

* Comparable office average energy use from the Energy Star Portfolio Manager program based on like type, size, occupancy, hours, and climate - determined from statistical analysis of the CBECS dataset

**Average energy use for all U.S. Office buildings through the Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS)

Beardmore Measured

Energy Use

Energy Use per square foot Comparison

Energy Use Index (EUI) kBtu/sf/yrZero0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Average for comparable office buildings (Energy Star)*

60

32

93

66% less energy

47% less energy

Average for all US Office Buildings (CBECS**)


theNationalParkService.ThecreditwasawardedforadheringtotheSecretaryoftheInterior’sStandardsforRehabilitation.ThelocalutilityprovidedaLEEDcertificationandHVACefficiencyincentiveof$71,079.Duetorecessionmarketconditionsatthetime,constructionloanswereconstrainedandtheprojectloanequaledabout25%oftotalfunding.

Estimated annual cost savings:TheLEEDmodelinganalysisestimatedanannualcostsavingswhenfullyoccupiedof$23,370,areductionofmorethan50%comparedtothenationalaverageofbuildingsofsametype,size,occupancy,andclimatezone.

Project ResultsCompetitivepositioninginthemarket:TheBeardmoreBuildinghasthepotentialfor11tenantsandislookingtobefullyleasedbytheendofsummer2011.AccordingtoBrianRunberg,tenantshavebeenattractedtotheBeardmorebecauseofbothitshistoricrenovationanditsLEEDcertification.Runbergbelievesthebuildinghas“sparkedneweconomiclifeintothecommunity,givingitarenewedsenseofprideandentrepreneurialspiritTenantssawthepotentialofwhatcouldhappeninthebuildingandcamewithinnovativebusinessideas.”

DuetotheBeardmore’senergyefficienciesandoveralluniquehistoricqualities,rentsaverageabout35%higherthanotherlocalproperties.

RunbergstatesintheDailyJournalofCommerce:“Thistransformationofadecayingobsoleteandlifelessshellintoahigh-performance,healthyandvibrantenvironmentcarriesmanybenefits.Theinitialinvestmenthasprovenitselftobefinanciallyprudent,withsubstantiallyloweroperationcosts,greaterlastingquality,andahealthyenvironmentforitsusers.Yetequallyimportantisthepreservationofanimportanthistoriclandmark,oneinwhichmyownhistoryistied.”

TherenovationoftheBeardmoreBuildinghashelpedRunbergelevatehisownarchitecturalpracticewhenclientdiscussionsturntothecost/benefitsofpursuingLEEDcertificationandenergyefficiency.

Acknowledgements and SourcesProject Team:

• Owner:BrianRunberg,BeardmoreCompany

• Architect:BrianRunberg,RunbergArchitectureGroup

• GeneralContractor:BeardmoreCompany,LLC

• MechanicalEngineer:JonathanHeller,Ecotope

• CommissioningAgent:WCTomlin


Sources:

• BrianRunberg,RunbergArchitectureGroup

• Ecotope:JonathanHellerandCarmenCejudo

• “TheyBuilttheBeardmore,”CateHuisman,IdahoMagazine–January2010

• “SustainingtheFuturewhileRestoringthePast,”BrianRunberg,DailyJournalofCommerce–April2009

• www.beardmoreblock.com

Photos: MarieDominiqueVerdier

Research and Development:

• NewBuildingsInstitute(NBI):LizWhitmore,CathyHiggins,MarkLyles

Funding:

• TheBetterBricksprogramoftheNorthwestEnergyEfficiencyAlliance(NEEA):PeterWilcox,JohnJenningsandMarkRehley

• NBI’sworkalsoissupportedbytheDorisDukeCharitableFoundationandtheKresgeFoundation

Existing Building Renewal InitiativeThisworkispartofNEEA’sregionalExistingBuildingRenewalinitiativetoacceleratethemarket’sadoptionofdeep,integratedenergy-efficientrenovations.Theinitiativecurrentlyfocusesonofficebuildingsbutwilladdothermarketsectorswithlargepotentialenergysavings.Thisisoneofthewaystheregioncanrapidlyrevampexistingstocktoachieve30–60%energysavings—onthewaytonetzero-energyusebycommercialbuildings.

For more information on the Existing Building Renewal Initiative contact:[email protected]

For additional case studies highlighting high performance commercial buildings, visit NBI’s Getting to 50 Database: buildings.newbuildings.org/

For more information about NBI’s efforts to improve the energy performance of existing buildings, visit: newbuildings.org/advanced-design/existing-buildingsNew Buildings Institute

NewBuildingsInstitute(NBI)isanonprofitorganizationworkingcollaborativelywithcommercialbuildingprofessionalsandtheenergyindustrytoimprovetheenergyperformanceofcommercialbuildings.

http://buildings.newbuildings.org/

http://newbuildings.org/advanced-design/existing-buildings

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