Princeton University Energy Study
Project Background and Services:
In its third phase of an aggressive campus-wide energy reduction plan, Princeton University targeted approximately twenty of its campus buildings. The first two phases incorporated ASHRAE Level I and Level II energy audits, respectively, and the third was a Level III energy audit, including design and implementation. Steven Winter Associates, Inc. (SWA) was contracted to perform and develop the ASHRAE Level II energy audit reports and perform schematic design document development for three campus buildings totaling 288,132 sf. The three buildings included were the Lewis Center for the Arts, the New South Building, and McCormick Hall & Art Museum. These three facilities house a diverse array of space types which include: offices, a performing arts theatre, the Lucas Art Gallery, classrooms, studios, an art museum, libraries, dance studios, an auditorium and a data center.
Energy Conservation Measures:
The comprehensive energy analysis of the buildings led our team to recommend several energy conservation measures (ECMs) to reduce overall campus energy use. Because lighting is one of the largest energy end-uses in a building and typically accounts for nearly 40% of a building’s annual electricity consumption, the chief recommendation was a high-efficiency lighting system replacement, specifically replacing the existing incandescent lamps with compact fluorescent lamps, resulting in a projected cost savings of $2,751 annually.
We also recommended switching to demand control ventilation, which controls outside air ventilation rates based on the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) detected in a space or zone. This measure alone accounts for an annual savings of $5,243. The savings for this opportunity is based on the reduction of outside air infiltration to the occupied space, and the resulting conditioning (cooling or heating) of this outside air. With the reduction of ouside air infiltration, the heating and cooling load (season dependent) on the associated AC-unit will decrease, resulting in a direct energy reduction. The total annual project cost savings estimated from all of the measures that were implemented is $22,803 annually.