Retro Commissioning Services
About the Facility
Peterson Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force Base that shares an airfield with the adjacent Colorado Springs Municipal Airport, home to the North American Aerospace Defense Command.
Sain Engineering Associates, Inc. (SEA) was contracted to perform retro commissioning services (RCx) for the current Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) equipment and Direct Digital Control (DDC) systems with emphasis on the identification of operations or conditions that significantly impacted Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), Current Facility Requirements (CFR), and operability of the building and/or energy consumption.
Several Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) were identified. The total energy and water savings for the recommended projects account for a yearly savings of $147,000. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), implementation of the identified measures helped reduce 1,357 tons of CO2, the equivalent of removing 286 cars from the road– or — powering 124 houses across the country.
ECMs identified included repairs to air handling units, replacing water pumps and associated equipment and controls upgrades.
Scope of Work
The RCx Team conducted a 3-week initial site visit to observe building mechanical systems and to interview facility managers and CES personnel. The initial site visit combined with evaluating existing documentation (utility records, floor plans, equipment schedules, etc.) were all used to develop the RCx Plan that was submitted.
During the next eight months, twenty-four buildings on Peterson AFB were tested exclusively with the RCx protocol. Tests were performed on new equipment and systems that were installed in two other buildings under additional requirements of the PWS. Many of the buildings also included air and/or hydronic Test, Adjust and Balance (TAB) as part of the RCx effort.
Of the 26 facilities investigated, 576 issues and/or deficiencies were identified. The top three most prevalent categories were programming issues and maintenance/installation deficiencies. The issues log list was regularly updated and made available online at a secure website. It was presented at the weekly status meetings with the Base Energy Engineering Department and other CES stakeholders.
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