Glenstar Asset Management – Pratik Mehta – 2015

Goals

GlenStar Asset Management enlisted the help of EDF Climate Corps fellow Pratik Mehta to identify energy-efficiency opportunities for its 1.6 million square-foot landmark property in downtown Chicago – the Chicago Board of Trade Building. Since GlenStar acquired the property in 2012, it had undergone significant energy-efficiency improvements including lighting retrofits, installation of variable frequency drives (VFDs) on fan and pump systems, retro-commissioning and participation in the ComEd Commercial Real Estate Incentive program. With the “low-hanging fruit” already picked, Mehta’s challenge would be to determine more innovative and unusual avenues for energy savings.

Solutions

Mehta began his work by examining the interval data of the energy-intensive equipment in the building. He focused on unusual peaks and consumption observed during weekends and nighttime hours, and he recommended projects that could save thousands of dollars every year without any capital investment. These recommendations included scheduling for all the domestic hot water boilers in the building and maintaining consistent temperature-based start-up/shutdown operation of the HVAC systems. Mehta also assessed energy-efficiency upgrades at the property that included electric boiler replacement, air handling unit drive belt upgrades, air handling unit fan motor VFD retrofits and additional opportunities for lighting retrofits.

Potential Impact

The projects Mehta identified could save GlenStar approximately $228,000 annually, cut 3.3 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year and avoid approximately 2,760 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Over their lifetimes, these energy solutions represent $230,000 in net present value for the company. When Mehta completed his fellowship, GlenStar was already working on implementing some of his recommendations for the building.