Project Case Studies
Loan Fund Stories and Lessons Learned
The following case studies explain how projects were identified and implemented. Loan fund projects range from standard lighting upgrades to innovative behavioral change programs. Please refer to the following categorization of projects:
- Lighting
- Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
- Controls
- Photovoltaics
- Congeneration
- Kitchen Equipment
- Recycling
- Irrigation
- Computer Energy Reduction
Lighting Case Studies
As
of March 2007, the GCLF had financed 65 lighting projects, working with a variety of lighting contractors
and technologies. The following case studies highlight these projects.
FAS 51 Brattle Street Lighting
FAS Mather House Lighting Retrofit
HSPH Kresge Lighting and Controls
HSPH FXB Lighting and Controls
HSPH Building 2 Lighting and Controls
HSPH Building 1 Lighting and Controls
HRES 14 Story St. Lighting and Controls
HRES Soldiers Field Park Occupancy Sensors
HBS Spangler Hall Occupancy Sensors
HBS Burden Hall Lighting and HVAC Control Upgrade
Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning Case Studies
Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems are what keep temperatures and humidity at comfortable levels in our buildings. HVAC equipment can account for nearly 50% of building energy costs. Investing in the most efficient equipment and controls for HVAC systems can save substantial money while keeping your building as comfortable as possible for occupants.
The following three HVAC GCLF case studies exemplify smart investments in this vital building subsystem.
Controls Case Studies
Effective controls can significantly improve the performance of a system and reduce its energy demand and associated green house gas emissions. The following case studies describe how the Green Campus Loan Fund can finance installation of new controls that can have a significant positive environmental and financial impact.
Photovoltaic Case Study
The
development of onsite renewable energy projects like photovoltaic (PV)
electric generation is of great strategic importance to the University's
sustainable planning. While the initial up front cost and payback for
PV projects are still high, PV projects can often provide the following
benefits:
- PV projects secure for sponsoring departments a lower cost per kWh over the array's expected life.
- PV systems help with peak load shedding - they're producing the most during hot, sunny, summer days, which coincides with high air conditioning demands.
- PV systems provide greater electric supply reliability. Arrays are off the grid, and therefore immune to grid failures.
In addition to these system benefits, PV projects demonstrate a department's or University's commitment to supporting innovation in building and energy design and operation. The following case study reviews Harvard's first PV installation, at the Harvard Business School.
Cogeneration Case Study
Traditional electrical generation utilizes fuel very inefficiently.
Much of the fuel’s embodied energy escapes as heat during the
combustion and exhaust cycles. In cogeneration units, heat produced
as a by-product of electrical generation is captured and put to use
to heat water or air systems, dramatically increasing fuel-utilization
efficiency. This efficiency, combined with the increased demand for
distributed generation, has led to the production of high-efficiency
cogeneration units suitable for use in a variety of facility settings.
The case study below highlights a cogeneration installation at the Harvard
Business School.
Kitchen Equipment Case Study
While
managing innumerable design and purchasing decisions during the $7 million
renovation of Cabot, Pforzheimer, and Currier kitchens and serveries,
Bob Leandro of Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS) seized the
opportunity to specify equipment that would maximize energy and operational
cost savings. Breaking from the tradition of replacing old equipment
with similar but updated models, Bob worked with his project manager
and engineers to find equipment that would take advantage of more efficient
fuels and recapture and reuse wastewater. This engineering and specification
analysis led to five purchases that highlight opportunities for efficiency
gains in major kitchen renovations: two kettles and a dish dryer that
had traditionally been electric powered were replaced with steam units,
and a water reclamation system was installed on two dishwashing troughs.
Recycling Case Study
Harvard is fortunate to be supported by University Operations Services, a University-based service provider that manages a significant portion of the University's waste http://www.uos.harvard.edu. As part of UOS’ waste management services is a robust recycling program managed by Rob Gogan. Although Harvard's recycling efforts are strong, there continue to exist many areas for increased participation in the recycling program. The Loan Fund case study below highlights Rob's efforts to improve Harvard's recycling program, and the role of the GCLF in supporting his efforts.
Irrigation Case Study
Harvard's campus is spread over 400 acres of intensely landscaped ground in Cambridge and Boston. Irrigation is seen as essential to maintaining many of the University's aesthetic priorities, making water efficiency a great area for Loan Fund opportunities. As a result of the University's decentralized facilities and land management, there exist many types of irrigation systems that are managed in unique ways. It is a goal of the Green Campus to help all departments achieve the great irrigation efficiencies of the Harvard Business School, highlighted below in the first GCLF irrigation project.
Behavioral Case Studies
As
of March 2007, the GCLF has financed eight behavioral programs. While many facility planners focus on their ability
to change physical infrastructure to achieve efficient building operations,
energy consumption due to occupant behavior is often overlooked. A
building manager can install efficient lights, but if occupants consistently
leave lights on unnecessarily, the building will never achieve its design
efficiencies. To address the issue of occupant behavior, the HGCI worked
with three Harvard faculties to create two programs focused on changing
student, staff, and faculty computer energy management behaviors.