期望看到联邦建筑的深度能源改造

Of the various funding mechanisms for implementing energyefficiency retrofits in buildings, energy savings performance contracts (ESPCs) may be the most powerful, especially for federal buildings, where capital for upgrades is about as common as ocean-front property in Arizona. Under an ESPC, the capital costs to undertake a retrofit are funded by its operational energy savings. It is a fantastic, scalable mechanism to get to deep energy retrofits in our existing buildings.

实现深度能量改造是实现我们国家能源使用减少目标的重要组成部分。但我们不会使用过去20年来使用的相同，疲惫的过程来到那里。这就是在哪里，令人惊讶的是，联邦机构正在踩到并被角夺走公牛。普通服务管理局（GSA）是全国最大的公共房地产组织 - 它管理超过7,000个房产，为约120万联邦雇员提供工作空间。通过这种巨大的房地产投资组合，可以获得同样大的节能和积极影响的机会。

GSA, in collaboration with the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), is undertaking a National Deep Energy Retrofits program (NDER). The main thrust is to work with energy service companies (ESCOs) to increase the amount of savings GSA typically achieves through energy performance contracting on its projects.

GSA has already made significant headway over the past few years. In recent years, in part as a result of working with RMI—we both helped shape the NDER program and trained key GSA and ESCO stakeholders on how to effectively achieve deep retrofits—the energy savings on GSA retrofit projects have more than doubled, from 18 percent to 39 percent, with a few projects surpassing 60 percent. This year, GSAplans to executeclose to 30 ESPC contracts, more than it has executed in the last 10 years合并.

The implication is clear: the Administration’s use of ESPCs as a means to improve buildings is抓住并在全国范围内的影响. The 11 regions within GSA each have very varied experience and adoption rates of ESPC contracts. Currently, all regions are doing an ESPC project. GSA is working closely with FEMP, the agency that oversees the majority of ESPCs on代表联邦政府，所以任何ESPC过程改进，他们识别可以影响所有其他联邦部门的工作。

In ESPC circles, it is widely acknowledged that barriers to executing deep energy savingsare not technical. Rather, the barriers constitute a breakdown of process and structure, notably the absence of integrative design. The same collaborative, analytical process that RMI adds to deep retrofits can lead to exponentially beneficial results under an ESPC as well. The most successful passive design comes from a truly integrative design process, a practice that the ESPC industry has not fully embraced yet.

I have found a couple of structural challenges preventing integrative design and deep ESPCs, including: 1) the highly competitive design process which prevents truly collaborative interactions with facilities managers and financiers and 2) the perception that deep retrofits have high costs and long paybacks. That’s the whole point of integrative design! To explorecompatible energy efficiency measures(EEMs) using technical potential and whole-building analysis (I’m not talking about your mother’s simple spreadsheets for calculating energy-efficient-lighting paybacks) and create a compelling business case. It’s a virtuous cycle. In a world that is as risk adverse as the ESPC industry, I argue that there is much greater risk in executing a fragmented, under-analyzed project devoid of load-reduction measures. To reach scale, the industry needs some transparent innovators to lead the way, combined with cross-silo decision-making from GSA’s project managers and contracting officers.

The other major shortfall of the ESPC process at the federal level is that it is very challenging to engage building occupants in energy savings. Approximately 1/3 of energy use is driven by occupant behavior, which is a big opportunity for ESCOs and GSA alike. While ESCOs can install the submetering equipment and train operators and occupants, it is uncommon for the ESCOs to remain deeply involved with the operation of the building. Occupant energy-reduction programs require ongoing engagement to overcome staff turnover, maintain momentum, and align the incentives.

与NDER程序并行，GSA在快速新兴的远程审计世界中变得更加活跃，这是一种简单，经济有效的方式来跟踪建筑物如何使用能量。该数据对于识别深度改造的好候选人至关重要。2013年4月，GSA授予Firstfuel的合同，向数据库添加75个建筑物。结合初始25个建筑物，GSA现在将在2013年中期有100个建筑物。这占了主要能源建筑物的一半，这些建筑物的一半是GSA的能源使用量超过75％。

There is a great interest in and willingness to explore deep retrofits from the ESCO community and building portfolio owners alike. It’s caught the attention of the nation’s largest building owner. And I anticipate we will see major movement from this retrofit delivery method in the next few years.

Image of U.S. Capitol buildingbySongquan Dengvia Shutterstock

This article was originally published on岩石山研究所出口博客.To learn more about energy efficiency retrofits and the convergence of sustainability and technology, be sure to check outVERGE SFOct. 14-17.