WATT'S HAPPENING
PUBLISHED BY
THE CENTER FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY
MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY
MURFREESBORO, TN
Volume 2 Issue 1   February 2000   Editor: Linda Hardymon

CEE Staff Trained in 'Logging'
    While hosting an onsite training seminar conducted by Mark Arney of Architectural Energy Corporation, Boulder, CO, the Center staff was introduced to several energy management software packages. Herb Stonebrook, State Building Energy Management (SBEM), provided the opportunity for the training sessions, which also included several other state, corrections, and sister university employees. This particular energy software supports collection of data using data loggers, portable logging units designed to furnish building performance information, and helps organize and analyze that data.
    The training sessions followed the installation of a number of data loggers on our campus. The loggers are instrumental for development of energy baseline information to track energy usage at MTSU. Going from basement utility rooms to panel boxes to the roof of Murphy Center, we trekked along to learn the ins and outs of installing this equipment. Using the data gathered is one step toward solving building system problems on campus and instituting a monitoring program to record operations of HVAC and lighting and plug load equipment.
The ultimate goal of this training and equipment installation is to provide more efficient operation of the energy systems on campus. Becoming energy loggers is the right thing to do.

Case Studies Still Being Sought
    The Center is calling for more case studies. If we receive enough responses regarding your experiences and energy efficiency efforts, we will publish them as part of the next Association of Energy Engineers' Energy and Environmental EXPO, tentatively scheduled for spring 2001 and not that far away. In particular, information is needed about energy projects in Tennessee or the Southeast.
    To gather enough of these studies to publish, the CEE needs your help. So, please share them with us. Do it today. Performance contracting, energy management, lighting upgrades, commissioning, savings, and improved performance. Chillers, cooling towers, HVAC retrofits, metering, control systems, use of data loggers, more savings. Load profiling, project management, refrigerant management, thermal energy storage, cogeneration, and more savings. Schools, hospitals, restaurants, industry, small commercial projects or large commercial projects. We are interested. We are interested in receiving any case histories, case studies, or energy briefs useful in promoting energy efficiency. The CEE wants to help the energy community share information by publishing a document such as this to promote the progress being made in our region of the country.
    In order to successfully create a publication of interest to energy professionals and decision-makers, we are in need of more examples of actual case studies. Please take a few minutes to let us hear from you. Benjamin Franklin said, "When the well's dry, we know the worth of water." For the cost of a stamp to supply us with your examples, who knows who might read them, who might be intrigued enough to consider what has been done and what has worked for others, or who knows the influence your information might have on decision-makers on new or existing energy related projects. Make a move now on improving energy efficiency through information sharing.

TVA and Local Power Companies Hosting ASHRAE Standards Workshops
   Many of the designers of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems have expressed concerns about how to meet the changing requirements of The American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers' (ASHRAE) standards. In response to this need, TVA and your local power company are sponsoring a series of workshops, "How to Meet New ASHRAE 90.1 and 62 Standards." The seven-hour workshops will cover pathways to compliance with ASHRAE 90.1, dealing with "Energy Efficient Design of New Buildings, Except Low Rise Residential Buildings" and ASHRAE 62, dealing with "Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality."
    Primarily intended for design engineers, the workshops are for those who want to learn more about the new efficient building design and the new air quality design standards developed by ASHRAE. Attending a workshop earns 7.0 PDH's.
   Workshops are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on the following dates. Please contact the person(s) listed for further information about a session near you.
    March 22, 2000, Nashville, TN   Contact: Bill Stalker 615-330-3235 or Neal Sellars                      270-887-8467
    March 23, 2000 Chattanooga, TN   Contact: Ed Colucci 423-697-2909
   April 18, 2000 Knoxville, TN   Contact: Ginna French 865-673-2254
   April 19, 2000 Johnson City, TN   Contact: Ginna French 865-673-2254

Spreading the Energy Word…
*Join us for the AEE "Fundamentals of Lighting Efficiency" Seminar scheduled on campus March 27 and 28, 2000. The CLEP exam will be administered the morning of March 29 for those interested in becoming certified. Make plans to attend and return your registration as soon as possible. Kenny Spain, one of the instructors for our last CEM seminar and exam, will be returning to campus for this training along with John Fetters from Columbus, Ohio. Our other seminars have proven valuable to the attendees, and this one should be just as rewarding.
*The staff of the Center is growing with the addition of Rob Reasonover. Rob, a recent graduate of MTSU with a degree in Environmental Science and Technology, is responsible for collecting data for analysis on all the energy management projects beginning on campus.
*In previous newsletters, we have asked for comments, suggestions for seminars, and case studies. I would like to thank all those who responded to that request and to encourage others to let us know of any ideas, problems, or concerns relating to energy you might have. We will share them through this newsletter. Now, let us hear from the rest of you! Letters, e-mails, phone calls, faxes, suggestions, requests, news articles-- keep in touch!

Message from the Director...

What to Do
    I know there are many readers of this newsletter working hard to identify, fund, and implement energy management projects at their facilities or for their customers.  The development of funding mechanisms is the primary activity in which most people I consult with are engaged.  This can be frustratingly slow and tedious.  Rest easy, this article is not about funding.  Rather, I would like to offer two suggestions for other activities that can be undertaken while the accountants, lawyers, and contracting officers are debating the funding options. 
    Suggestion 1: Develop an intimate understanding of your facility’s accounting procedures and practices for the accounts expected to be impacted by implementing energy management projects.  Remember, savings can not be metered, they must be calculated.  To effectively determine any future savings, one must understand the utility invoices, invoice payment practices, internal cost allocation practices, and expected normalization factors to establish an accurate financial baseline and future determination and verification of savings.  There may be more surprises here than you think.
   Suggestion 2: Develop a facility-wide metering plan.  Assess your facility’s current utility metering and sub-metering capability.  This includes both permanent building meters as well as temporary data collection systems for individual electrical and mechanical systems.  Most facilities could use some additional metering to establish better energy baselines and measure the results of implemented projects.  A facility may want to investigate improving its metering capability to support their project implementation.  In the book Natural Capitalism, the authors write “ A business that functions as a learning organization – rewarding measurement, monitoring, critical thought, and continuous improvement – will always outpace a corporate culture peopled by dial-watchers and button-pushers.  A business that takes advantage of powerful tools for measurement, simulation, emulation, and graphic display can turn the design and operating processes from linear – acquire, design, build, repeat – to cyclic- acquire, design, build, measure, analyze, improve, repeat.  A business that ignores measurement will inevitably fall behind in making useful and cost-saving discoveries.”  How well does this apply to your business?
   These two suggestions are little things but potentially big things.  Think about them, and if we can help please call us at the Center for Energy Efficiency.

 Best of Luck and Happy New Year!
Joe Whitefield  

                          DON'T FORGET TO REGISTER!
        The Center for Energy Efficiency is hosting an AEE
Fundamentals of Lighting Efficiency Seminar and CLEP Exam at MTSU
-The latest approaches showing you ways to achieve energy-effective lighting. The seminar is designed for those concerned with realizing practical energy efficient lighting results while maintaining quality in various applications.
-A two-day seminar on reducing lighting related energy costs and a review for the "Certified Lighting Efficiency Professional" (CLEP) exam. The exam will be offered the morning following the seminar. (Earn 1.6 CEU's.)
           Seminar - March 27 - 28, 2000                   Exam - March 29, 2000
Seminar outline: Building energy codes/compliance strategies + Lighting calculations + Lighting economics + Maintaining lighting systems + Lighting fundamentals + Electrical basics + Lamps + Ballasts + Upgrading luminaires + Quality lighting + Integrating solutions for system efficiency + Energy management via lighting control strategies (reduce operating hours/reduce lighting power) + Environmental concerns
Instructors: T. Kenneth Spain, P.E., CEM, CLEP, and John Fetters, CEM, CLEP
Who may benefit? Energy managers; electrical engineers; building managers; electrical consultants; plant and facility engineers; lighting specialists; electrical contractors; government planners; government managers; facility managers; others interested in energy management, reducing operating costs and maintenance costs; and decision-makers for design and cost-effective upgrades.
Cost: 2-day seminar AND exam $800. (2 or more deduct $100) Examination ONLY $300
 Pre-register by March 20, 2000

   Center for Energy Efficiency | MTSU Box 57 | Murfreesboro, TN 37132
Phone 615-904-8096 | Fax 615-904-8093 | e-mail cee@mtsu.edu

MTSU is a Tennessee Board of Regents Institution. MTSU is an equal opportunity, non-racially identifiable, educational institution that does not discriminate against individuals with disabilities.