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The GRC’s Lab Benchmarking Project
Alison Farmer, PhD
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Outline Acknowledgements Motivation Methodology Progress Outlook
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What is benchmarking? Am I normal?
How efficiently is a building meeting its functional requirements (relative to others)?
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Why benchmark? To catalyze energy savings Demand is increasing:
Prioritizing efficiency targets Context setting Certifications Regulatory compliance Starting the efficiency conversation Demand is increasing: LEED EBOM ASHRAE audits ASHRAE bEQ ENERGY STAR Disclosure ordinances
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How do we benchmark? Whole-building energy benchmarking
Fair comparison with peer buildings Account for location, space type, occupancy patterns, etc. Regression analysis or filtering What gets a “free pass?” Miami vs SF: yes Leaving lights on all night: no
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Benchmarking tools Tools have become sophisticated But not for labs
Confusion about lab EUIs
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Why does it matter? Building energy disclosure ordinances
Without context, labs look like energy hogs BERDO: energy assessments/actions required every 5 years “High efficiency” buildings are exempted No definition for high efficiency labs EUI Labs from City of Boston BERDO report August 2015
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Why is it so hard for labs?
Complex and detailed functional requirements
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The best data out there Labs21 dataset 15 years, ~550 buildings
Filter based on lab type, lab area Variety of years, locations, submitters Distribution of labs
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The problem with the data
Huge scatter, even among “peer” buildings What is behind the scatter? Bad data? Not enough data? (In)efficiency? (Correlations significant but R2 for multivariate fit is 11%)
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So can we improve things?
Can we pick “winners” while asking a reasonable number of questions? Can the standard benchmarking approach work for labs? Positive impact Reporting burden
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Building a better sample
Picking winners based on limited data is a common problem. Steps to take: Reduce the noise Find other important factors
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1. Reduce the noise Geography Year Data collection methods
Consistent treatment of central plant energy
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2. Look for other effects Ask more questions about building function:
Ask other questions to allow hypothesis testing: Efficiency features HVAC systems and controls Ventilation requirements Investigate outliers Standard: Lab area Lab type Hours of occupancy Additional: # fume hoods High-intensity spaces Purpose of rest of building Building’s reputation A few others
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The survey Participants: 7 Higher Ed Working Group member schools
~150 lab buildings expected Data collection built on Labs21 and Portfolio Manager questions
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Where are we? 15% of data submitted Feb Mar Apr May Jun
Data Collection Analysis Results 15% of data submitted
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Expected outcomes: 1. Inform ordinances
Provide context for lab energy consumption Breakdown by type of lab Assessment of potential for using a whole building energy benchmarking approach to identify and exempt high-efficiency lab buildings Baseline stats to gauge progress in future years
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2. National impact Critical information for imminent Labs21 tool upgrades Inform EPA’s efforts to extend Energy Star to labs Show Boston area’s leadership in energy efficiency
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Questions? Alison Farmer
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