How NY Engineers Helped a K-12 School Build a Roadmap for 91.04% Potential Energy Reduction in Just Two Weeks

Project Overview

A 181,000 sq. ft. public school was preparing for long-term improvements to its facility. Before investing in new equipment or infrastructure, the client needed to understand how the building was performing and where meaningful energy savings could be achieved.

The assessment extended across HVAC systems, domestic hot water, lighting, building controls, the building envelope, and renewable energy opportunities. The client also needed recommendations supported by a calibrated energy model that could provide a reliable basis for future capital investments.

The goal was not simply to identify individual upgrades. It was to understand how the building performed as a whole and develop a practical roadmap for prioritizing future improvements.

The Challenge

The project required NY Engineers to:

• Establish a reliable baseline of the building's existing energy performance.
• Evaluate multiple building systems and how they influenced overall energy use.
• Identify and quantify practical Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs).
• Determine which improvements would deliver the greatest impact.
• Evaluate projected energy, operating cost, and greenhouse gas impacts.
• Develop a phased roadmap that could guide future capital investments.

The recommendations needed to be supported by a calibrated energy model so that future investment decisions could be based on measured building performance rather than assumptions.

Energy Modelling Approach

Establishing a Reliable Building Performance Baseline

Before evaluating potential upgrades, the building's existing energy performance needed to be established.

An ASHRAE Level II Energy Audit was conducted alongside a calibrated eQUEST DOE-2.2 energy model to represent the building's existing operating conditions. This created a reliable baseline for evaluating potential Energy Conservation Measures against the building's actual performance.

Evaluating the Building as an Integrated System

The assessment covered HVAC systems, domestic hot water, lighting, building controls, the building envelope, and Solar PV feasibility.

Rather than evaluating each system in isolation, their contribution to overall building energy use was considered together. This helped identify where improvements could deliver the greatest potential impact while accounting for how the systems interacted within the building.

Testing Potential Improvements Through Energy Modeling

With the baseline established, multiple Energy Conservation Measure (ECM) scenarios were evaluated using the calibrated energy model.

Each recommendation was assessed for its projected impact on energy consumption, operating costs, greenhouse gas emissions, and long-term building performance. This provided a consistent basis for comparing different improvement strategies before implementation.