ASHRAE Journal - February 2024 - 49

TECHNICAL FEATURE
PHOTO 1 Photo of Building 1 (oldest on campus) with best BEQ score.
PHOTO 2 Engineering intern doing a Level 1 Energy Audit Site Assessment.
teaching in a wide range of professional disciplines.
Although all these facilities are similar to academic
buildings, the work done in each created a varied use of
function that resulted in differing Building EQ scores.
The goal was to provide a snapshot of their building
types and its performance to prioritize future audits.
Furthermore, each building had a different number of
EEMs identifi ed, with some having more no- and lowcost
opportunities than others.
Methods
In this study, the commissioning and design
engineering fi rm adhered to ASHRAE Standard 211-2018
to perform Level 1 Energy Audits. The methodology
involved a three-fold approach:
1. Presite visit analysis, where the team reviewed 12
months of historical utility data that included electricity,
gas, campus chilled water and domestic water;
2. On-site facility survey, which included evaluation
of the equipment, systems as well as the indoor
environmental conditions (thermal, light quality and
levels, ventilation rates at each unit that were measured
and assessing major energy-consuming systems); and
3. Post-visit analysis, where low-cost and no-cost EEMs
were identifi ed. Rate structures were also analyzed to
identify potential cost-saving opportunities.
Typical improvement measures identifi ed: the
fi ndings are broken down into categories under the
EEMs tab on the Building EQ portal that include
envelope, lighting and the HVAC system. While some
of these building audits identifi ed lighting upgrades
or addition of daylighting controls in large open areas,
the largest number of improvement measures were
identifi ed in the HVAC system section. These included
adding optimization strategies, such as supply air
temperature reset or dynamic static pressure reset. Due
to the age of the systems, many indicated that cleaning
and sealing the ductwork would increase airfl ow to
the space and improve comfort while reducing energy,
as the university had successfully done with a few
other buildings.
Results
Table 1 lists the buildings, building types, their Building
EQ scores, and their identifi ed EEMs. Buildings are
listed from highest to lowest energy performance based
on their Building EQ scores. In total, 204 EEMs were
identifi ed over the course of the nine audits. Of those
204 EEMs, 88 (43% of total EEMs identifi ed) had an
expected payback of less than one year.
Conclusion
UCF's fi rst round of Level 1 Energy Audits completed
has proven to be a success. The consulting engineers
identifi ed 204 EEMs across nine diverse buildings.
Remarkably, 43% of the identifi ed EEMs offer a payback
period of less than one year, highlighting the immediate
economic benefi ts. The audits culminated in a list of
EEMs, which was reviewed with the building owner for
potential implementation. The university took action to
correct many of these measures, which also considered
the viability of the building automation system. One
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ASHRAE Journal - February 2024

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