Find Energy Savings with a Building Tune Up

Looking for a quick and easy way to reduce energy use in your building? 

A Building Tune- Up can typically reduce energy use by 5-20 percent with most of the costs paid by energy efficiency programs through the EmPOWER Maryland program. Since these are low cost measures with low or no equipment costs, you can pocket the savings.

Every building is different, so your building may benefit from different efficiency measures than the building next door.

The building engineers will analyze your energy use, inspect your equipment, and recommend services your building needs to become more energy efficient.

Your Building Tune-Up may include several, or all of the following items:

• HVAC tune up, coil cleaning, and scheduling
• Commercial Refrigeration optimization
• Control System Calibration
• Sequence of Operation Modifications
• ASHRAE Level I & II Energy Audit
• Identify Energy Savings ROI
• Inventory Major Mechanical Equipment
• Implement Energy Conservation Measures
• Measure and Verify Energy Savings
• Optimization of Unoccupied Hours
• Balancing Air Systems
• Calibration of HVAC & EMS

Additional services are available from some, but not all of the approved vendors in your service territory. Talk with your vendor to see which measures they recommend for you.

Laser guns aren’t just in the movies, building engineers use a temperature gun to test optimized temperature set points in theater.

The Five Steps of a Building Tune-Up 

Cleaning and testing HVAC units reduces heating and cooling costs

Step 1: Initial virtual or in-person meeting to discuss your building, the scope of the project, gather energy usage information (utility bills) and get your approval to implement energy savings measures.

Step 2: In person energy audit – typically takes 4 hours.

Step 3: Virtual or in-person meeting to get your approval to implement the energy saving measures.

Step 4: The energy saving measures you approved are implemented.

Step 5: There is a verification of the energy savings which means energy and maintenance costs savings for years to come.

Which buildings benefit the most from Building Tune-Ups? 

• Buildings experiencing changes in occupancy or scheduling
• Buildings over two years old (or two years past recommissioning)
• Medium to large buildings with owners who can authorize energy savings measures
• Buildings with large air conditioned spaces
• Buildings with high energy bills
• Buildings with poor energy efficiency ratings

Training customers on using new thermostats and equipment is important to creating long term savings.

Want to learn more? 

All of the major utilities participates in the EmPOWER Maryland initiative—offering incentives to help commercial, industrial, government, non-profit, master metered multifamily customers (including master metered to individual metered conversion) and other commercial customers offset the upfront costs for energy-efficient replacement and improvements. Rebates provide the perfect opportunity to save on overall operating costs.

• BGE
• Pepco
• Potomac Edison 
• Washington Gas

This article was written by Shan Gordon, MD Energy Savers, he connects businesses with the best utility incentives, energy efficiency grants, loans, and vendors — to help them save money and our planet.