U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Retro-Commissioning of Six Hospitals
Various Locations, Kansas & Missouri
The VA Heartland Network (VISN 15) contracted Engineering Economics, Inc. (EEI) to provide professional retro-commissioning services for their HVAC and related energy-using systems. VISN 15 includes six (6) medical centers located in Kansas and Missouri, collectively covering approximately 3M SF. Each medical center is typically comprised of multiple buildings with broad varying ages of construction and HVAC upgrades.
EEI identified 517 potential facility improvement measures, of which EEI recommended 133 for implementation based on payback. The VA chose to implement 70. The implemented energy conservation measures will save the VA $677,514 in energy dollars and 5 Million kWh in electricity per year.
The scope for each campus specifically addressed the HVAC systems and equipment located in designated buildings chosen by the VA, and consisted of four phases: Planning, Investigation, Implementation, and Integration (or Systems Action Required) Phase.
The Planning Phaseincluded benchmarking the building’s performance, developing retro-commissioning goals and objectives, reviewing documentation provided by the VA, and providing the VA with a Retro-Commissioning Plan. This was followed by an Investigation Phase that included: performing site assessments, obtaining and developing documentation, executing diagnostic monitoring and testing, performing sample TAB measurements, analyzing results of test measurements, and providing an Investigation Report with "low cost" and/or "no cost" Energy Cost Savings Measures (ECMs) that included recommended minor repairs and improvements.
The Implementation Phase involved executing all VA-approved ECMs recommended during the Investigation Phase. This included fixing or replacing specific BAS sensors and actuators, re-tuning of BAS control loops, minor reprogramming of BAS controls, other miscellaneous minor repairs and improvements, and re-balancing of specific systems.
EEI’s scope also included documenting all site activities and improvements in a report to the facility manager. The final report included a list of additional ECMs requiring more significant capital improvements and the associated long-term budgeting for same. This report also recommended additional O&M procedures to help the operations staff maintain systems at peak efficiency.
| Owner | Department of Veterans Affairs |
| Commissioning Authority | Engineering Economics, Inc. |
| Area | 3,000,000 SF |
| Total Construction Cost | $2.5 Million |