Biolaboratory, carbon footprint assessment

Facts and figures

• 220,000 sq. ft. laboratory building and additional campus buildings

Challenges

The biolab had a carbon footprint assessment that was several years old. The first step toward achieving carbon neutral operations was understanding their current carbon footprint by updating their dated assessment. EBI performed energy audits, energy models and carbon footprint calculations to identify the current carbon footprint of the campus and opportunities to achieve energy efficiency.

Solutions

Carbon footprint calculations were performed by assessing utility bills from the last 12 months and calculating the carbon impact for direct fuel combustion and company owned vehicles, purchased electricity, and indirect impacts including waste disposal, travel and project use. Additionally, policies, data and staff surveys regarding transportation, recycling and other carbon impacts were included in assessing the client’s carbon footprint.

An ASHRAE Level I Energy Audit was performed to identify low- or no-cost energy saving opportunities. We completed a building walk-through to document HVAC capacities, building construction, materials, space function, usage, building system operation and lighting density.

An energy model was generated via eQuest, a software maintained by the Department of Energy, to evaluate future energy conservation measures. The model categorized energy used in the building to offset heat loss or gain through the building envelope, condition ventilation air, equipment loads and other energy use from the HVAC and lighting systems. This type of reporting is crucial, as it is used to understand the energy profile and opportunities for savings.

Outcomes

After the data was collected, EBI updated the previous carbon footprint assessment with the new information. Based off our findings and observations during the walk-through, we compiled a list of low-and no-cost energy measures the client can use to achieve their carbon neutral goals. We also included additional investments that they could consider to reduce carbon dioxide production and energy use.