Reduce energy costs and optimize your existing building with retro-commissioning services from Iconergy
Energy systems are the “heart” of every workspace. Electrical systems keep the lights on, HVAC keeps you cool in the summer and warm in the winter, etc. If these systems aren’t monitored and maintained, they’ll fail. Chances are, that’s something you want to avoid when you’re running a business.
So, if you take your car to a mechanic, where do you go for a building tune-up? Well, you can count on us. Iconergy is Colorado’s only owned and operated energy services company, and making buildings clean, green, and efficient is our focus.
Whether your building is a few decades or a few years old, there’s a good chance your energy systems could benefit from maintenance—and retro-commissioning allows us to do exactly that. So, if you’ve been looking to optimize your workspace, and lower your energy costs, keep reading! We’ll explain everything you need to know about retro-commissioning work with Iconergy.
Retro-commissioning (RCx) is the process of evaluating, optimizing, and improving the performance of existing building systems and equipment to enhance energy efficiency, occupant comfort, and functionality.
Our primary goal with any retro-commissioning project is to identify and address operational and maintenance deficiencies, mechanical issues, and system inefficiencies that may cause energy waste, occupant discomfort, and suboptimal performance.
A retro-commissioning project typically includes periodic energy audits and energy modeling at its foundation. These services allow us to understand your past, present, and projected energy use.
From there, we can recommend cost-effective upgrades, and even simulate projected energy savings before we make any upgrades to your building’s physical infrastructure.
We utilize RCx holistically to analyze the entire building system, including HVAC, lighting, electrical, and other energy-consuming systems.
The beauty of RCx is its versatility. We don’t rush into retrofits and upgrades—instead, we focus on providing building data and creating a custom strategy, allowing you to make informed decisions from the get-go. Our general framework for RCx projects looks something like this:
This stage involves identifying your goals, objectives, and project scope. We’ll review building documentation and original system designs, conduct interviews with building occupants, and identify potential energy-saving opportunities.
During this stage, we’ll perform a thorough review of your building’s systems. This includes the collection of data on energy use, occupancy patterns, temperature, humidity, and other factors that impact building performance. Following our audit, we’ll analyze the data collected during our energy audits and identify inefficiencies, operational issues, and areas for improvement. The analysis may involve energy modeling and benchmarking to identify energy-saving opportunities and quantify potential savings.
During this stage, we’ll perform a thorough thorough review of your building’s systems. This includes the collection of data on energy use, occupancy patterns, temperature, humidity, and other factors that impact building performance. Following our audit, we’ll analyze the data collected during our energy audits and identify inefficiencies, operational issues, and areas for improvement. The analysis may involve energy modeling and benchmarking to identify energy-saving opportunities and quantify potential savings.
After our work is done, we’ll measure and verify the performance of all retrofitted systems to ensure that they meet the expected energy savings and performance improvements.
There are numerous benefits to a retro-commissioning project with Iconergy. Of course, energy savings stand out, but there’s much more to RCx! Retro-commissioning can totally reshape your workspace, increase comfort levels, and even improve productivity.
Retro-commissioning can help identify inefficiencies and operational issues that result in energy waste, leading to significant energy savings. In many cases, energy savings can range from 10% to 50% of a building's total energy consumption.
Retro-commissioning can identify and address indoor air quality issues, such as poor ventilation, temperature, and humidity control. This often leads to improved occupant comfort, health, and productivity.
Retro-commissioning can help identify and address equipment issues that reduce the lifespan of your equipment. By implementing the recommended maintenance practices, we aim to prolong the lifespan of your equipment, which may lead to reduced costs.
Retro-commissioning can identify and address issues impacting building functionality, such as lighting and control systems.
Retro-commissioning can help you comply with local, state, and federal regulations related to energy consumption and indoor environmental quality.
Retro-commissioning is an outstanding option if you’re looking to optimize building performance, reduce energy consumption, improve indoor environmental quality, and save money.
We recognize that there isn’t a “one size fits all” approach to energy services, and that’s what makes RCx so valuable.
We provide energy services that work for your needs and your budget—not the other way around. By the end of your RCx project, our goal is to leave you with a building that will perform optimally for years to come. And with a number of successful RCx projects already completed, there’s no energy problem that our team can’t solve.
So, why not start working toward cleaner, greener, lower-cost energy today?
Click here to contact us for more information about a custom RCx project with Iconergy, or return to our services page to browse other solutions.
Iconergy performed retro-commissioning for this large, multi-facility 1.2M square foot office building campus in Chicago. This site has multiple large central water-cooled chiller plants, multiple campus boiler plants, and dozens of air handling units that are a mix of dual duct and single duct VAV systems. Iconergy identified numerous ECMs with a total potential energy savings of over 1,000,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year of electricity and over 100,000 therms per year of natural gas. The total energy cost savings from these ECMs are estimated at approximately $100,000 per year and have an overall project simple payback of 0.5 years.
Services: Retro-Commissioning
Iconergy participated in the Platte River Power Authority (PRPA) Building Tune-Up program to provide retro-commissioning and monitoring-based commissioning services for the Mulberry Pool. The 25,000 square foot facility houses an indoor pool and spa, locker rooms, and community recreation spaces. In 2021, Iconergy completed retro-commissioning services for an HVAC and control system evaluation. The goal of this project is to investigate the design and operation of the natatorium space and provide an analysis that isolates the air from the natatorium so that it does not reach other parts of the building that are not designed for that type of air quality.
Services: Retro-Commissioning, Monitoring Based Commissioning (MBCx)
The New Belgium Brewery is a nearly 200,000 square foot large campus dedicated to brewing beer and includes administrative offices, tasting room, brewing spaces, a bottling building, and a process water treatment facility. Iconergy performed retro-commissioning of the company’s facilities and identified numerous measures to save energy and improve operations. The overall project had less than a one year payback, providing an outstanding return on investment to New Belgium. New Belgium continues to provide ongoing commissioning and data analytics via monitoring-based commissioning using SkySpark and energy management information system (EMIS) integrations.
Services: Retro-Commissioning, Monitoring Based Commissioning (MBCx)
Retro-Commissioning services were performed to investigate the central heating and cooling plant operation as well as rooftop unit operation at the high school. Iconergy staff identified five opportunities that were calculated to reduce annual energy demand by 457,708 kWh. Iconergy also performed commissioning on this project upon its completion.
Services: Retro-Commissioning