Harness the Power of an OsEM Program to Save Energy Quickly
In today’s world, sustainability and environmental consciousness take center stage. Because of this, facilities owners and operators face increasing pressure to reduce energy consumption and mitigate carbon footprint. Local statues, such as Local Law 97 (LL9) in New York City, have doubled down on the pressure for facility owners and operators to reduce energy consumption by enacting hefty fines and penalties for buildings with high carbon footprints.
While there are many strategies you can use to achieve your energy savings and carbon footprint reduction goals, one powerful approach stands out: the strategic deployment of an onsite energy manager (OsEM) program that’s focused on building management systems (BMS) and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
In this blog, we’ll explore how Enica Engineering’s strategic approach to OsEM helps building owners reduce their carbon footprint and energy costs by 15-20%.
What Is the Onsite Energy Manager (OsEM) Program?
If you’re located in New York State, you might be familiar with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Their programs help facility owners offset some of the costs associated with deploying various energy-saving strategies. We originally found the NYSERDA OsEM program through our partnership with NYSERDA as a FlexTech provider. As a FlexTech provider, Enica is qualified to help you explore several energy-saving avenues, including OsEM.
For more information about NYSERDA’s OsEM program and the cost share options available, you can visit their website. NYSERDA is currently offering up to 75% cost coverage to help deploy OsEM at your site. If you’re not in NY, Enica is well versed in multiple state, federal, and utility programs designed to help you offset initial costs. Contact Enica for more information on the resources available to you.
Using an Onsite Energy Manager to Leverage Your Existing Systems and Resources
The onsite energy manager program places an individual with extensive building system and energy optimization knowledge “on location” in your building or facility. The individual can work in partnership with your existing energy management team or (if you don’t have an existing team) they can operate on your behalf has an outsourced energy strategist and subject matter expert.
There are many ways an OsEM can support your organization on its path to energy reduction. At Enica, we’ve found that focusing primarily on optimizing your existing HVAC systems is one of the best ways to deliver substantial results in a short amount of time. The work is done on equipment and controllers that you already have, so new hardware or software usually aren’t required.
Don’t Limit Yourself to the Knowledge of Just One Person
Enica’s strategy is for the OsEM to act as a direct conduit between you, the facility owner, and our pool of subject matter experts. This approach allows you to tap into the collective knowledge of multiple individuals rather than just one. Through periodic workshops, your OsEM and the cross-functional team will meet with Enica’s deep bench of BMS Engineers, Energy Analysis, MEP System Designers, BMS Programmers, Master Planning Strategists, and Energy Experts.
Doing this leverages a collective subject matter knowledge base that reaches beyond the limitations of one individual. The team also collaborates with other OsEMs within Enica, who are on the front lines at other similar organizations and immersed in the current best practices of energy efficiency initiative development and implementation.
Getting Buy-In from Facilities Operators Is Key
To make the most of any OsEM strategy, you’ll need the support and cooperation of your facilities operations team. Enica’s OsEM strategies are specifically designed with long-term operations and the amicable adoption of new practices in mind.
We’ll set frequent meetings with your operations team to align on cultural tendencies and establish an operating framework that weaves the new energy savings strategy seamlessly into daily operations.
Is an OsEM Worth the Investment?
Typically, our energy savings strategies can be deployed directly on your existing hardware, software, and framework. Doing it this way requires little to no additional cost for new system control components. Whenever possible, we leverage implementation incentives to keep costs low and budgets in line with your economic goals.
We’ve deployed projects with less-than-a-year simple paybacks that have covered the OsEM and additional implementation costs — putting our clients back in the black within the same fiscal year. Some initiatives take longer and have multi-year paybacks, but if your organization is facing hefty carbon footprint penalties, these initiatives quickly become worth the upfront investment when compared against the long-term cost implications.
Related: 5 Steps to Obtain Financial Incentives for Your Energy Projects >>
Additional Considerations for OsEM Programs
The OsEM program can be customized to meet your organization’s needs. Here are some of the initiatives we’ve encountered recently:
- Leverage existing fault diagnostic tools and mine available data.
- Facilitate tactical deployment and organizational adoption of a continuous commissioning plan.
- Remediate and follow up on LL87 (NYC) action items.
- Provide dedicated presence and focus on energy management.
- Identify metering limitations and deploy remedial action.
- Establish an actionable energy reduction roadmap and a means to measure progress.
- Modify outdated sequence of operations and update for modern optimization.
Take Both a “Bottom-Up” and “Top-Down” Approach to Onsite Energy Management
Thanks to various initiatives, the pressure to reduce energy and carbon footprint in our buildings has never been higher. And the pace is increasing daily as societal demand for sustainability and energy reduction grows.
Facilities managers and building owners need to attack this challenge from the “top-down” with larger scale infrastructure changes, as well as from the “bottom-up” with practical energy savings initiatives deployed on the ground. OsEM is your strategic advantage in the “bottom-up” approach to tactically deploy realistic energy savings initiatives with rapid return on investment (ROI) in the near-term, while larger scale projects at the generation and storage level are deployed in parallel.
Ready to Save Energy and Cut Costs with an OsEM?
By optimizing BMS operations, maximizing HVAC system efficiency, and leveraging energy data analytics, energy managers can achieve tangible results in a short timeframe. Embracing Enica’s approach to the OsEM program can help you reach your sustainability goals and achieve long-term financial benefits by reducing energy costs by about 15-20%.
In a world where environmental stewardship is increasingly vital, onsite energy management becomes a compelling strategy toward a greener, more energy-efficient future for you building.
Reach out to our team of experts today to discuss your building’s unique needs >>