by Rebecca Walker — November 11, 2009—Optimum Energy, LLC, provider of heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) software solutions, announced that energy savings from the use of its OptimumHVAC software can contribute to the achievement of 27 Energy and Atmosphere (EA) credits within the latest version of the LEED green building certification program.
LEED is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. OptimumHVAC also can help increase ENERGY STAR scores, one measurement used to earn LEED points, says the company.
“We applaud the increased emphasis on energy efficiency and ongoing performance measurement announced with LEED 2009,” said Nathan Rothman, founder and CEO, Optimum Energy. “Improvements in HVAC energy efficiency play a vital role in helping commercial facilities reduce their environmental footprint and operating costs, and I’m proud that our products contribute to more than 25 percent of the points needed to achieve LEED certification. Not only can we improve HVAC energy efficiency up to 60 percent, but continuous optimization and measurement of HVAC plant performance helps ensure energy savings persist.”
In addition to supporting the achievement of up to 18 EA Credit 1 points in LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, Optimum Energy’s end-to-end delivery model and ongoing optimization can contribute to the requirements of an additional nine EA points, including:
- EA Credit 2.1: Existing Building Commissioning Investigation and Analysis (2 points)
- EA Credit 2.2: Existing Building Commissioning Implementation (2 points)
- EA Credit 2.3: Existing Building Commissioning Ongoing Commissioning (2 points)
- EA Credit 3.2: Performance Measurement System Level Metering (1-2 points)
- EA Credit 6: Emissions Reduction Reporting (1 point)
A cornerstone of Optimum Energy’s HVAC efficiency solution is ongoing commissioning provided by OptimumHVAC software, which continuously optimizes centrifugal chiller plant performance based on real-time load requirements, notes the company.
Combined with OptimumHVAC Performance Assurance, which provides measurement and validation of HVAC performance via a secure Web site, facility managers have the information they need to maintain efficient plant operations over time. OptimumHVAC Performance Assurance also provides alerts in case of an equipment failure event, and tracks energy and carbon emissions savings, helping to satisfy requirements for corrective action response, performance measurement and emissions reduction reporting.
Optimum Energy also conducts an HVAC plant energy analysis, provides a capital improvement plan and calculates return on investment for every project, as well as documentation of plant operation and training for facility managers at the time of implementation. These activities support investigation and analysis and implementation credits. For a fact sheet, see the Web site.
Based in Seattle, Washington, Optimum Energy’s reliable, demand-based Ultra High Performance HVAC optimization software applications are proven to reduce commercial building HVAC energy consumption and operating costs up to 60 percent. More information is available online.
