Education Facilities Energy Audits

Sometimes performing standard maintenance on a heating system can result in damage to mechanical insulation. Insulation that was once 1” thick may be .5” thick or completely removed due to maintenance work. Discover how fixing damaged 1” thick mechanical insulation or replacing missing mechanical insulation with 1.5” thick insulation may pay for itself within a year.

Energy savings is not only important from a monetary standpoint, but it is also good for the environment. A regional school in Canada learned it could not only save over $15,000 in a five-year period by replacing damaged mechanical insulation, but it could reduce its carbon footprint by 14.73 Mt per year.

The energy audit highlights the difference in operational costs of running the facility’s mechanical system with current 1-inch thick fiberglass against the operational costs of running the system with 1.5-inch thick fiberglass. The heat loss at Beaverbrook School is 50,793 Kbtu per year. The upgraded insulation will save the school $112,125 over 20 years and the return on the investment will occur in one year.

The energy audit revealed that while most of the mechanical insulation used to cover the systems as the Birchmount School is in good condition and well-maintained, there are several areas where additional savings could be realized. Learn how upgrading the thickness of mechanical insulation from 1” to 1.5” in certain spots can provide a positive impact on your bottom line.

Two JMA Armstrong Schools lacked mechanical insulation on different parts of their mechanical systems. An energy audit performed by a certified mechanical insulator revealed the school could save over $280,000 during a 20-year period if 1.5-inch mechanical insulation was added to the missing areas. Additionally, the cost to perform the work would be recouped within 15 months.

The energy appraisal discovered the mechanical insulation system was not properly installed as per specifications. It calculated heat loss at this school at 99,678 Btu per year. By addressing the issues, the school could achieve a five-year savings of $15,217. Find out what was recommended for the educational building in the downloadable energy audit.

This white paper study focuses on quantifying the use of mechanical insulation in schools and hospitals. The study highlights the importance of mechanical insulation in commercial buildings. On average, schools in the study with ASHRAE rated mechanical insulation realized a 0.7 percent energy savings. The entire study can be downloaded and reviewed for best practices in schools.

The audit looked at two buildings - NSER and NSEE. It revealed properly installed and maintained mechanical insulation would result in a five-year savings of $1,957 at NSER and $10,800 at NSEE. It would also reduce the combined amount of CO2 emissions by nearly 12 Mt per year. Details on this complex of school buildings energy audit can be found by downloading the report.

This survey used the National Institute of Building Science’s energy calculator, which determined the mechanical room’s missing insulation is costing the college $7,582 annually in fuel costs. By adding an additional inch of insulation, the college can reduce fuel consumption by $6,740 a year. Upgrading Mechanical Insulation systems can be beneficial for educational buildings, more details about the report are available in the downloadable energy audit.

The energy audit revealed deficiencies in the mechanical insulation system, which resulted in a loss of 676 GJ of energy per year. By addressing the issues discussed in the report, the university can save over $5,100 a year and reduce the amount of CO2 emissions by 33.6 tonnes per year. Additional details about the university’s building energy audit can be found in the downloadable report.

While the energy audit revealed much of the insulation was in good condition and installed properly, it showed additional areas where insulation could make an impact. If these areas are addressed, the project costs will be recouped in 1.5 years. The report also estimates the school could save nearly $23,000 over the course of five years and prevent 14.79 tonnes of CO2 emissions from being released each year. You can find more details about this medium sized school in the full report.

This energy appraisal commended the school on its mechanical insulation upkeep and maintenance. However, it found a few areas, where insulation was lacking. By insulating the piping identified in the report, the school will save over $37,000 in five years. Within 20 months, the project will have paid for itself. Furthermore, the project will reduce the amount of CO2 emissions by 9.39 tonnes per year. Details on this school building energy audit can be found by downloading the report.

The energy audit highlights the difference in operational costs of running the facilities' mechanical room with current one inch thick fiberglass against the operational costs of running the system with one and a half inch thick fiberglass. The heat loss at Millidgeville North facility is 862,146 Kbtu per year. The upgraded insulation will save the school $192,561.10 in five years and will return the investment in 1.3 years.

The energy audit highlights the difference in operational costs of running the facilities' mechanical room with current one inch thick fiberglass against the operational costs of running the system with one and a half inch thick fiberglass. The heat loss at the Simonds High facility is 2,348,299 Kbtu per year. The upgraded insulation will save the school $327,370.40 in five years and will return the investment in less than 9 months.

Installing mechanical insulation on a mechanical system can result in immediate savings. In the case of Academie Assompotion, a mechanical insulation energy audit revealed the school could save over $100,000 a year if the system was properly insulated. Over the course of 20 years, the Academie would save $1.9 million. Additionally, it would remove 329.16 MT per year of greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere.

An energy audit revealed Claude D. Taylor High School had small sections of damaged or missing mechanical insulation in its mechanical room. Addressing those issues with properly installed mechanical insulation would save the school just under $6,000 a year and reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 14.18 MT per year.

Often times, the boiler room and ventilation rooms contain a maze of pipes for a building's mechanical systems. Generally, due to some difficult angles, people not properly trained to install and maintain mechanical insulation are unable to get to areas they deem unreachable. This was the case with Ecole le Croisée, as multiple spots in the system were void of mechanical insulation. By addressing those issues, the building will save over $6,500 per year.

Exposed piping systems not only waste money, but they pose a danger to individuals working around those pipes. An energy audit of Ecole le Tournesol School disclosed a number of safety issues created by missing or damaged mechanical insulation. The audit also showed how the school could recoup $29,000 in a five year period by fixing the damaged mechanical insulation and covering the exposed pipes.

The energy audit at Ecole Marie Esther School showed problems with the mechanical insulation system, as insulation was missing on numerous areas of the mechanical system. The audit also showed that by investing just over $29,000 to fix the problem, a properly maintained mechanical insulation system would provide a savings of over $45,000 per year.

Few construction projects could result in savings of over $1 million. However, a mechanical insulation energy audit at Ecole Secondaire Nepisiguit showed numerous deficiencies in the school's mechanical insulation system. By replacing damaged or missing mechanical insulation, the school could recoup its initial investment in five months. After 20 years, the school would save $1.1 million and reduce its carbon footprint by 180.76 MT per year.

In just over a year and a half, work to replace missing or damaged mechanical insulation would pay for itself. A mechanical insulation audit of Florenceville Middle School discovered the mechanical system was not properly insulated, wasting a lot of money on an inefficient heating system. If the system was properly insulated, over the course of 20 years, it would save almost $188,000.

Exposed piping not only wastes money, but it also poses a danger to the individuals working around the system. An energy audit of Frank L. Bowser High School disclosed a number of safety issues created by damaged or missing mechanical insulation. The audit also revealed the cost to fix this issues could be recouped in less than years meaning, the project would return a savings of over $5,000 thereafter.

Often times, a poorly performed mechanical insulation energy audit will focus on the mechanical system and ignore obvious things, such as hot water tanks. This expertly performed mechanical insulation energy audit discovered Hampton High School was losing quite a bit of energy around hot water tanks. By adding mechanical insulation to the tanks and their pipes, the school could save over $3,600 in five years.

A few missing pieces of mechanical insulation could lead to a five years savings of over $4,600 at Harvey High School. Additionally, a mechanical insulation energy audit of the school also highlighted that by fixing the mechanical insulation issues, the school could reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 4.42 MT per year. Download this report to read more about the long-term savings the school could realize.

For a mechanical insulation system to be effective, it needs to be used on all parts of the mechanical system. An energy audit at Kennebecasis Valley High School showed many elbows, valves, joints and cleanouts were not insulated. Properly installed and maintained mechanical insulation on just the missing parts would save the school almost $340,000 over 20 years.

The energy audit at McAdam High School revealed deficiencies in the mechanical insulation system, which resulted in over 2.25 MT per year of additional greenhouse gas emissions and a loss of over $517 per year. Within six years of addressing the deficiencies, the project will have paid for itself. Learn more by downloading this energy audit.

An energy audit revealed Nackawic High School had small sections of damaged or missing mechanical insulation in its mechanical room. Addressing those issues with properly installed mechanical insulation would save the school about $530 a year and reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 2.37 MT per year.

A properly conducted mechanical insulation energy audit will not only look as the mechanical and piping systems within a mechanical room, but should review a building's entire piping system. An audit of the system at Nackawic Middle School found some minor issues in a hallway closet. By investing $2,414 in mechanical insulation, the project would pay for itself in just over five years and over the course of 20 years, would provide a savings of over $7,500.

In just over half a year, work to replace missing or damaged mechanical insulation would pay for itself. A mechanical insulation energy audit of Oromotcto High School revealed pipes and tanks were not properly insulated, causing the school to waste a significant amount of money running an inefficient mechanical system. Over the course of five years, the school could save $261,750 and reduce its annual greenhouse gas emission by 151.52 MT per year.

Exposed piping systems not only waste money, but they pose a danger to individuals working around those pipes. An energy audit of Riverview Middle School disclosed a number of safety issues created by missing or damaged mechanical insulation. The audit also showed how the school could recoup almost $44,000 in a five year period by fixing the damaged mechanical insulation and covering the exposed pipes.

For mechanical insulation to be effective, it needs to be used on all parts of the mechanical system. An energy audit at West Riverview Elementary showed many elbows and valves were not insulated. Properly installed and maintained mechanical insulation on just the current missing parts would save the school $114,218 over 20 years.

An energy audit revealed Woodstock High School had small sections of damaged or missing mechanical insulation in its mechanical room. Addressing those issues with properly installed mechanical insulation would save the school about $2,300 a year and reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 2.25 MT per year.

While we evaluated but a small area of the facility, the energy loss due to damaged / inadequateinsulation in the facility appears to be significant. Due to the age of the systems, the frequent cycling ofHVAC systems, the areas humidity levels and the physical abuse some of these systems have endured, ahigh percentage of the System Insulation is compromised to the point that it should be replaced. Thereare places in the facility where the insulation has been removed and has not been replaced. We did notinclude the energy savings from damaged insulation in any of our calculations.