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Trane, a provider of indoor solutions and services and a brand of Ingersoll Rand, presented its Energy Efficiency Leader Award on Sept. 7 to Parkway Properties, Inc., in recognition of its energy efficient approach to improvements at One Orlando Centre, a 19-story, LEED-certified 365,000-square-foot office building in the city.
Each year, Trane recognizes organizations demonstrating an outstanding commitment to implementing best practices in energy efficiency and sustainability. Parkway Properties was selected as one of just two organizations to receive the award in 2016.
Jason Bingham, vice president of Energy Services and Controls at Trane, presented the award to Parkway Properties leaders, including Bruce Hall, director of engineering; Frank Moro, lead building engineer; and Larry LoCascio, vice president of management.
Parkway Properties recently completed building upgrades which enable the 25-year-old One Orlando Centre to compete head-to-head with newer commercial buildings. The improvements reduced annual energy costs by 34 percent and annual potable water usage by more than 30 percent while increasing the building’s Energy Star rating by nearly 50 percent. Incorporating an energy management approach helps ensure that the building continues to perform optimally.
“These outstanding results exemplify the leadership in energy efficiency and environmental stewardship we seek to recognize with the Energy Efficiency Leader Award,” Bingham said. “Parkway Properties is demonstrating the ‘gold standard’ in sustainability for commercial building owners in Florida and nationwide.”
"We at the City of Orlando know that energy efficiency is not only about being ‘green’ and helping the environment,” said Robert Stuart, Commissioner for the City of Orlando, “it is also about being smart with finite resources and looking beyond the short-term towards real long-term savings. In fact, Parkway has created one of the most efficient buildings in our community.”
Building Improvements Demonstrate Commitment to Sustainability
As part of the project, Parkway Properties repurposed aged equipment as an artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 20 miles off the coast and between Pensacola, Florida, and Mobile Bay, Alabama, setting a new company standard for sustainability that has already been incorporated into other projects. The improvements also generated a one-time rebate of $63,240 from the Orlando Utilities Commission.
Although prior retrofits reduced energy consumption, the building still demonstrated gross inherent inefficiencies. For example, the garage and 18th floor chiller plants were never connected properly to enable optimized performance. Inconsistent temperatures throughout the building also were creating an uncomfortable working environment for some occupants.
Prior to undertaking improvements, Parkway Properties evaluated the benefits of integrating the building’s two chiller plants through building information modeling and field testing. Based on the positive results, the team connected the garage and 18th floor chiller plants, significantly reducing the connected load and improving energy performance.
They upgraded the building automation system (BAS) from pneumatic to direct digital control and building operators can now control and monitor heating, ventilation and air conditioning, lighting and other systems from virtually anywhere using web-connected devices such as tablets and smartphones.
A new web-based systems integration solution gives Parkway Properties an online, enterprise-wide view of multiple properties and systems, from any personal computer or mobile device on the network. The customizable system lets managers perform daily operations such as scheduling, alarm management and troubleshooting; enables better decision making and faster issue response; and allows tracking and data analysis of all their buildings over time.
Reliable, wireless technology eliminated communication wires between the BAS unit controllers and zone sensors, simplifying any reconfiguration needed later. The project team also replaced the building’s aging chillers and cooling towers with state-of-the-art systems. These efforts cut energy costs by 34 percent and reduced water use by 1.5 million gallons in the first 12 months, while improving occupant comfort throughout the building.
To help ensure continued performance, Parkway Properties has incorporated solutions to monitor and analyze system performance. The systems track utility interval data to show usage trends and identify needed adjustments. They also are using a cloud-based online dashboard to provide visualization of energy consumption, enabling implementation and validation of demand reduction strategies to sustain the savings and support the discovery of additional improvement opportunities.
One Orlando was recognized earlier this year as a “Showcase Project” in the U.S. Department of Energy Better Buildings Challenge program which promotes efficiency makeovers for commercial buildings that result in energy savings of 34 percent and water savings of approximately 1.5 million gallons per year.
Bruce Hall, who led the team completing the upgrade, received a 2016 national EBie award from the Urban Green Council, the New York City affiliate of the United States Green Building Council, for his work transforming the building into a model of sustainability.
For more information, visit www.ingersollrand.com or www.trane.com.
For more information, visit: www.pky.com.
