Campus Energy Audit & Building Electrification Planning for Wildlife Conservation Nonprofit

Project Details:

KERAMIDA was retained by a nonprofit focused on public education, environmental stewardship, and wildlife conservation to identify energy and GHG reduction opportunities across its multi-building campus in support of the Client's long-term building electrification goals.

The Client operates a campus that includes both operational and public-facing spaces. KERAMIDA conducted an ASHRAE Level 2 energy audit of three buildings in one section of the campus, totaling approximately 88,000 square feet: an exhibit and visitor building, an operations building with year-round heating and hot water demands, and a restaurant.

KERAMIDA’s tasks included:

  • Analysis of three years of electric and natural gas data to establish an energy baseline, including site and source Energy Use Intensity (EUI) and a breakdown of energy use by end use

  • On-site assessments of the building envelope, lighting, HVAC, domestic hot water, boilers, and kitchen equipment

  • Diagnostic evaluation of an underperforming on-site solar array, completed with a specialty solar subcontractor

  • Evaluation of potential energy conservation measures (ECMs), with estimated energy savings, cost savings, simple payback, and savings-to-investment ratio for each measure, and measurement and verification approaches for each recommended measure

  • GHG reduction estimates for each ECM using EPA eGRID emission factors, with measures ranked by cost per kilogram of CO₂e avoided

  • Electrification analysis for replacing the existing natural gas boiler plant with modular electric boilers, including system sizing, a planning-level cost estimate, and electrical service requirements

  • Identification of envelope upgrades to coordinate with the planned roof replacements, where adding insulation and replacing skylights is more cost-effective

  • Utility rate review of electric and natural gas accounts, including the impact of a recent electric tariff restructuring that introduced demand charges

Results:

Together, the recommended ECMs are expected to reduce electricity use by approximately 18,000 kWh and natural gas use by approximately 8,100 therms per year, a reduction of roughly 6 percent of the audited buildings’ total energy use. This represents about $6,500 in annual cost savings and about 50 metric tons of CO₂e avoided each year.

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