Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Case Study
John Yahoodik, Senior Project Manager Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
Rick Dorricott, Design Services Manager Energy Investment, Inc.
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
• Designed 1972, completed 1976
• 33 story tower; 5 story low-rise• Unique support functions• 1,130,000 square feet• Steel construction with glass &
aluminum facades• Steam heating• Electric powered chiller
cooling
Federal Reserve Bank of BostonProject Objectives
• Energy efficiency, utility cost reduction
• Facility improvement, lighting and mechanical systems
• Environmental management, CFC compliance
Federal Reserve Bank of BostonOwner’s Agent: Energy Investment,
Inc.
• Integrated energy improvement program
• Chiller replacement program– chiller specification and selection– system design– competitive bidding– construction review
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Electric End-Use
• General office and banking– 5 am - 6 pm
weekdays – 7 am - 1 pm
weekends – some 24 hour
operation
• 24,000,000 kWh annual electricity consumption
Federal Reserve Bank of BostonElectricity Use
• Monthly electricity consumption 1992-93
• Monthly electricity demand 1992-93– relatively flat
demand
Federal Reserve Bank of BostonNatural Gas and Steam Use
• Monthly natural gas consumption 1992-93– used for cooking
• Monthly steam consumption 1990-1993– used for heating
Federal Reserve Bank of BostonOriginal Chillers
• 3 York 1200 ton chillers– 0.82 kW/ton– R-500 refrigerant– chiller 2 on in spring– chiller 3 for summer loads – chiller 1 used for backup
• 8 heat recovery chillers– 20-100 tons, 330 tons total
– R-22 refrigerant
– 0.93 - 1.48 kW/ton
– summer and winter loads
– heat recovered for hot water
Federal Reserve Bank of BostonChiller Replacement - Logistical
Issues
• Bank Security• On-going operations• Time constraints• Space constraints• Future flexibility• Facility location
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Chiller Options Studied for CFC
Compliance
• Retrofit existing chillers for non-CFC refrigerant
• Replace with high-efficiency, non-CFC models
• Steam absorption units• Gas-fired units• District cooling
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Criteria for Evaluating Options
• Reliability, long life• Stand-alone entity• Independent operation• Energy efficiency and performance• Life-cycle cost• Operation and maintenance
considerations• Environmentally friendly, CFC compliance
Federal Reserve Bank of BostonChiller Replacement Option Chosen
Peak MonthlyDemand Savings
Estimated Annual Savings PaybackPeriod
summer(kW)
winter(kW)
electricenergy(kWh)
electriccost ($)
maint.cost ($)
total cost($)
(years)
Replace Chillers 431.71 0.00 663,422 76,576 --- 76,576 10
• Primary chillers - 3 Carrier 1200 ton chillers– 0.56 kW/ton– R-134a refrigerant
• Heat recovery chillers - 8 Carrier
Federal Reserve Bank of BostonHVAC Improvements
Peak MonthlyDemand Savings
Estimated Annual Savings PaybackPeriod
summer(kW)
winter(kW)
electricenergy(kWh)
electriccost($)
totalcost($)
(years)
automate economizeroperation
0.00 0.00 108,158 5,431 5,431 5
convert AC-21 toreturn-air type
62.94 0.00 69,901 9,609 9,609 5
install motorizedcontrols on AC-15
0.00 4.78 139,866 7,251 7,251 1
install premiumefficiency motors
9.26 9.70 76,455 5,244 5,244 10
automate start/stopprogram
0.00 0.00 185,168 8,085 8,085 1
replace elevatortimers
0.00 0.00 381,072 16,660 16,660 < 1
install VFDs oncooling tower fans
119.40 0.00 225,652 23,480 23,480 3
Total HVAC 191.60 14.48 1,186,272 75,760 75,760 4
Federal Reserve Bank of BostonLighting Improvements
Average MonthlyDemand Savings
Estimated Annual Savings PaybackPeriod
(kW) electricenergy (kWh)
electriccost ($)
maint.cost ($)
total cost($)
(years)
LightingImprovements
662.7 3,805,897 310,822 264,600 575,422 5
• Upgraded fluorescent lighting
• Specular reflectors
• High efficiency incandescent lamps
• New LED exit kits
• Metal halide retrofit kits
• Incandescent converted to fluorescent
Federal Reserve Bank of BostonLighting Improvement Results
Federal Reserve Bank of BostonIntegrated Energy Program
• Other energy efficiency improvements help pay for chiller replacement for CFC compliance
• Shorter overall program payback period
Peak MonthlyDemand Savings
Estimated Annual Savings PaybackPeriod
summer(kW)
winter(kW)
electricenergy(kWh)
electriccost($)
maint.cost($)
total cost($)
(years)
ChillerReplacement
431.71 0.00 663,422 76,576 --- 76,576 10
HVACImprovements
191.60 14.48 1,186,272 75,760 --- 75,760 4
LightingImprovements
662.70 662.70 3,805,897 310,822 264,600 575,422 5
Total 1286.01 671.18 5,655,591 463,158 264,600 727,758 5.2
Federal Reserve Bank of BostonProject Timeline
– 8 months for engineering analysis– 18 months for project approval– 21 months to purchase, design and build
Federal Reserve Bank of BostonFive Construction Phases
• Remove chillers 2 & 3• Install & activate new
chiller 2 & refrigerant monitoring system
• Remove chiller 1• Install and activate
chillers 1 & 3• Remove heat recovery
chillers 4 & 5 and install new ones
Federal Reserve Bank of BostonProject Results
• Still under construction• Expect to save 5,300,000 kWh a year• Annual $730,000 savings• Switch to R-134a, an HFC refrigerant,
not scheduled for phaseout• Improved lighting and HVAC systems• Only a 5 year project payback period