COMFORT AND ENERGY SAVINGS ACROSS A WIDE RANGE OF BUILDING ENVIRONMENTS

REStaurants / office buildings / government / Light Industrial / data centers / retail / health care / convenience stores +

LAKESHORE ATHLETIC CLUB

The Lake Shore Athletic Club in Vancouver, WA has been serving members since 1958. The independent club offers a wide range of exercise options including aerobics, yoga, weightlifting, basketball and other court sports, exercise equipment, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, etc. Because of this, the facility is a major user of both electricity and natural gas. 

When we analyzed the facility’s equipment and operations, it was clear that significant energy could be saved by an effective application of the UNITY Building Automation Solution. The club’s management also saw the opportunity to better manage the varied temperature requirements for multi-use spaces. UNITY’s central controller now runs all HVAC systems and exhaust fans, various lighting circuits, and even switches off the club’s treadmills and TVs. In installing the system, several defective HVAC economizer systems were discovered and repaired, enabling UNITY to improve management of CO2 levels in key exercise areas.

A 6-month post-measure Measurement & Verification study by Clark Public Utilities established an annual electricity savings level of over 200,000 kWh, justifying a utility energy conservation incentive covering 45% of the project cost.

CANLIs restaurant

Widely regarded as the finest restaurant in Seattle, Canlis offers an experience like no other.  With breathtaking views and an impressive collection of accolades it's been a pleasure to get the opportunity to partner with this great family owned Restaurant.  

The goal of this project has been to increase efficiency while also improving comfort.  Shortly after we installed UNITY and started monitoring performance we noticed some issues with a couple HVAC units. Through our partnership with our local dealer and mechanical contractor Ambient Control, we were able to repair some problematic duct work.  As a result of our unique comprehensive approach diagnosing building issues while also maximizing efficiency we have been able to reach our goals.     

JEFFERSON OFFICE PARK

Working with the property management company, Norris & Stevens and the Energy Trust of Oregon, we installed our UNITY Building Automation Solution at Jefferson Office Park in Portland, OR. The office complex has four buildings served by 14 rooftop HVAC systems. At the time of installation, the office park had a vacancy rate of 25-30%, but the complex was filled up during the next 6-9 months. Since January 2012, despite the higher than average occupancy levels, total electricity use has been reduced by 11%, total gas use has been reduced by 39% and ROI was realized in 19 months.  

FACTORY

THE WATER TOWER 

Built in 1903 as a furniture factory, this Portland, OR facility was turned into a retail destination in the 1970’s and then renovated again in 2008 for use as an office building. Featuring exposed beams and wooden floors, the Water Tower provides historical appeal for tenants and their clients. However, the three-story, 114,976 sq. ft. facility also lacks the insulated building envelope of modern structures and is dependent on standalone HVAC systems to heat and cool a large number of tenant spaces. Prior to this project, all HVAC systems were controlled by individual programmable thermostats in the tenant spaces. Working with the Energy Trust of Oregon, Kite & Lightning presented Melvin Mark, the property management company, with a proposal to install UNITY to centrally manage over 110 water-source heat pumps and rooftop package units, as well as the boiler that serves the central loop for the heat pumps. Upon approval by the building owners, Kite & Lightning completed the initial installation in 3 weeks, then completed the project by adding relays to shut off 20+ HVAC console units during unoccupied periods.

After a short transition phase, where we directly responded to tenant issues, Melvin Mark’s team took over day-to-day management of the facility. Scheduling and set points are now under central control. The team has been pleased to find that many of the comfort issues can be solved remotely over the Internet. Even in cases where a building manager or the HVAC service firm must go onsite, Melvin Mark estimates they are saving 1 ½ hours on a typical 2 hour call, due to the ability to remotely diagnose an issue before dispatching someone.

In the first officially-tracked quarter of operation (during the summer months), electrical consumption was down over 9% vs. the prior year. During the heating season, because 2/3rds of the HVAC systems are water-source heat pumps, it is expected that UNITY will be able to continue to save significant electricity, as well as natural gas.

WILSONVILLE FAMILY FUN CENTER

Family Fun Centers are amazing and magical places for kids of all ages and this location is no different.  From bumper boats to zip lines, this location has a lot of fun to offer and they also consume a lot of energy in the process.  We have enjoyed the opportunity of working with these fine folks and assisting them in reducing their energy costs and gaining better control of their facility. They have consistently saved 6% on electricity and 21% on gas.  

IVARS - PIER 54 SEATTLE

Over the past several years, UNITY has undergone tremendous transformations.  Our product architecture has evolved substantially and we are very proud of our offering and the many partnerships that we've formed.  We wanted to take a second and highlight an early UNITY installation at Pier 54 in Seattle.  This was a unique project in a more than 100 year old pier.  Part of a pilot program with Puget Sound Energy this project was one of the first to utilize our new in-depth performance monitoring package and we were quickly able to detect issues with one of the main HVAC units.  After further examination we discovered that the gas line was 3/4" too small and as a result was unable to properly heat the space.  This issue had gone undetected for nearly 30 years. The gas piping repair was made and the restaurant comfort levels were improved significantly.