Cushman & Wakefield/Polaris Parkway

Challenge

While consistently focused on tenant retention, Cushman & Wakefield® juggled construction, growth, and improvements at the Polaris Parkway property, seeking to reduce energy and operational costs, as well as enhance tenant comfort. Lacking a controls system to assist in efforts to achieve their objectives, facility managers were forced to rely on the time-consuming task of managing building systems manually. “Our tenants look for a certain cost per square foot,” said Benjamin Crock, property manager, Cushman & Wakefield. “The complex’s electricity costs were too high, and we needed better control of temperature in order to reduce hot/cold complaints.”

Solution

Based on Trane’s reputation and previous equipment supplier relationship, Cushman & Wakefield met with the company to discuss their cost reduction and building control needs. Trane proposed a technologically focused, data driven, cutting edge solution that aligned with the building manager’s progressive values. The solution included the implementation of a Trane® Tracer® SC building automation system, complemented with Trane Intelligent Services Building Performance to help manage energy consumption and improve operations.

Improving efficiency, enhancing comfort

A Tracer SC building automation system was installed in the two buildings to optimize daily operations and maximize energy efficiency. The simple-to-navigate system enables building operators to establish scheduling, make set point changes, troubleshoot issues, manage alarms, and engage optimization tools. State-of-the-art graphics and dashboards make it easy to monitor and manage systems, determine the status of equipment and spaces, and take appropriate action to respond quickly to hot/cold calls.

“The building automation system is flexible and easy to access from any computer,” said Crock. “Our techs use it to do their daily due diligence, adjust temperatures, and revise the operating schedule if there is a holiday closing, or one of our tenants changes their work hours.”

Assessing energy use, tracking impacts

Using advanced Energy Assessment tools to visualize and measure the building’s energy profile, Trane identified how the building was using energy, established a baseline of performance, and offered actionable insights. Providing ongoing support and expertise, Trane also uses the tools to focus on KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) to validate and track the impact of any actions taken, allowing building managers to turn attention to other areas of their expertise.

Identifying opportunities, executing improvements

With Building Performance, Trane analyzes data to uncover hidden information and opportunities for improvement to optimize equipment runtime, reduce operational costs and promote sustainable efforts. Cushman & Wakefield and Trane building professionals participate in quarterly review meetings to enable discussion regarding issues, trends, data-driven insights, energy usage, and action items.

Equipment upgrades have included enhancements to mechanical systems, and replacement of humidity sensors and compressors. Service opportunities implemented include asset planning to determine whether to replace or refresh existing HVAC equipment, supply air temperature control, duct static pressure optimization, supply air temperature reset strategies, and variable air volume set point evaluation. Occupied mode scheduling was also reviewed to reduce operating loads and run times, especially on equipment running 24/7 unnecessarily.

Results

A controls system upgrade with a Trane Tracer SC building automation system and the addition of Trane Intelligent Services has helped Cushman & Wakefield reduce energy consumption and comfort complaints at its Polar is Parkway property. Electricity usage has been reduced by 225,500 kWh annually, saving more than $20,000 a year, and greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by nearly 10 percent. In addition, hot/cold complaints have decreased 32 percent, allowing the facility to save nearly $35,000 as a result of avoided on-site service calls.

“We are pleased with the reduction in energy use and comfort calls,” said Crock. “New buildings are always being built and we need to stay competitive. Using Intelligent Services is helping us do that.”