Marie Nolan
Username
Marie Nolan
Proposer First Name
Marie
Proposer Email
marie@greenengineer.com
Proposer Last Name
Nolan
Boston 2021 Areas of Focus
Proposer Company/Organization
The Green Engineer, Inc.
Proposer Phone
(978) 369-8978
Proposer Job Title
Senior Sustainability Consultant
Proposer Additional Info
With over 10 years in the sustainability consulting field and 15 years of experience in research and analysis of environmental policy and regulatory issues, Marie has provided LEED certification project management to 30 projects, assisting owners, architects and consultants in the process.
Proposed Session Description
High performing buildings consume considerably less energy and water than conventional buildings. Through energy modeling and water use projections, design teams have been able to calculate the amount expected to be saved during the design phase. However not much has been done to circle back and compare these projections to actual performance. This pilot study compares actual operating results to predicted in 21 public buildings in Massachusetts to learn how accurate these projections are. The study also interviewed Town staff including facility managers to learn about problems faced and lessons learned during the initial years of a school or library’s operation to inform new projects moving forward.
Diversity and Inclusiveness
Public libraries and schools serve all sectors of the population and the entire local community would benefit from having such buildings be energy and resource efficient and operate successfully.
Learning Objectives
• Calculate and compare projected energy and water use for a public school or library building project to operating utility data.
• Critically assess how likely actual annual energy and water use and savings will be similar to what was projected vs. baseline use and savings.
• Understand some of the issues and lessons experienced by facility operators during the first few years of operating a high performing building.
• Apply some of the lessons learned from this study to public building projects during various project stages - design, construction and operation.
Has this session been presented before?
No
Target Audiences Level of Expertise
Level 1 - No prior knowledge needed.
Session Format Details
Presentation with slides, followed by Q and A
Recommended Length
60-minute session
30-minute session
Strongest Content Connection - Boston 2021
Comments about your speaker roster
In addition to Marie Nolan, the proposer of this session and author of the study, Chris Schaffner has agreed to assist in the presentation of this study. Chris is founder and CEO of The Green Engineer, Inc.
Reviewer 1
Ruuska, Ksenia
Reviewer 2
Ruuska, Ksenia
Curator
Ruuska, Ksenia
Proposal #
224
Session #
603
Committee Decision
Accepted
Presenters
Full Description
Many performance metrics used in sustainable building practices are based on savings calculated when comparing design projections to building code-compliant baselines. In turn, these savings are used as targets when designing future buildings. However, how accurate are these projections to actual performance after the buildings have been operating for at least a year?
Results from this pilot study of 21 actual public buildings may help project teams set realistic targets and improve predictions of performance while learning from past projects. Goals can be aspirational but realistic numbers are crucial when planning operating and maintenance budgets over a multi-year term.
Hearing from facility operators about what they learned during initial startup will help projects in the pipeline to avoid certain pitfalls.