We are in the midst of completing a large number of building energy assessments for buildings across Vermont, and while the specifics can change a bit, the process is pretty similar for all the buildings. In broad strokes there are three steps: initial data collection and review, site visit and interview, and analysis and reporting. These assessments have been a modified version of the ASHRAE Level 2 assessment, and this overview is somewhat specific to that level of analysis.
5 min read
An Overview of a Building Energy Assessment
Topics: Building Data Energy Audit Building Envelope Building Enclosure Energy Assessment Building Systems
2 min read
Historic Brick: Balancing Preservation and Climate Action
Insulating behind historic brick poses challenges for architects and preservationists alike. While it promises energy efficiency gains, there are concerns about its impact on the integrity of the brick and the building as a whole. However, with proper testing and expert guidance, it can be navigated successfully.
Topics: Sustainability Energy Efficiency Building Envelope Building Enclosure historic preservation climate action architecture
9 min read
The Challenge of Decarbonizing the Grid
Cx Associates is a mission driven energy engineering firm that works with buildings, mostly Commercial and Industrial buildings, and one of our central missions is to be part of the solution to climate change. Professionals in our field understand the challenge we’re facing. The Biden Administration National Climate Task Force has set the goal of a 100% net-zero emission economy by 2050. To meet this goal, we need to decarbonize the grid, but renewables account for just 13% of electricity generation in the U.S. While that’s close to a tripling of levels a decade ago, we still have a long way to go.
Topics: #decarbonization #renewables
5 min read
Onboarding with Purpose
Have you ever started a new job and your first day goes something like this: You arrive, and no one was expecting you or realized you were starting that day; you didn’t have a workstation set up; no one knew how to get into your computer; there was no work for you to do; and no one knew which forms you needed to complete to get you enrolled in benefits, payroll, etc.?
3 min read
Striving for Net Zero: Part II
Over the last few years, climate action has become a central focus for governments, and the business case for doing something about climate change has become clearer than ever before. With this shift, “Net Zero by 2050” is a term that seems to get thrown around by organizations, businesses, and municipalities alike. But what does it mean, and how do we get there? We continue our endeavor to answer this question in the second part of this two-part blog.
Topics: Energy Efficiency Heat Pumps #decarbonization #renewables Building Envelope Building Enclosure Carbon Reduction NZE Net Zero
9 min read
The Case for Hourly Emissions Accounting
Last month, at the close of Vermont’s legislative session, the House and Senate agreed to create a Legislative Working Group to investigate reforming VT’s Renewable Energy Standard (RES). This is a big deal because the RES sets the rules by which Vermont utilities claim their electricity is renewable. And now those rules might change.
Topics: renewable energy #decarbonization EMIS
7 min read
Striving for Net Zero: Part I
Over the last few years, climate action has become a central focus for governments, and the business case for doing something about climate change has become clearer than ever before. With this shift, “Net Zero by 2050” is a term that seems to get thrown around by organizations, businesses, and municipalities alike. But what does it mean, and how do we get there?
Topics: Energy Efficiency Heat Pumps #decarbonization #renewables Building Envelope Building Enclosure Carbon Reduction NZE Net Zero
7 min read
Energy Management with EMIS
Cx Associates now offers an Energy Management and Information System (EMIS). We’ve built a set of customizable dashboards to serve up energy insights, fault diagnostics, and utility-grade cost savings in a browser-based platform. And we’re ready to get yours launched.
Topics: EMIS
4 min read
Forgoing Band-Aids: Approaching and Fixing Building Issues Holistically
June 2022 update: Given the current supply chain and labor shortages the construction industry is facing in 2022, looking after your building's existing systems becomes even more important. With equipment delivery for major systems sometimes many months away, retrocommissioning your existing systems can help tune them up to keep them in tip-top shape to get more usable -- and efficient -- life out of them.
When people ask me what I do for work, I generally tell them I’m a building systems engineer, with a big focus on making facilities more energy efficient and comfortable for occupants. One common part of my job entails going to a building to perform an energy audit or assessment. During these visits, we follow the same straightforward outline:
- Walk through the site
- Inventory all energy-related equipment including lighting, mechanical systems, building envelope, etc.
- Speak with the building operator about how they run the building
- Ask the building owner, occupants, and operator about and any issues or concerns they have regarding maintenance, equipment that is not working properly, or comfort problems.
Topics: Energy Efficiency Building Performance & Technology retrocommissioning Energy Management Existing Building problem solving Energy Planning energy monitoring & solutions Energy Audit
5 min read
Our Journey Towards Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
It has been two years since the latest onset of this country’s reckoning with the unequal treatment of Black and People of Color in our society. While the murder of George Floyd was a turning point for many, since then the division within our country seems only to be growing wider, with each ‘side’ becoming more entrenched and insistent in their perspective.
