The Issue

A national client operating mission-critical facilities 24/7/365 sought to identify opportunities to reduce energy use and operating costs without disrupting core operations. Burton was engaged as a partner to deliver cost-effective solutions that would align with the client’s energy efficiency goals.

Burton identified utility-funded retro-commissioning (RCx) as an optimal strategy to uncover savings opportunities in underperforming facilities. RCx focuses on resolving operational inefficiencies that both improve facility performance and generate measurable energy and cost savings. In many cases, utility programs fully or largely cover investigation costs and provide additional implementation incentives, creating a win-win-win for the facility, Burton, and the utility.

As part of this engagement, Burton flagged a facility with clear operational issues based on trend data and staff input. Both the corporate energy team and the local facility staff were motivated to improve performance while maintaining reliability for this mission-critical site.

The Burton Solution

Burton enrolled the building in the local utility’s RCx program, leveraging incentives to fully cover investigation costs—removing financial risk for the client. A Burton engineer conducted a detailed site inspection and analyzed BAS trend data to identify opportunities.

The RCx Investigation Report highlighted common yet impactful issues:

• Inefficient Air Handling Unit (AHU) Operation
  • AHUs with VFDs were locked at a minimum fan speed of 50% or higher, while spaces were often overcooled below set points.
  • Burton optimized control by lowering minimum fan speeds, correcting and relocating space temperature sensors, and verifying sensor accuracy.

• Lack of Proper Fan Speed Control
  • Several AHUs lacked VFDs, had broken VFDs, or were running in bypass at constant speed for extended periods.
  • Burton recommended installing new VFDs and programming them to modulate fan speeds based on demand.

Burton maintained close communication with the client through weekly progress meetings, developed the scope of work, and coordinated with vendors to ensure high-quality implementation. After fan speed improvements, Burton analyzed new trend data against baseline conditions, verified savings, and submitted documentation for third-party utility review and approval.