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Email this pageLab-friendly building delivers annual energy savings of $74,000
Greg Hyer, associate director at University Research Park, relied on Strang, Inc., Focus on Energy and MGE to help design energy-saving laboratory space in this new University Research Park building.
Greg Hyer, associate director at University Research Park (URP), wants to get the word out that their new building is lab-ready—and energy-efficient.
Located at 5602 Research Blvd., the 84,000-square-foot facility is designed to function as an 80/20 split between lab and office space. It's an ideal match for bioscience companies of varying sizes and needs. "We've taken what we've learned over the last two decades and combined it with the operating and energy insights we gained from MGE on the retrofit of our facility at 455 Science Drive," said Hyer.
URP's commitment to delivering energy efficiency in a lab space is impressive given the challenges. "Labs demand exceptionally high air quality and must operate within strict limits for temperature and humidity—requiring constant air exchange and conditioning," said Tom Olson, key account manager at MGE. "Add in the heat load that's generated because of the sheer number of people on site, and the range of electronic and gas equipment, and you can see that it takes diligence to meet these needs while keeping energy efficiency in mind."
Key players in the building's energy-efficient design were MGE, Strang, Inc.—an architecture, engineering and interior design firm that handled design and build—and Focus on Energy (FOE)—Wisconsin utilities' statewide program for energy efficiency and renewable energy. "They worked together to tailor and apply modeling tools and came up with solutions that met the needs of a lab space in an energy-efficient way," said Hyer.
To ensure the building's energy efficiency and minimize long-term operating costs, the building features:
Energy-conscious building envelope—Walls, windows and roof components were all selected to minimize energy transfer.
East/west orientation—Allows the building to take advantage of natural light as much as possible and limits the impact of solar heat gain and glare.
Water heating and cooling systems—Instead of an electric heating system that would have bumped up bills by over $23,000 a year, FOE recommended using a hot-water loop heating system. The use of condensing boilers vs. non-condensing will increase efficiency another 5 to 10 percent. Integrating a chilled-water cooling system was a first for a Research Park facility. "Larger institutional buildings are more likely to install these than a multi-tenant one, but we felt that it was the right choice in the long run," said Hyer. "It cost more up-front, and also required more of a footprint because it's housed inside instead of on the roof, but it will give us the flexibility to meet higher capacity needs over time in an energy-efficient way."
Energy recovery on the exhaust system—Rigorous air quality requirements mean that external air is constantly being drawn into and expelled from the building. To make the most of the energy being used to heat, cool and remove humidity from the air, FOE recommended installing a system that recovered energy from the exhaust.
Variable frequency drives (VFD) on the water loop pumps—Instead of 'all-or-nothing,' VFDs mean pump motors can run more or less, depending on current needs. "It's a small part of the system, but just another example of how we looked at every aspect of the building when trying to improve our efficiency," said Hyer.
In business since 1984, URP has a strong appreciation for the importance of building facilities that are cost- and energy-efficient to operate. "Today's tenants recognize that lease costs are just one part of the equation," said Hyer. "We're trying to make operating choices that deliver real payback for our tenants over time."
Predicted Annual Energy Savings*
| Item | Savings |
| Overall energy savings | $74,602 |
| Decrease in coal usage | 32 tons |
| Reduction in greenhouse gases | 400+ metric tons |
| Energy savings equivalent | 75 homes |
*Based on modeling; building is not at complete capacity at this time.