How do I know if my building can participate in CUE Programs?
At some point, any commercial office building can have a role in CUE programs. In the first demonstration round, we are looking for certain characteristics in terms of control and HVAC systems. However, if you are interested in reducing your and your tenants’ HVAC costs or want to explore new revenue streams available to you from grid operators or the government, get in touch with CUE. We will not bring you in to any aspect that does not make sense for you, but if you get on board now, you will learn a lot about your options.
How much does it cost to participate in the 2009 Summer Demonstration?
There is no cost to buildings participating in CUE’s 2009 Summer Demonstration.
How do I sign up for a site visit/audit?
First, please fax your completed Participation Registration Form to 312-577-0950. Once we have received this form, we will contact you to schedule a building audit. The building audit will last between two and four hours.
What if my building is on Thermal Chicago for cooling?
Thermal Chicago does present a different set of opportunities and challenges. CUE still wants to hear from you. Depending on the number of Thermal Chicago customers who wish to participate, CUE will develop a plan for either this summer or for later. Thermal Chicago’s responsiveness may be a key factor, but it does not have to limit your access to demonstration news and results.
What is thermal mass?
Thermal mass is the mass in the structure of a building that can store heat energy (or coolness – the lack of heat energy). Engineering researchers have been exploring, as academic research, how to use the mass in a building’s concrete floors, walls, and other materials to hold heat or cool moved there through the conventional HVAC systems. By using existing materials, the building avoids the high capital costs of adding, say, ice storage facilities but still allows it to take advantage of low priced electricity during off-peak hours to reduce electricity consumption during peak periods on the power grid.
What is the point of CUE’s demonstration?
CUE wants to prove that its technology can improve the net energy efficiency of commercial office buildings in large urban centers and deliver economic payoffs to the participating buildings, to the grid operator, and to CUE. The basic technology elements have been around for decades. CUE believes that we have found a team that can drive this integration of building operation techniques and grid operations to a new level of efficiency that improves energy and environmental performance. We need real commercial buildings and their business knowledge to demonstrate this can work to the nation and beyond.
How much was saved at the pilot building last summer?
The pilot buildings last summer did not go into operational mode. One of the things we learned as we moved to the real world was that some vendors were already committed to school projects for much of the summer because that is the traditional pattern for them. This made it difficult to get the technician time necessary to move forward before the Chicago cooling season ended. At one LEED certified building, the model runs immediately identified 8 percent savings, which surprised many given the high LEED standards. CUE is still working on two of the 2008 pilot buildings and will take them on line for this summer.
Can I speak with someone from a building where CUE worked last summer?
Yes. Two of the building managers have kindly offered to talk with interested and qualified persons about their experience. Please contact CUE. If you are serious about joining the CUE program, we will arrange to get you in touch with one of these building managers. We need to do this screening to be respectful of these volunteers’ time.
I already pre-cool my building. What would my building get from this?
Congratulations on already being energy-conscious. Pre-cooling is generally going to have lowered your bills under most circumstances. Two important points for you to realize: (1) CUE can help you optimize your pre-cooling strategy, which has an excellent chance of delivering more savings for you, and (2) pre-cooling strategies are only part of what CUE has to offer. CUE technology provides optimization of your HVAC operperations every hour, 24 hours a day, based on such criteria as changing weather conditions and electric market grid prices.
How does all of this fit into the Smart Grid?
The Smart Grid is still a general concept and not a specific thing. CUE’s technologies are entirely Smart Grid- compatible. The Smart Grid basically is the addition to the current electric power grid of new intelligence features to make it more reliable, more efficient, and even self-healing. CUE technology is energy efficient and reliability enhancing. CUE technology may be more efficient than many technologies being proposed for the Smart Grid, but it’s too early to tell. Many of the ideas mentioned for the Smart Grid are not yet ready for implementation. CUE senior adviser and founder Professor Gregor Henze, is on the faculty at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where the nation’s first Smart Grid system is being put in place and is intimately involved with that work. Boulder’s Smart Grid emphasizes residential buildings. CUE believes that our work in Chicago with BOMA-Chicago could allow Chicago to become the first large commercial building Smart Grid.