How to reduce energy costs and optimize HVAC unit performance
In the business of facilities management addressing rising energy costs is a key goal. One leading national chain has successfully tackled this by installing DrivePak reducing energy costs up to 28%. Learn more below.
Here’s the challenge: a national chain with large footprints and a variety of different brand types and facilities spread across every state. Think multiple locations, each brand with unique floorplans and HVAC performance needs that must be optimized. Finding the right way to optimize all stores across all brands and millions of dollars in cumulative savings was difficult.
Until now. The company in question, a NexRev customer, found a way to do it. The solution it deployed has allowed an immediate and lasting savings in energy consumption to be secured. A reduction of up to 28% in energy costs accrued alongside reduced system maintenance requirements and better performance from its assets has put the company in a much better position to meet its commercial goals. Let’s look at how that highly successful outcome was reached.
What to do about HVAC?
Historically, the company had a policy of maintaining and repairing its HVAC units rather than replacing them, at least where possible. A conversation with NexRev persuaded them that the addition of DrivePak with Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) might be a good way of upgrading the unit’s performance without any need for replacement. Why? The improved control over airflow and humidity that DrivePak provides has proven to save significant sums of money.
Persuaded that the idea made sense in principle (and further attracted by evidence that DrivePak could help improve process control, reduced wear on their machines, and increase power factors leading to measurable energy savings) the company decided to trial NexRev technology in different ASHRAE climate zones. The goal was to establish a performance benchmark.
So, the company installed DrivePak at the selected sites and tested the performance of multiple HVAC units in each store with DrivePak installed on one unit but not on another. This provided an “apples to apples” comparison of DrivePak’s impact and, unsurprisingly, the savings were immediately apparent in those units that had DrivePak installed.
How the DrivePak solution worked
Why was this the case? The efficiencies and cost savings DrivePak delivers are the result of a NexRev being able to configure and control a VFD based on site specific requirements instead of relying on the “one size fits all” approach that manufacturers use. The numbers bear out the impact: For example, when a fan’s speed is reduced by just 20%, fan motors experience around 50% energy savings (as described by the Fan Affinity Law).
Additional energy savings were achieved by reducing humidity levels with DrivePak. Lower humidity levels allow thermostats to be set several degrees higher and still achieve optimal comfort. Here, each one-degree increase in the target temperature translates to a three percent reduction in energy use.
You can think of DrivePak™ as an energy-saving upgrade package to any existing, standard, rooftop air conditioning units. A modular solution, it works by optimizing HVAC fan speeds to the needs of the local environment, reducing peak demand, and controlling spikes. As this case demonstrated, it can be retrofitted to existing HVAC units, minimizing costs and labor. Also notable is that it’s fully integrated with NexRev’s Freedom cloud-based EMS, connecting remote HVACs from multiple sites into a single, cohesive control center.
Good results
Back to the use case. With DrivePak deployed, significant energy savings from the optimized performance of its rooftop HVAC units were quickly seen by the company. In the area of power usage these savings have helped the company renegotiate utility contract demand rates with multiple energy providers to significantly reduce energy costs.
Another benefit is that equipment ROI has increased because asset life span has been extended. With DrivePak, belt replacements are now less frequent due to smoother start up and filter replacements are more infrequent because filters last longer due to better controlled air flow.
And multiple benefits
If you face a similar challenge to the company in question, or your own goal is a proven, measurable approach for upgrading HVAC unit performance that delivers a rapid ROI and you’ve found this blog interesting and a useful starting point for further exploration, why not read the full Case Study behind the story that has more detail on the steps taken and how the key decisions were made.
You can find (and download) it here.
About NexRev
At NexRev, we’ve been unlocking the power of facility and energy management data with over a million connected devices across North America. Our team of experts is focused on helping you deliver more with your budgets, infrastructure, and assets to create sustainable savings in operations and energy, reducing your risk and increasing operational confidence.
To begin a discussion on how we can help you to reduce energy waste please email us at